Approximately 100 parents and students marched outside of Palo Alto High School this afternoon to call for secondary schools to return to campus.
On the corner of Churchill Avenue and El Camino Real, Palo Alto Unified School District community members chanted in support of expanding in-person school as passing cars honked their horns.
PAUSD secondary schools have been closed for almost a year, and frustrated parents and students aimed to make their voices heard this afternoon.
“Are you dissatisfied with our district’s extremely slow reopening timetable and in particular no plans to return 7-12th graders to classrooms until August?” PAUSD parent and event organizer Katja Marty Bye wrote in the Facebook event post. “We want students to have the option of both in-school instruction and distant learning as soon as we go into red tier.”
On Feb. 5, Superintendent Don Austin announced that it may be possible for Grades 7 through 12 to return, but not in a capacity similar to elementary schools.
“Potential returns for grades 7-12 should not be compared to our elementary in-person program,” Austin wrote in his update. “Efforts will be made to get students back on campus for small periods of time.”
PAUSD community members hold handmade signs at the corner of Churchill Avenue and El Camino Real in support of reopening schools. Photos: Anushe Irani
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