This petition is being organized in response to recent attempts that hundreds of Olathe families have made to voice our concerns to the Olathe School District and Board of Education regarding their decision to proceed with remote learning for higher grade levels and hybrid-learning for elementary. 

This plan will prohibit those elementary students enrolled for in-person learning from attending class three days of the week, and instead require them to log 360 minutes of learning time remotely per day. Middle and high school students will be doing all of their schooling at home, creating a feeling of isolation in a time in their lives when they need interaction. 

This places an incredible burden on families who do not have the resources to facilitate their children's online learning. For many it is a logistical and financial impossibility. For others, there are added concerns of special education students receiving the specialized support they critically need. Those with elementary students feel that remote learning is simply not appropriate for this age level. Those with middle schoolers and high schoolers are grappling with the confusion that has been created by the unanticipated, last minute announcement to begin the year in a remote learning model, with many details of their children's classes, workload and schedule left unknown and questions unanswered. 

The data being collected by the Johnson County Health Department is skewed. Regardless of this fact, the Johnson County Health Department gating criteria does not recommend remote learning or hybrid learning specifically for elementary grade levels at all, given the current reported rate. 

The parents of the Olathe student body feel strongly that in-person learning is safe and that it is what our children want and need. The decisions made by the Board of Education and their response to hundreds of emails have left thousands in our district feeling betrayed and de-valued by our elected officials. The amount of anxiety in the community among students, teachers, and parents is very real.

We deserve for the Board of Education, Superintendent Allison, and the teachers fighting against in-person learning to hear us. We deserve that reliable, accurate data be used to make these decisions rather than emotion and fear. We demand that Olathe schools be open for full time in-person learning on September 28th.