Berkeley parents who were upset about the district’s plan for families who have chosen to remain in distance learning even as in-person classes resume saw some of their concerns alleviated this week.
After families learned last week that children who stay in distance learning would lose their teachers and might be taught by substitutes, a group of predominantly Black and Latino parents expressed outrage that distance learners were being relegated to a “second-class” educational experience.
The anger was fueled by a lack of details and a tight timeline to make a decision about whether to send kids back in person, which galvanized parents to form a new parent advocacy group.
But at town hall meetings for parents this week, Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Brent Stephens assured families that although the majority of distance learning students will be assigned new teachers, they would be full-time Berkeley Unified teachers, not substitutes.
“They’re our teachers, they have a lot of experience,” Stephens said, adding that distance learning students will be matched with teachers of the same grade level, and those who receive special education, reading intervention or other specialized services will have the same teachers they do now. An extra virtual class per day will also be added for distance learners.