GENEVA – Despite the public displays of solidarity with picketing, rallies, speaking out at school board meetings and on social media, some Geneva District 304 parents say they support the school board’s decision to continue its hybrid plan while the coronavirus pandemic continues.

Parents who formed an advocacy group, Geneva Parents United for Students, point to other districts that have returned to in-person learning during the Phase 4 lifting of some restrictions. They have urged Geneva’s district to do the same.

“More than 11,000 educators in Kane County are set to be fully vaccinated by the end of the week,” according to a statement by the group’s co-founder, Jean Smith.

“With the new joint guidelines from the IDPH and the ISBE defining social distancing at 3 to 6 feet, District 304 officials are out of excuses as to why students can’t be back in school for full time in-person learning. The practicable time is right now to get children back in school,” according to Smith’s statement.

But several parents, including Sarah Shkutov, spoke of their support for district officials’ caution about when to return to in-person learning.

“I think the school board has done a fantastic job,” said Shkutov, who has a middle school son. “I knew it was complicated before, but it was so much more complicated than I realized. I think they are doing an amazing job.”

Shkutov said with all the discussion and the other parent group picketing, “I am now paying better attention.”

“I just feel like people have sort of forgotten that the school board and the district turned itself inside out from day one. I have a deep appreciation for that,” Shkutov said. “We are moving in the right direction. Can we stick it out the next 50 days and get back to normal life? I truly believe the board is doing everything they possibly, possibly can to achieve that goal, I really do.”

Shkutov likened the situation to running a marathon, which is 26.2 miles.

“It’s all good news,” Shkutov said. “This is a marathon. Let’s not fall apart at mile 25.”

Shkutov was also sympathetic to parents who described their young children’s stress during their remote learning days.

“They’re hitting their limit,” Shkutov said. “They’re just done.”

Five days a week

Another mom, Heidi DeMarco, with one child graduated in 2020 and a second one a high school junior, said it’s not realistic to get back to in-person learning immediately.

“There isn’t anybody who doesn’t want kids back five days a week,” DeMarco said. “It’s a question of how realistic it is. … How soon do we get access to (covid relief) funds? How long does it take for the school district to hire more people and purchase more supplies and get more buses?”

DeMarco has spoken at two school board meetings, counting herself among the parents who support the school board members.

“Parents in District 304 – they are being influenced by local media for Chicago and Naperville. They didn’t get choices. They had e-learning 100% of the time and did not see a teacher for months,” DeMarco said. “They think we have a problem we don’t really have.”

‘A really cruddy situation’

Sarah Pomaro, who has two sons in fourth and sixth grade, also said she wanted to be supportive of the district’s officials.

“The group I have been working with feel very strongly the board is making the best choices in a really cruddy situation,” Pomaro said.

“We shouldn’t go back because our schools cannot fit with the regulations laid out by the CDC,” Pomaro said. “So there’s no way we can have lunches in our schools for the amount of kids in school and keep 6 feet apart. We cannot have that many in a classroom and be six feet apart.”

Pomaro also noted the age of the school buildings and their ventilation systems as other factors.

“The people who started the five days a week – they have little kids and my heart goes out to them,” Pomaro said. “I could not imagine having a kindergartener or a first grader online, but our safety comes first, for our kids and our teachers.”

Pomaro said she’s had multiple teachers contact her and thank her for being a voice on their behalf.

“They’ve felt like they can’t say anything,” Pomaro said. “We all want to be in school. Teachers would rather not be doing multiple classes – plans half online and half not. … I can’t imagine that anybody wants to be doing double the work for the same amount of pay and increase their stress and anxiety. My heart just breaks for them.”

‘Saddened and disappointed’

Jill Johnson, a former school board candidate, added her support for the school board in an email statement.

“I’m incredibly saddened and disappointed how our town has become divided, when we all want the same result at the end of the day, which is having our kids back in school full time,” Johnson’s email stated.

“It’s very disheartening that we have board members who have become fearful on a daily basis because of the harassment that has occurred,” Johnson’s email stated. “At the end of the day, these board members are unpaid volunteers and fellow community members.”

With a first- and third-grader, and a new kindergartener coming on next fall, Johnson wrote that she empathized with parents who are having a rough year.

“It’s a terrible situation to be in when you have a first-grader who has never had a full year of school,” Johnson wrote.

“However, we cannot continue to disrespect our board and administration for a problem that our entire country is in right now. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every school or district. Some schools have less population and more space,” Johnson wrote. “If we could all how a little more patience and understanding, I believe it will be to our benefit in the end.”

Less risk

Stephanie Bellino, who spoke out at a recent school board meeting, said she supported the district’s decisions for hybrid and online learning models.

“I support sticking with this plan through the rest of the the 2020-21 school year until we can safely open our schools for full in person learning,” Bellino said, adding that she has health risks.

“All of my risks are calculated and I’m very extremely cautious. I was worried that if I didn’t come here today, that my voice wouldn’t be heard,” Bellino said.

“I was worried that I would be drowned out by the parents who are protesting, sending mass emails to the community, enlisting robocalls, posting yard signs, all to spread their message of returning to school five days a week and taking CDC guidelines as a suggestion instead of the rule to be followed,” Bellino said.

“We, too, are part of the community,” Bellino said. “We, too, have opinions and thoughts on this matter. We, too, have kids who want to get back to in person-learning, we just want it done with less risk. … We don’t need to divide the community and make this a political issue.”