To the Editor,
I am a parent with two children at Swarthmore-Rutledge School. I want to thank the Wallingford-Swarthmore School board members for their hard work during such a difficult time, and I want to ask for their courage to make the difficult choices that lie ahead. For some families in the community, the switch to completely online education is very frustrating, while for others it is a huge relief. Never before have we seen such a divide in opinions on the right thing to do.
Personally, I’m disappointed that I will not be able to send my two children to SRS to learn in person with their wonderful teachers this fall. In the end, while my partner and I will both be at work, our children will be at home receiving what we all know will be a far from adequate education. But our kids will be fine. We’ll find an expensive qualified tutor and pay them thousands of dollars to walk our children through this online education, even as I go to work to teach classes in person.
Make no mistake, this letter is not about my kids, or even about most of our kids. We’ll be fine. This statement is about the families that have no options. 1) Low- to middle-income families who didn’t get lucky enough to find or pay for a tutor. 2) Single parents who have to show up to work. 3) Essential employees who can’t work from home all while keeping the rest of us safe.
Our community may be divided about whether we should send our kids to school this fall, but just about everybody agrees that we cannot leave these vulnerable families behind. It is time for WSSD to stop talking about social inequalities and actually do something to help our most vulnerable populations. I advocate that we open up one or two classrooms per grade level for five-day-a-week in-person instruction and allow parents in the community to petition the school for a hardship that would allow their children to attend.
We have the resources. There are teachers willing to teach in person; if you ask, they will answer. Classrooms stand open and unused. Cases and positivity rates in Delaware County have been declining steadily for 20 days since a peak on July 27. We are within a few days of reaching the recommended levels for in-person instruction according to both the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Chester County Health Department.
It will cost WSSD almost nothing to provide for those in need in our community, while failure to help these families will cost them everything. It is our moral obligation to help. Please do whatever you can without hesitation. You will be heroes to those who need you most.
Ben Carone
Swarthmore
