As a @MetroSchools parent x3 looking to fall, here are ?s I have abt f2f vs. virtual. I ask these in hopes they might be answered as plans are unveiled, knowing that we are ALL working w/ a lot of uncertainty & with faculty/staff, families, & community health in mind.

1/ Will the virtual option include synchronous or only asynchronous instruction? If asynchronous only, can kids work through at their own pace and continuously keep going, or no?

2/ Will the virtual option mirror the f2f option, such that if virtual options end in January, all students have been provided the same curriculum? 3/ Will students who go f2f have the option of moving to virtual if needed?

4/ Will f2f be a lot of online learning but in a classroom setting, or will it still have a lot of interactive learning? Are there classes that will not run, like band in MS and HS or music in ES?

5/ How limited, if at all, will kids be in their ability to still move around and engage with classmates in f2f? If I have a kid who really needs breaks and recess time and talking with others, am I better off keeping them home if I can?

6/ Will differentiation happen in either or more/less in a f2f or virtual classroom? If I have a child well ahead of or behind “grade level,” should that inform my decision? If they have an IEP? Will honors or AP/IB courses be offered only in one format? ESL? Encore?

7/ Will MAP testing happen in both formats or neither? If neither, how will admissions to selective MSs and HSs happen if kids aren’t able to become eligible who previously weren’t? (Or could we just go to open lottery for those schools?!)

8/ Do families have the option of homeschooling their kids this fall & returning to schools in Jan where they are “opted in”? That is, if I want to provide my own schooling for kids this fall rather than used the virtual option provided, is my seat at an option school secure?

9/ Will teachers be asked to do both f2f and virtual, or will one or the other so they can focus on that format? Would my choice as a parent make things easier for teachers if I chose one way or another (for those families for whom this is truly a choice)?

10/ And most importantly, to what extent will either format help kids make sense life RN – COVID & protests in response to anti-Blackness & police brutality & the fall national election? Which will reinforce messages to my Black child that she is whole, beautiful, and brilliant?

+1/ How can I ensure that my choices don’t double down on the inequities already present in our schools? If I pull them out for fall to homeschool, does that free up energy to be put towards other kids who stay or pull money from the district (or both)?

Do I send them f2f but keep my concerns and frustrations to myself to spare teachers, assuming that my kids ultimately will be fine?

In short, I want to make an informed decision, not just a practical one. I care abt teachers & schools & want to make choices that reflect the big picture, not just what is easiest or benefits to my own kids.

More information will help me make that, and as @MetroSchools works towards asking families for their choices, I hope some of these ?s can be answered.