Illinois Education Association Minooka Region issued the following announcement on Nov. 12.
Tonight, the Marquardt Education Association (MEA) will call for an immediate switch to remote learning at the Marquardt School District 15 Board of Education (BOE) meeting.
“We are calling for an immediate switch to remote learning, and we are asking for a clear, transparent plan that uses metrics and data to drive decision making in our schools,” MEA Co-president Mary Lundquist said. “We should be putting the safety of our students, our staff and community first and that means following the advice of the medical professionals at the DuPage County Health Department.”
On Oct. 19, the DuPage County Health Department recommended all schools in the county move to remote learning because of growing COVID-19 positivity rates in the area.
“We are not against in-person learning, but we are absolutely against unsafe learning,” Lundquist said. “The district set safety standards in place. However, the district is not following or enforcing its plan, which means students’ and staff lives are in danger. We love working with our students. The Glendale Heights community is close knit and it’s extremely difficult for us to see our students and their families put in harm’s way.”
The MEA represents about 200 teachers in District 15, providing an education to the more than 2400 elementary and middle school students. Currently, all five schools in District 15 are operating on a hybrid learning plan. District 15 schools feed into Glenbard North and South, which are both fully remote.
“We are especially concerned about our students and our community. Over 60% of our student population are Black and Hispanic,” Lundquist said. “The science and data has shown those who fall into those demographic groups have a greater chance of contracting COVID and are more likely to get seriously ill. We need to do better.”
Tonight’s board meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the District 15 Administrative Offices (1860 Glen Ellyn Road, Glendale Heights). Several teachers and community members plan to speak at the board meeting, making statements in support of a return to remote learning during.
Original source can be found here.
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