BOISE, Idaho — On Monday, August 4, the Boise School Board will meet to consider if in-person learning will start on August 17, as planned, or if the school year will start online.
Ahead of that meeting, KTVB spoke with several parents whose children attend Boise schools about what they'd like to see happen during the board meeting.
"It's definitely been a lot of juggling," Grace Routh, a mother of two students in the BSD, told KTVB.
Depending on Monday's school board meeting, she may have to continue juggling.
"I have a lot of concerns but probably my biggest one is that school-related outbreaks might have the potential to push the valley over the edge in terms of health care capacity," she said.
Routh hopes that a clear definition of how schools will move in and out of levels of closure will be announced.
"I think the most important thing to me is that they're able to clearly define the categories that have been established, but then also explain how they expect for schools to move in and out of those categories throughout the year," she explained.
Fellow Boise mother Rebecca Lee is also anxious to hear what the school board decides on Monday.
"I think safety is at the forefront of everybody's mind right now," she said. "The biggest concern is how are we going to be there for our children and help them do this online schooling and continue to provide financially for our families."
The mother of two added that she'd like to see reduced classes and out of the box ideas for how schools will handle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Lee went onto say schools don't need to be either completely open or completely closed.
"I know for my kids being as young as they are they really do look forward to going and having that interaction with their teachers and friends and they learn at their best when they’re in that classroom setting physically," Lee explained.
Like many parents across the country, Lee is already preparing her kids for the start of the school year to be unlike any other.
"We just bought their school supplies and they're looking forward to going back but I’ve had to sit down talk to my daughter and son and say, 'Hey, this is something that's being considered and we may have to start the year off at home again,' and they're not too excited about that," she said.
Last Thursday, the Nampa School Board announced that Nampa schools will start one week later and will be online.