Sept. 22, 2020 9:40p
(WGTD)---Kenosha School Board President Tom Duncan gave no indication Tuesday night that the district is ready to back down from offering in-person instruction as an option, even though at least 10 students and staff have tested positive for COVID-19, and a large number of teachers called in sick Monday.
"I knew we were going to have some setbacks, and we were prepared for that as best we could," said Duncan at a school board meeting. "I certainly hope we can remain open for in-person learning as long as we can be safer for one and all. I don't know that we will ever, ever truly be safe but we can be safer," he said.
The meeting began with teachers and parents giving emotional pitches for either continuing with in-person instruction or switching to an all-virtual model.
Kenosha Education Association President Tanya Kitts-Lewinski said she and her colleagues are being shamed for wanting students and staff to be safe. "Educators are exhausted from bearing the brunt of this pandemic and from being forced to enter unsafe buildings that put our students and themselves and the community at risk of spreading and contracting COVID-19," she said.
The teachers' union is recommending that all teachers get tested for the virus by the end of the week.
Kitts-Lewinski was escorted from the meeting room by security because she kept speaking after her time limit was up. A parent grabbed the podium microphone as she continued to read remarks.
Earlier in the day, the district said that teacher absences on Tuesday had returned to normal levels, and that the district was continuing to individually contact those who called in sick in order to get explanations.
About 58% of the district's nearly 20,000 students opted for classroom instruction.
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