These days, Facebook is flooded with posts about reopening options for our area schools. If you scroll through it long enough, you likely will have the opportunity to read comments from all sides of the opinion spectrum.

Showing tolerance for people’s right to speak and respect for their opinion is important now, as school districts finalize their specific plans.

Denise Continenza’s recent On the Homefront column added a new mindset critical during these decision-making times - perspective.

“Lately, the topic of walking in someone else’s shoes, seeing things from another person’s point of view or taking a perspective different from your own had taken on new meaning,” she wrote. “Whether in reference to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, police brutality, social injustice/inequity, race or politics, everyone has their own perspective - and we all like to believe ours makes the most sense.”

This idea of perspective is the reason parents are fighting so hard to be heard as school districts create options for students to return to classrooms, at least in some form. Each family has a different dynamic and, logically, a different perspective.

How they handle those opposing views could make the difference in how their children will handle the school setting.

Disclaimer: I have no children in public school anymore. I admit that I feel very fortunate to not have to make the choice to send my kids to school or keep them home.

Regardless of the age of my daughters, I still worry about their health and safety, especially at this time. My older daughter goes to work every day, joining about a dozen others in an office setting. My younger daughter just moved into her college apartment, getting ready for the semester, in a city that could be considered a Pennsylvania hot spot.

So, I worry about them. That’s what we, as parents, do. It’s what we have in common: We worry about our kids, no matter their age.

And that’s why this school issue is so difficult. The right solution is specific to each family. Some want their kids back in school. Some can’t even imagine putting them anywhere near the building.

This difference in opinion is when tolerance, respect and perspective come into play.

Take my family, for example. If my children were still in the Whitehall-Coplay School District, I would choose to enroll them online. The idea of sending them in person is worrisome, and I’ve no doubt my anxiety could translate to them.

My husband is a teacher. He works in a district that made the early decision to teach students virtually, at least through the entire first marking period. He hates the idea. He misses his students, and he believes he and they would fare better together if they were, in fact, together.

We disagree on the best method of facing this upcoming school year. That doesn’t mean we hold no value in each other’s views. We just simply disagree.

Facebook was exploding last Wednesday night after Whitehall-Coplay School Board voted, in a 5-4 decision, to send students back to the classroom on a regular five-day schedule. Parents do have options to enroll their children in a livestreamed classroom or an online learning program instead. The proposed hybrid model - a combination of in-person and online learning - was denied by the board. Many parents were furious, and they made it known via social media.

It’s OK to disagree with another family’s decision and viewpoint. It’s never OK to tell them they’re wrong and attack their character - to their face or from behind your computer or phone screen.

In the midst of all the negativity I sadly read while scrolling through comments, I found this message in a private group, posted not long before the school board made the decision. I think it’s important to share.

“Schools will announce fall plans soon. I imagine everyone will be unhappy. Remember, you help determine your child’s attitude. Be angry or sad in private. Discuss your frustrations away from the kids. Set them up for success by teaching them to make the best of it. Be a sounding board for their worries and disappointments. Stay positive and model perseverance.”

Kelly Lutterschmidt

editor

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press