PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — 9,000 School District of Philadelphia students from pre-K through second grade were supposed to return to partial in-person learning Monday. Late last week, however, the district put those plans on hold because of unresolved concerns from teachers about building safety.
Following pushback from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Superintendent Dr. William Hite suspended the scheduled return. The move leaves a number of parents and students in limbo.
For parent Tamia Pettus, the multiple delays in reopening have forced her to constantly re-plan her son's daily educational routine, something she said can be a difficult for a working mother.
"Trying to make sure that my son is on task doing his school work as well as well as making sure I'm able to get to work and do my job as well," she shared.
While Pettus hopes for a resolution, she's uncertain that students will return to schools this academic year. "In a minute, there's only going to be two three months of school left. What's the point of having them come back at this point?"
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Pettus' son Tamar goes to Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. She said he was pretty pumped up about the prospect of going back to school Monday, but those hopes were dashed when the district announced students will continue to learn virtually until further notice.
"Right now, he's a little hurt. He was hoping to go into the building," she said, "because he's missing the communication. He's missing the social."
While Pettus understands the reasoning for the delayed reopening, she's hoping the district and teacher's union can can put together a more concrete plan, sooner rather than later.
"I think we all need to be mindful," she urged. "On one hand, I understand some of the teachers' concerns about the safety of the building, but on the other hand we have to worry about how the parents are handling this, how the children are handling this."
The district, city and teachers' union are expected to make a joint announcement Monday with more details on the mediation process.