Aug. 11. By Dave Yochum. With many school systems launching the new school year remotely, the Law of Unintended Consequences is in full effect. What happens if both parents must work outside the home? What about meals? Who pays? What about kids with special needs?
A new WalletHub survey says 55 percent of parents nationally want schools to meet in person this fall.
Not what we signed up for
Teachers, meanwhile, say COVID-19 isn’t what they signed up for. The AARP says 1 in 4 teachers in the US is at increased risk for serious illness if they become infected with the coronavirus. A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation says 1.5 million educators are older or have an underlying health condition that makes them more vulnerable to COVID-19.
HENRY TRAN
The idea that teachers who work remotely should take a pay cut, work longer hours, or lose vacation days, is “yet another example of the enduring disrespect, de-professionalization, and frankly dehumanization of the teaching profession,” said Dr. Henry Tran, director of the Talent Centered Education Leadership Initiative in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policies at the University of South Carolina.
As schools were hurled into an online world, teachers have had to spend additional preparation time transferring their formerly in-person curriculum to a digital environment, Tran said.
“This has dramatically escalated the amount of stress associated with the job, especially given the massive budget falls…that are predicted to result from the pandemic,” Tran explained.
Remote teaching also means teachers are using personal space, mobile phones, data plans, computers and their own high-speed internet.
What about pay?
Almost 1 in 4 parents think that teachers who work remotely should either get paid less, work longer hours or give up vacation days, the WalletHub survey says.
Tran said teachers need support and talent-centered education leadership.
“This means that teachers should be fully supported so that they can concentrate their efforts on supporting their students,” he said, explaining that, after the pandemic subsides, teachers should actually be paid more.
All that said, 32 percent of parents are not able to work remotely, according to the WalletHub survey, so solving the challenges around remote learning will take a village. 
30 openings in Cornelius PARC
The Cornelius Park Department is now taking applications for PARCplus, a mash-up combining a school day with a safe camp setting, for students in the first through fifth grades. The program will include time for online learning plus art, exercise, and homework. Pending final state direction, town officials hope to begin the service on Monday Aug. 24.
Registration is by the week; $125 per child per week for Cornelius residents, and $175 per child per week for others, with priority registration for Cornelius residents. Registration for the lottery will close tomorrow, Aug. 12, at 8 pm.
Click here for more info.
