Fayetteville teachers protest for local control of school re-openings

Staff photo

Protesters lined both sides of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard outside Fayetteville High School on Monday afternoon holding signs demanding local control of the process to reopen schools this fall.

The demonstrators, made up of teachers in the school district and community members, gathered outside the high school from 3-5 p.m.

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The Facebook event advertising the protest was created by the Fayetteville Education Association, a local chapter of the Arkansas Education Association and the National Education Association.

According to a graphic, the demonstrators are asking state officials to allow the school districts to determine the policies and procedures for opening schools this fall during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We believe that local districts should have the authority to make informed decisions that protect the safety of their school community,” the graphic read. “We want to protect students and staff by delivering services safely. We ask that our state leaders allow districts to make these decisions.”

In what was called a “clarification,” state officials last week announced schools would be required to offer five days of weekly in-person classes, overruling previously announced plans by Fayetteville Public Schools to offer only two days of on-site instruction per week.

Fayetteville Public Schools officials later updated the options for parents in the 2020-21 school year in response to the state’s directive, and included a five day a week option, along with a hybrid two day a week on campus / three day virtual option, a home campus virtual option, and the option to enroll in their virtual academy. Students have until 5 p.m. today (Tuesday, Aug. 11) to turn in a survey with their school selection.

Most of the signs held by teachers and other protesters on Monday related to the state stepping in to overrule local officials, the mandate requiring in-person instruction, and other concerns related to teacher and student safety.

More photos of Monday’s protest are included below.