Community Calls for Action as 80 Percent of NH Schools Return to Some Form of In-School Learning While Nashua Still Waits for Concrete Plan.
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NASHUA, NH — October 5, 2020 — Nearly 100 parents and supporters gathered in front of the Nashua Public School District offices to rally against the District’s lack of a clear strategy for an expedient return to in-person learning. Organized by Nashua Parent Voice (NPV), a collaborative group of nearly 800 members who believe students deserve better than the Nashua Public School District’s current remote model, the group was greeted by honks, waves, and well-wishes from passing drivers while District employees looked on from inside.
“It’s time to return to the classroom,” says Amy Medling, one of the founding members of Nashua Parent Voice. “The risk to our children’s’ academic, mental, and emotional wellbeing caused by the delay in return to in-person learning is quickly outweighing the risk posed by the virus itself.”
Mounting evidence shows that students are facing significant, potentially lasting, consequences as a result of their time away from the classroom. A McKinsey and Company study projects learning loss of approximately seven months, with some students facing even greater losses and a projected increase in drop-out rate as much as nine percent. In a recent interview with the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the CDC Director indicated that suicide and drug overdose have claimed more young lives during the pandemic than COVID-19, all while access to counseling is becoming increasingly scarce as demand skyrockets.
“I’ve called around to numerous therapists for my child, but no one has availability,” states one concerned parent. “They all say they can’t keep up with the demand that started since COVID hit.”
Nashua rolled back its original plans to implement its hybrid model for all grades in October to just a small population of Special Education and K-1 students, despite low and stable transmission rates in the community and even the Governor’s urging for a return to in-person instruction.
“The data shows it’s time to send kids back to class,” Sununu recently stated. “My hope is that some of the schools who are in a fully remote position right now will look at the data…to make a decision to advance to a hybrid model, or maybe even back to a full classroom instruction model sooner than later, especially given the fact that so many folks are looking for that to actually happen.”
Nashua Parent Voice
Nashua Parent Voice (NPV) is a collaborative group of nearly 800 members (and growing) who believe students deserve better than the Nashua Public School District’s current remote model, and are advocating for change. To date, the Nashua Public School District has not communicated nor implemented a unified, consistent, and comprehensive plan to transition students back to in-person learning. NPV is petitioning the Superintendent and Board of Education to multilaterally create a solidified and accelerated plan based on current facts, data, and defined safety measures so that our teachers, parents, and students feel safe about going back to school. A formal Appeal of Local School Board Policy has been filed with the Nashua Board of Education by the group.
