Coronavirus Low Risk To Healthy Kids: Troy 30-C Petition Drive

JOLIET, IL — Because of concerns about the coronavirus, Troy School Superintendent Todd Koehl is OK with making the vast majority of Troy community school students stay at home for distance learning until after the U.S. presidential race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is settled. However, the idea of bringing back most Troy students until mid-November does not sit well with many of the Troy parents.

As a result, they have launched a petition at Change.org in hopes of convincing Superintendent Koehl and the Troy Community School Board to change their decision.

The petition drive was launched this past weekend and it had 150 signatures as of Sunday night.

"We believe that in-person learning should be available now for families that feel it is best for them and their children," the petition states. "Families that have special circumstances should obviously be allowed to continue to have e-learning available for their children if it is best for them. We realize that COVID-19 is a serious disease and presents complex problems for the school, the administration, the teachers and all the staff and that creating a system and an environment that minimizes risk to all involved and maximizes safety for everyone is necessary.

"But we also know that it can be done and that schools all over the country, in nearby communities, and even in our own community have accepted the challenge and are succeeding because they have chosen to do what’s best for the children in their schools and their communities. We owe it to our children who are the junior school and elementary students in our community, to do what’s best for them and to provide them with the opportunity for in-person learning moving forward this school year."

If you want to sign the Reopen Troy 30-C Petition, you can do so here.

One Joliet parent who signed the petition wrote: "Our kids need to be back in school!!! We can send them to third parties for daycare we can send them to school!!"

Another parent wrote: "My daughter’s mental health is in danger. She is severely depressed. Crying DAILY!!! My heart is breaking for her well being. We need to stop doing this to our babies!! Covid doesn’t scare me."

Last week, Troy school officials provided an update on their remote learning concept as part of an article posted on Patch. In that article, Troy officials revealed that: "Stage 3 is tentatively planned to begin November 16, with second- through eighth-grade students gradually moving to in-person learning in an A/B split hybrid schedule.

"Stage 4 could begin January 25, with a full hybrid model of half days in school and half days at home, and Stage 5 would eventually begin with full-day, five days a week, in-person instruction for all students.

"Throughout, masks will be required and social distancing enforced. Students will also stay in one classroom during their in-school sessions. Students and staff who become infected with Covid-19 and those who were in close contact with them will be quarantined for 14 days."

This article originally appeared on the Shorewood Patch