The president of the local NAACP has sent a letter to Christian County Public School System Superintendent Chris Bentzel urging caution against reopening schools.
Rev. John Banks says black parents have “good reason to be cautious about blindly sending their kids back to school,” citing a disproportionate number of deaths for African Americans to COVID-19.
Banks says “Public schools should not re-open unless all Center for Disease Control protectors and indicators are satisfied.”
If schools do reopen, Rev. Banks says the NAACP demands school districts provide “quality, equally accessible, public, non-charter online programs for students whose parents or caretakers do not feel comfortable sending them back to school under present conditions.”
The Christian County Public School System is offering a virtual learning academy for any student whose caretakers prefer them to study at home.