Sanger schools reopen next week: ‘I’ve never experienced a situation so divisive’

Division, backlash, and disagreements are at the center of Fresno County’s fourth-largest school district’s decision to send elementary school students back to campuses next week amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“I have never experienced in my 36 years of education a situation like this that has been so divisive,” Sanger Unified Superintendent Adela Jones said during Tuesday night’s regular board meeting. “I do not want to see our community be divided over this.”

The division was clear on Tuesday night. More than 150 Sanger community members either spoke or submitted a public comment to the board.

Before the meeting began about 15 teachers protested outside advocating to have the choice to continue distance learning.

“The school district does not have all the answers,” third-grade teacher and protester Delilah Isaak told The Bee. “There are so many unforeseen circumstances. Some kids are succeeding safely at home and they don’t need to put themselves and their family at risk.”

Parents slammed the Sanger Unified Teachers Association, which has been advocating for more teacher and parent input.

“It’s clear from the laughable and pathetic display by the union tonight this has nothing to do with safety,” parent Mia Geil said during public comment. “This is all a part of a self-serving agenda that does not benefit our children. Education is essential. If these teachers are so scared for their lives maybe they should find a new career.”

Competing Change.org petitions

Change.org petitions have been made about when to reopen campuses pitting two sides against each other.

One petition, which had 610 signatures as of Tuesday night, is advocating for the district to continue distance learning for now because the proposed hybrid model is disrupting students and putting the community at risk. The other petition, which had 672 signatures as of Tuesday night. is asking the district to move forward with plans to reopen on Nov. 2.

Parents told the board they feel they did not have an option because they either have to send their kids back to part-time, in-person learning or disenroll them from their current school.

“My son already got COVID-19,” Valorie Reeves told The Bee. “I don’t want anybody else to get it. It was the sickest my husband has ever been. I’ve had lingering asthma since March. It’s real.”

Other parents put pressure on board members to continue with their plans to reopen on Monday.

The district received backlash for not asking teachers if they want to return to campuses. Teachers are all expected to show up unless they have a medical issue or live with someone who is more susceptible to COVID-19.

Teacher speaks out

“We’ve been called ridiculous, disgusting, pathetic, selfish and scared,” Ramone Cuevas, a teacher at Sanger High West, said during public comment. “We want our students back, quite frankly, but we want them back when the risk to them and their family has been minimized.”

Sanger Unified also scrambled over the weekend to find out which parents want to continue distance learning or return to a hybrid model of learning.

At the meeting, Jones said the district is listening to parents, teachers, “but most importantly we’re hearing what our kids need.”

“We know there are legitimate concerns and questions and so we’re here to answer that,” she said. “We have been working and assuring what we’re going to be putting in place is safe and it really comes down to an equity issue for our kids.”

Sanger Unified has not lost sight of what is in the best interest of students, Jones said, and right now many are lacking social, emotional and academic support.

Hayley Field, the foster and homeless youth liaison for Sanger Unified, told the board Tuesday that students who want to should be able to return to campuses. Schools are not just places to learn, she said; for some, it’s a refuge or escape.

She recounted notes from meetings with students: loss of housing; PTSD; eviction; trauma; abuse; domestic violence; jail; prison; rehab; mental health; self-harm; suicide; drug use; sexually exploited; gang affiliation; depression; rape.

Jones said district staff has communicated reopening plans to families in multiple ways, safety protocols are in place, parents have been polled, and the district has set up childcare for the teachers who need it.

“So based on tonight and the information that we’ve been providing for you since March 13, my recommendation to the board is that we continue with this plan,” Jones said. “This is what our kids need and this is what our kids deserve.”

Distance learning plan changes

Sanger Unified has opted to change its distance learning plan after receiving backlash from parents who wanted to continue online learning but didn’t want to disenroll their children from their school.

The original plan called for students who were continuing to distance learn to be re-enrolled at Taft, which is an online school, or Hallmark, an independent study school where parents would need to home school their children.

“One voice did come across loud and clear,” Deputy Superintendent Eduardo Martinez said during the meeting. “That was parents not wanting to leave their school site.”

Students will be able to distance learn and stay at their school, Martinez said. Students may have classes with students from other schools and different teachers. Distance learning teachers will have students from their school site and possibly from other schools.

“We knew that by doing so it wasn’t going to be perfect but it allowed for students to feel,’I’m still part of my school,’” Martinez said.

Out of the 2,857 parents the district polled, about 43% said they wanted to continue distance learning and nearly 57% wanted to return to in-person classes, according to data compiled by Sanger Unified.

Out of 5,748 transitional kindergarteners to sixth-graders, there are 5,077 who are going back to campuses, 566 who will distance learn, 87 who will go to Hallmark and 19 who will home school.

Compared to the last school year, more Sanger High School ninth-graders are receiving D’s and F’s, data from the district found. Although, in grades 10-12 there are less failing grades than the year before.

The district chronic absenteeism rate, which means students miss 10% or more of school days, has decreased so far compared to the last school year, according to data compiled by Sanger Unified officials. The data collected was from the first day of school until Sept. 29 for both years.

In the 2019-20 school year, 14.7% of the 12,398 students enrolled in Sanger Unified were considered chronically absent. Out of the 12,300 students enrolled this school year, 9.1% are chronically absent so far.

‘Where is there fairness in getting no voice’

There were 138 written responses submitted to Sanger Unified board members that were not read out loud during the meeting because it would take hours to get through and there were many people who came to speak in person.

The public comment form community members were asked to submit says, “Your comments will be read aloud during Open Forum.”

“Where is there fairness in getting no voice?” Sanger’s union President Stephanie Alvarado, told The Bee. “We won’t know if those comments represent other sides.”

Board President Peter R. Filippi said the comments are going to be read out loud at another time but didn’t specify when.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 8:51 AM.