HAMPDEN — Students at a local school district could see changes this fall.
Some parents are doing fine with having their kids study at home.
“I think the schools are doing a great job keeping everybody safe and if they are only open part-time, for me personally that works,” said Jennifer Neuman, an RSU 22 parent.
For the majority of RSU 22 parents, it’s been difficult having the kids at home.
“A lot of parents have reached out to me on how difficult it is, it’s been very disruptive to families it been. There’s a real lack of academic progress in some of the kids and suicide rates among kids have increased to 25 percent,” said concerned parent, Sarah Newell.
Newell created a petition that she said will hopefully get kids back to school classrooms full time.
“There are state guidelines that are really standing in the way of kids returning to school and we’re here. Our petition is really to support RSU to loosen some of the restrictions in light of the mitigating things that RSU 22 has done to stop the spread of COVID-19,” she said.
Newell said with the help of Gov. Janet Mills and RSU 22 Superintendent Regan Nickels, things can move quicker.
“So we have mutual respect I feel between the school district and our parent community and I would say to you that we appreciate the involvement. I feel as though the parents are forwarding the message that RSU 22 had initiated to advocate for in the first place,” Nickels said.
What started with 13 to 20 parents wanting their kids to go back to school became Concerned Parents of RSU 22. Newell now has more than 1,000 signatures on the petition and said she wants students back in school by fall.
