Parents react to new school year guidelines

JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) — Kentucky’s new guidelines give school districts flexibility to try to meet each community’s needs.

But even so, it’s clear classrooms are going to look very different this fall.

Teachers and administrators know some things will be tough.

Parents are also concerned about whether the guidelines are workable.

Lora Villasana-Grimaldo is worried for her daughter’s first school experience.

“They were saying kids are gonna be required to wear masks, social distance, and in my opinion that is not healthy for our kids at any age,” says Lora Villasana-Grimaldo.

Her concerns are mostly with the masks – something her daughter does not like wearing.

“She will tell you sometimes, ‘Mommy I can’t breathe’,” says Villasana.

She worries teachers will spend half their time dealing with distractions created by them.

“The little kids are gonna need help putting them back on. How’s that gonna be good? How are they gonna learn?” says Villasana.

Her little girl is starting school early. Her mother thinks she needs socialization, not social distancing.

“That’s the whole reason they want her to go to school is to start speaking more because they say she is very antisocial. She has a speech delay because she doesn’t want to talk,” says Villasana.

For her, home schooling won’t work.

In fact, home schooling and the work it requires has many parents on edge.

School districts say they understand.

Jessamine County, where Villasana’s kid will be going, is working on options.

“There will be definitely be a lot of challenges moving forward but the thing we have going for us is I think everyone values the educational opportunities for our students and I think we’re all looking at this as that’s our top priority” says Jessamine County Schools Superintendent Matt Moore.

Moore says the district will present a plan to the state within two weeks, then they will start working with parents on how best to make things work.

“The public input is going to be very critical from our families to help us really shape what schools gonna look like next year,” says Moore.