MS governor’s order leaves Coast parents torn as in-person class begins this week
As Mississippians wondered over the last week whether Gov. Tate Reeves would issue a statewide order on school reopenings, hope grew among some Coast parents and teachers that he would delay the start of classes.
On Monday night, after he announced that he would be issuing an order on Tuesday, people in a Facebook group for Harrison County parents shared the link to his Facebook post and speculated about what action he might take. Many hoped for a significant delay.
“Cross fingers,” commented Cheryl Gage, a parent at Harrison Central Elementary School, who had spoken at a school board meeting earlier in the evening to ask them to postpone the first day of school.
On Tuesday afternoon, when Reeves announced the delay would apply only to schools in just eight counties, parents and teachers on the Coast who had hoped for a more sweeping order, like Gage, were disappointed. Reeves’ decision came just days after the state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, told the Mississippi State Medical Association the state would “pay the price for cramming kids into schools right now.”
“I think a lot of people were waiting to see if Gov. Reeves would take some decisive action,” said Donald Turner, a parent in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District and leader of Mississippi’s chapter of the national Refuse to Return movement. “Now he hasn’t, so once again it’s in the hands of people to govern themselves.”
But others, including some leaders of local school districts, are looking forward to getting back to class. Bonita Coleman, superintendent of Ocean Springs School District, said postponing the semester so close to the planned start date would put working parents in a bind.
“For the last 24 hours, we’ve just kind of been in wait and see mode, and now we have to just jump-start again to make sure everything is ready for Thursday, and that’s what we’re doing,” Coleman said.
Masks in Jackson County
At the press conference, Reeves also announced a two-week statewide mask mandate and mandatory masks for all staff and students at schools. That means districts with mask-optional rules, such as Jackson County, will need to require them.
Jackson County School District Superintendent John Strycker said he is eager for students to return to school on Thursday.
“We are as prepared to come back as we can be, knowing that this is a moving target, knowing that this is uncharted territory,” he said. “An additional two weeks, we would be maybe in the same position we’re in now. We want to get these kids back to school and get going in the best routine that we can.”
Districts on the Coast have a wide range of reopening plans, with varying levels of detail with regard to daily schedules and virtual learning options. Parents and teachers, too, have a wide variety of perspectives on school reopenings.
Rodney Necaise, a father of three in Diamondhead, said he was glad Reeves hadn’t issued a statewide delay, because he feels his children’s district, Hancock County, is well-prepared. A one-size-fits-all approach wouldn’t make sense, he said, adding that a delay would cut into students’ other breaks.
“The time comes from somewhere,” he said. “There’s no reason that the students of Hancock County should suffer.”
His 12-year-old has suffered from the lack of social contact over the last few months and is excited to get back to school in person, Necaise said, while his two other kids will study virtually.
“The schools who were not prepared should be postponed, but the ones that have adjusted, they’re ready,” Necaise said.
Back to school
At the Harrison County School Board meeting Monday evening, Gage’s speech was impassioned, begging the board members to postpone the start of the school year as coronavirus cases rise in Harrison County. After she spoke, John W. Davis Jr., pastor of Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Gulfport, presented letters from a network of African American pastors on the Coast who also want a delay.
“We’re very much in need of learning, but the living and lives of our students, faculties and administrators are more critical,” Davis said.
On Tuesday afternoon, School Board President Rena Wiggins told the Sun Herald that the board’s next meeting is Aug. 24. A special-called meeting needed to delay the start of school has not been set.
Gage, who is vice president of the Parent Teacher Association at Harrison Central Elementary, had always intended to send her second-grader Joey back to school in person. She was hoping for a delay to make that feel safer, but her plan didn’t change after Reeves’ press conference.
She spent part of Tuesday afternoon organizing his backpack. She wrote his name on it and filled it with a change of clothes. She put in a child-sized N-95 mask, also labeled “Joey,” and another mask in case the first gets dirty. Joey’s teacher has assured her she’ll keep extra masks on hand in the classroom.
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 9:01 AM.
