BOSTON (CBS) — Thirteen-year-old Oriana Dunker, of Roxbury, loves to learn. The rising eighth-grader at Boston Latin School said her family just made the decision that she will be doing her classes remotely this fall.
“So I discussed with both my parents and siblings and I chose that I wanted to stay at home and do online school because going back to the classroom with people around me just wasn’t a risk my family wanted to take,” Dunker said.
Boston Public School officials updated the district’s coronavirus re-opening plan Saturday to prioritize parents’ choice. As Boston Public School districts begin the process of a hybrid re-opening, parents will decide how their kids will learn full remote or a mix of in-person and remote learning. The plan largely depends on whether COVID-19 infection rates remain low enough for classrooms to reopen.
Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu said navigating through all of this is challenging. “The latest version was that half the kids would be there Monday, Tuesday, and then remote the rest of the week. Half the kids would be Thursday, Friday, remote from the beginning of the week and then some kids will get to have three or four days in as well,” Wu said.
The city councilor has two kids of her own in BPS. She told WBZ-TV she feels the school district should have begun the school year with all classes remote, then move students into classrooms once safety is guaranteed.
“Just the way that the pandemic has impacted the way I learn and how my friends learn, it’s really bad,” Dunker said. She can’t for this pandemic to end so she can get back to her school, teachers, and friends.
“To me, learning is one of the most important things in my life because I feel like it allows me to grow as a person, become a better person, and learn more about the things I like and ways I can help,” said Dunker.
Boston Schools aim to have classes begin on September 21st.
