‘Let Them Learn’ rally outside FCPS board meeting, parents frustrated

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – The social media-based group, ‘Let Them Learn in Fayette County,’ held a vocal rally outside the Fayette County Board of Education meeting Monday evening, saying the board and school district aren’t listening to them and their desire to get children back in the classroom for in-person instruction.

The board decided in a special meeting last week to continue with online learning the remainder of the fall semester due to a surge in coronavirus cases.  The school district will reassess the situation in January after the holiday break with the hopes of returning students to the classroom.

About 75 parents and some of their children took the rally Monday evening right up to the door of the auditorium where the school board meeting was being held. Some parents on the inside, sitting with signs that read, “Open Our Schools,” said you could hear the chants loud and clear.

One teacher and parent told ABC 36 News she was most put-off by a recent parent survey by the school district asking parents if they wanted their children to continue learning online or go to a hybrid schedule of some days in the classroom and some online each week.

“It’s very frustrating. The survey was sent out parents were excited to be able to have their voices heard and then they completely just disregarded it and said no, sorry, we’re going to stay all virtual. And so, we were left to wonder what the point of the survey was,” Courtney Turay said.

The school district says 54 percent of the 41,000 families in the district selected a hybrid model. Twenty seven percent of the families did not respond to the survey and twenty percent requested remote learning.  The district did point out that in the written comments section of the survey, many families who favored a hybrid schedule did not want their children to return to the classroom the week of Nov. 2, which was the tentative return date.

Fayette County Public Schools only has a few weeks left in this semester and is offering small group supplemental help for two hours in the afternoon for students who need extra help called “Targeted Services.”

At a another Let Them Learn rally outside FCPS public schools building. These parents want their kids back to in-person learning. @ABC36News pic.twitter.com/BEMyiF1u26

— Monica Harkins ABC 36 (@MonicaHarkinstv) October 26, 2020