Many parents in the South Butler County School District are unhappy with the plan for returning students to the classroom this fall.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the new school year, the board voted at its June 17 meeting to divide students into two groups. One group would attend classes Mondays and Tuesdays, while the other group would attend Thursdays and Fridays.

The school buildings would be deep-cleaned Wednesdays and Saturdays, and students would study at home using district curriculum on the three days per week they are not in the school buildings.

But a pair of parents who do not agree with the plan are taking action to alert the school board that many families disapprove of the move.

Nathan Davies, of Jefferson Township, who has one student entering second grade and another who will start kindergarten in the 2021-22 school year, started a change.org petition against the plan that had 767 signatures as of Monday evening.

Amy Carbungco, of Winfield Township, who has three elementary school students, plans to stage a protest at 6 p.m. Thursday at Knoch High School.

Carbungco said because notification of the protest was heavily shared on Facebook, she doesn't know how many people will attend.

But she said other districts sent parents a survey to get their input on starting the new school year, while South Butler did not.

Carbungco added that parents who work all day should not be expected to spend their families' short evenings together cramming in school work.

“That's not fair,” she said.

She added that many teachers have told her they are not happy with the plan, either, as they will be teaching in the classroom plus providing online lessons next year.

Carbungco said the protest will see parents and students peacefully walking in the parking lot carrying signs that state their disapproval of the plan.

“We're getting out there and making our opinions known,” she said.

Davies said he and his wife built their home in 2015 in Jefferson Township so their two young children could attend the South Butler County School District.

He said the new plan for returning students to school is unacceptable, so he started the petition on change.org for like-minded parents to sign.

Davies said requiring nonsymptomatic students to wear masks or shields all day and the strict limitations on interaction students would have with one another and their teachers are his two biggest problems with the plan.

“There has been no proof that nonsymptomatic people transmit the virus at any significant rate,” he said.

Davies added that the county will have been in the green phase — the least restrictive of the three phases designated by Gov. Tom Wolf — for months by the time school starts in late August.

He feels temperature checks when students enter their school buildings would be a good way to restart the school year.

“That's what a lot of medical offices do,” Davies said.

He also said COVID-19 is not a childhood disease.

“There is not much evidence globally that kids even become symptomatic and transmit anything,” Davies said.

Although his wife is a nurse who works evenings and was able to help their child complete schoolwork at home while classes were canceled due to the pandemic, Davies said many South Butler parents work during the day and would have to cram learning into the evening hours.

Davies said if the plan is carried out in its current form, he will enroll his child in private school.

But he said many district families do not have that option and will be at the mercy of the district's decision. Other parents do not feel qualified to help their children navigate the at-home lessons, Davies said.

“We are trying to get everyone the best possible outcome we can — here,” Davies said.

He said the district's plan would work well for highly motivated high school students who will sit at their district-issued computer and complete their assignments to the best of their ability.

“But the list of those kids is going to be pretty short,” Davies said.

Superintendent David Foley reiterated Monday that the plan is tentative and will be adjusted according to advice from the state departments of Education and Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It's important that everyone understands that the plan is evolving,” Foley said. “It is most likely not going to be what it looks like at the start of the school year.”

But Davies said parents' concerns at the June 17 school board meeting were not heeded by the board or administration.

“Friends with older kids in the district have told us the school board has rarely, if ever, changed the decisions that they've made,” Davies said.

He and other parents will attend the July 8 school board meeting to present the petition's results to the school board.

“This is a large group of parents concerned about the quality of education our children will be getting at the district,” Davies said.