Compiled by Erica Wright
We asked Birmingham-area residents, What do you think of Alabama K-12 schools closing for the rest of the semester?
Asia Bragg: “I work in the Jefferson County School system as a paraprofessional . . . on the bright side, at least it wasn’t the full school year; on the flip side . . . they still need to do testing; that is almost two months they’ll miss, plus adding the summer that’s an additional three months so about four to five months they’ll miss of school.”
Julia Layne: “I think it’s going to be really hard for parents who still have to work, and their kids are out of school. Where are their kids going to go? and how are they going to teach them because homeschooling is hard for a lot of people . . . I think it’s going to be difficult for them to continue learning until the next school year.”
Kristi Dudley: “As a mom, it’s a bit challenging . . . we’re going to have to do some homeschooling but we’ll take it week by week [but] that’s what we have to do to keep everyone safe. It’s a shock but I think the teachers and the schools will rally together to figure out how to best help the students and the moms and dads out there.”
Arnett Earl: “I wonder how it’s going to affect the start of school for next year. Will they start school later or at the same time that they do every year in August? I don’t think they should go back in August and [should] wait at least until September because I think this virus will get worse before it gets better. There hasn’t been a cure or a vaccine and it’s real bad . . . I’m curious to see what will happen in the next few months.
