Fighting the Pandemic
This week SAISD announced that they would possibly look into using contact tracing within our schools to help determine where or how someone got the virus. Now, this is something that our parents and teachers have been asking for since the start of this pandemic. Let us hope that Mr. Martinez will follow through with this idea. If he does, it will help all of us find a better way to address the health concerns within SAISD. So, parents, we need Mr. Martinez to be held accountable during this pandemic, especially for our students and our teachers.
Next, in a recent panel discussion with other superintendents across the nation, it is clear that remote learning maybe the future for all children. So, this 87th Legislation, the head of TEA, Mike Morath, will decide how our schools will be funded this coming year. The funding that all districts receive is based on attendance, but now our school districts ask that we receive money based on enrollment because we are looking at the future of remote learning. The fact is that many of our children are struggling now with the school, both in-person and online. So, our children’s future depends on getting funding for all those enrolled.
Now to help our high school students, SAISD had talked about creating a schedule based on the student’s last names, so certain students go to school on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the others would attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Friday, would be a make-up day for all students. I thought this was an excellent idea for all of our high school kids, but the district did not follow throw with this plan. Now, most of our children are falling behind, causing an overwhelming amount of stress for our teachers and staff. Yet, it seems that if any of the teachers speak up that they will get into trouble. I think that all teachers should have a voice in what they believe could help fix this educational crisis. As parents and students, we need to be a part of this process; if SAISD is unwilling to allow our teachers to speak up without the consequences, then we will never be able to find a better way to improve our educational system. If we continue to allow only those who sit on our school’s board to make the right decisions on moving forward with remote learning and in-person learning, we may not survive this academic crisis. In times of need, our teachers and staff members, and our students are on the front lines of this pandemic, and it is their voices that could make a change. It is sad to say that it looks like SAISD teachers are not on the list for the new vaccine. So, without the vaccine for our teachers and no new vaccine for children under 16, we must worry about how this will hurt our SAISD children, teachers, and staff. It is essential to remember that we will have no future doctors, nurses, musicians, Congress members, or senators without teachers and schools. The list goes on because, without a good education, no one will move forward in life. This means that all that have fought in the past to make changes within our communities could be lost forever. So, Parents rise and let us make sure all of our children receive the best education possible.
Until next week, please wear your masks, practice social distancing and wash your hands so that we can save all lives within our community. If anyone has any questions or concerns, please email at lena.lopez@saobserver.com.
Have a Blessed Week, Lena Lopez
