Akron High School Students Protest Switch To Remote Learning

Akron High School has announced that they will be temporarily shifting to an online classroom on Monday, Oct. 4. The move to remote learning comes from the recommendation of the Erie County Health Department due to the increase in the amount of students needing to quarantine for COVID-19.

The switch to remote learning was announced on Wednesday by the Akron Superintendent, Patrick D. McCabe during a virtual board meeting for the school district. McCabe noted that more than two dozen students who tested positive for COVID-19 strongly influenced this change, with most of those affected students still in high school. 

The school did not seem to think it would bother the students too much, but that was quite the opposite of the reality.

One of the students who walked out of school said that the point of the walk out was to show the students’ disdain for remote learning. Many of the Akron High School students believe that the remote learning fails them and their classmates, especially those that are hands-on learners and struggle to learn visually via digital device.

During the walk out on Thursday, students addressed they were unhappy with the decision, and the students mentioned that they would prefer to try a hybrid, add more restrictions, and wear masks everywhere around the school -- so long as it meant that the in-person learning could continue.

The education aspect may still be prevalent over Zoom, but the social and athletic benefits are limited in an online classroom, according to the students that walked out of Akron on Thursday.

However, Superintendent McCabe and Akron High School have limited ability in whether or not the in-person learning continues; he pointed out that the county has implemented rules that when a school has two or more positive cases in a single room, every child in that room must quarantine. Akron has 13 classrooms that are now subject to quarantine.

After McCabe consulted with the health department, they informed him that the spread is likely happening in the classroom -- and at a rapid rate, thus leading to the decision to temporarily move online. 

Despite their efforts, the high school students will most likely return for in-person learning on Oct. 4. Homecoming week has been moved to Oct. 18-22.