A group of parents are holding a rally on Monday in support of in-person learning in Arizona. This comes after the state released public health benchmarks that finds that the state is not ready to fully reopen school buildings.
Becca Clarkson, a mother of four and a co-organizer of the AZ Open Our Schools rally, said she and other parents want school governing boards to allow in-person learning option for students. State officials don’t recommend it until public health benchmarks on COVID-19 community spread are met.
“We don’t think the guidelines are realistic," she said. "The benchmarks are not attainable and we want them to go against the benchmarks and open up.”
Under an executive order by Gov. Doug Ducey, school leaders are recommended to wait until benchmarks are met before fully reopening schools, but the benchmarks are not mandatory.
Kids need to be back in school, Clarkson said.
“We are advocating for the kids," she said. "They don’t really have a voice so as their parents and as their teachers, we need to be their voice.”
This will be the third rally the group has held on school reopenings.
State Sen. Sylvia Allen will be the keynote speaker for Monday’s event which starts at 6 p.m.
