Hundreds of Naperville-area parents and students rallied Monday to urge local school boards to bring students back to the classroom and the playing field.
Most public schools kicked off the academic year with remote learning due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. But parents and students at Monday’s rally said spending a school day in front of a computer screen just isn’t working for them.
Naperville District 203 eighth-grader Eleni Nicolaudes carried a sign that summed up her feelings on remote learning: “Stressed Out.”
“I feel as if I learn better in person,” said Eleni, who attended the rally with her mother and younger sister. “I’m a more hands-on learning. I like being in school.”
Her younger sister, Sofia, made a sign that told her health story of being a Type 1 diabetic who had COVID-19 and survived.
“I like to see my friends,” Sofia said. “I just want to go back to school.”
The nearly two-hour rally at Rotary Hill was just a few blocks away from Naperville District 203 offices, where school board members met Monday night and heard many of the same complaints.
Those at the outdoor gathering said that while they appreciate the efforts teachers are making to ensure remote learning is as effective as possible, it can’t be compared to in-person classes. Months after the pandemic began, it should be reasonable to expect some return to normalcy, many said.
“We all did exactly what we were asked to do,” Catherine Kingsbury, mother of twins attending Naperville Central High School, told the crowd gathered. “We flattened the curve.
“We deserve better,” she said later in her speech. “Our children deserve better.”
Speakers also pointed to growing concerns about increasing suicide and overdose rates since the pandemic and remote learning began and argued that students need the one-to-one interaction with classmates and students for their mental health.
“The anxiety and depression young people are feeling is real,” said Adam Russo, a therapist specializing in anxiety and depression and founder of Edgewood, a counseling and therapy clinic in Naperville.
Russo told those at the rally that while classes are essential, sports activities also provide important life lessons that students are not receiving while schools remain closed.
“The benefits of sports go beyond just learning to play a game,” he said. “You can’t learn leadership, motivation or time management just by sitting in front of a screen.”
Other speakers addressed how remote learning is not working for students with special needs. One mother talked of how remote learning has affected her son, who has epilepsy.
“Screen time is not a friend to seizure disorders,” said Kelly Gillenwater, a Wheaton Warrenville South High School student. Her son often is exhausted after spending hours in front of a screen, she said.
Athletes gathered at the rally Monday also noted that not being able to play on the field this season could impact their scholarship or college options. Many seniors at the rally also simply just wanted to get back on the field to play their last season, which neighboring states are allowing.
“We want to get back in school and play football,” said Max Wilson, a senior at Wheaton Warrenville South High School. “There’s a safe way to do it.”
While many at the rally expressed a desire to return to class, one woman dressed as the Grim Reaper stood up to warn the crowd of the possible harm that could come from returning to in-person learning.
The woman, whose face was covered and would only identify herself as a Naperville District 203 parent, carried a sign reading, “Open Schools Now,” noting the Grim Reaper would support reopening of schools because of the potential dangers that accompany it.
Yes, there are concerns with remote learning, she said, but parents should spend their time on more important things, like making sure schools have the necessary personal protection equipment available and detailed plans to ensure students’ safety.
“I think we’re all upset, but I think our energy could be better used,” she said.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
