SCRANTON, Pa. — The Scranton School District is one of the last districts in our area to finalize a plan to get students back in the classroom. Classes have been virtual there since last March.
Students in the district still don't know when they'll finally walk through the doors of their school again and sit at a desk in front of a teacher.
This week, the school board scrapped a plan to bring kids back to the classroom in March after more than 50 teachers said they'd "be unable to fulfill their duties in-person due to health-related concerns."
The reaction was mixed among the people we spoke to.
"Eventually, we'll get back to that, but for the time being, you can't. You can't even make that decision in the summer about September. There's a long way to go with this virus that's going around," said Allen Bevan, a parent in the district.
"Well, they certainly don't care about the students. They don't care about our country, about the knowledge our kids are wasting. I feel bad for kids. I feel bad for the country because they're not learning anything, and we're falling behind other countries," Ronald Rusnak said.
"It's upsetting, but it's understandable. Like, I could get why they would want to protect themselves," said seventh-grader Paige Dougherty.
In the most recent school board meeting, parents and students implored officials to reopen the schools.
"Students are falling through the cracks, and there's only so much a teacher or a therapist on the other side of a computer can do. How are students' mental health needs being addressed? It is devastating to get calls about students attempting suicide," said one person in the meeting.
"I am lucky enough that I have a good home, but not everyone does. For some kids, school is an escape. For my siblings and I, we are not getting the education we need or deserve," said a fifth-grade student. "You are in charge of thousands of kids and are not working in their best interest."
The school district plans to revisit the situation at the next school board meeting on March 1 to figure out what to do next.