Let’s Talk About to School or Not to School: Adrienne Stuart and Tamara Jones, School Reopening Pro and Con (August 14, 2020)

As the Coronavirus continues to impact our lives, one of the biggest impacts for parents is the decision by schools in our state not to reopen for in person teaching this fall. We talked with two parents about their decisions: One in favor of school reopening in some fashion because the state is failing in its constitutional obligations to educate our children; one who is trying to balance education with the need for safety.

Evelyn’s Caveat: When I’m interested in a subject, I turn to my friends for their perspectives. And my friends are mostly lawyers and government employees. We know these discussions and the concerns of these parents are not reflective of what many other parents are going through. Nonetheless, we think you will appreciate their insights.

Adrienne Stuart is an attorney who works on disability issues and regularly works with the Legislature to improve our laws. She and her husband live in Northeast Tacoma and have two young sons in Tacoma Public Schools.

Tamara Jones has worked with numerous state agencies as a government relations liaison and project manager. She and her husband (who has spent much of their family’s life in the military or working overseas) live in North Tacoma with her daughter who is about to start high school in Tacoma.

So, what’s a parent to do? Can you “assist” your young child with remote learning and still keep up with your own job? What do you do if you can’t work from home while your child is remote learning from home? What if you have a child with special needs who should be receiving instructional and therapeutic services from the schools as part of a learning plan contract? Are some activities safe? Are parents and guardians receiving the information they need to make decisions about education over the next few months? And how do you keep everyone healthy?

Adrienne’s facebook group: Washington State Parents United for Public School Options

Attached is a copy of the letter regarding TPS pre-school programs.