APPLETON (NBC26) -- The Appleton Area School District is looking at ways to bring its youngest students back into school buildings, but some parents feel the district isn't doing enough.
Appleton families stood outside the school district building Monday night, holding signs that read, "I learn better in school" and "Parents Choice." The group asked the district to offer more flexibility to let kids return to in-person learning.
"I think a lot of us just want to be able to have a choice and we don't have one right now," said Andrea Klitzke, an Appleton parent.
Klitzke's 5-year-old son is enrolled in Appleton schools. She said he spends six to eight hours a day on the computer, which has caused lots of unrest.
"He burns out quickly, because he's sitting at the computer for so long that at some point he's just not interested anymore," Klitzke said.
With months of virtual learning, Klitzke said her child isn't receiving the same quality of education as a traditional, in-person model.
"If that's the best environment for our students, why aren't we starting there and adapting as necessary?" Klitzke said.
The Board of Education discussed these concerns at their meeting Monday night.
"No one on this board believes that in-person learning isn't the best alternative for kids," said Barry O'Connor, a member of the Board of Education, during the meeting. "We’d all like to see it happen and we agonize how much time our kids are having to spend outside of school. But please don’t accuse this board or leadership team about being heartless or clueless. We do our homework. We care about kids.”
District leadership talked about incorporating some younger elementary-aged students into Phase 3 of its "Fully Virtual Plus" model, which brings small groups of select students back into classrooms for in-person learning.
Nan Bunnow, assistant superintendent of AASD at the elementary level, said they've formed a work group that will look at different options through the new model for students EC through six.
"Looking through the lens of strengths and barriers for each of the models including adherence to mitigation strategies; to capitalize on the academic and social-emotional benefits for each of the different models; looking at implications for our families, including families that have children at different grade levels at the elementary levels; childcare concerns; transportation; also looking at staffing," Bunnow said.
At the elementary level, schools are currently operating in Phase 2 of the "Fully Virtual Plus" model, which is focused on level one and two English learners, literacy interventions and student support groups with school counselors. Bunnow said they need to develop building specific plans based on programs at each location and the needs of students.
For Klitzke, she said having a hybrid educational model would be more beneficial than being fully online.
"We feel that it's a parental right, a human right, to chose the highest quality of education for our children," Klitzke said.
As of the third Friday of September, which is when the district is required to verify enrollment, AASD reports having 15,690 students enrolled. District officials said that is 370 less students from last year.
Bunnow said her team will have a full report and recommendation on how to move forward with the district's youngest students during the Board of Education meeting Nov. 23.
