Parents in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee are among those who will be the first to navigate the new academic year as schools open up in parts of those states this week.
Shannon Dunn has to report to her job this week as a cafeteria manager at an elementary school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but she has no idea what she will do when her daughter starts kindergarten with online-only instruction.
With a new school year beginning this week in some states, Dunn, like many other working parents, is struggling to balance her job with her child’s schoolwork as the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause upheaval around the country. The death toll in the U. S. has reached about 155,000, and cases are rising in numerous states.
Dunn’s East Baton Rouge district has asked employees to begin work this week, while students are set to begin virtual classes next week. School officials have said they hope to begin in-person classes after Labor Day.
“My family works. I have no one I can take her to and say, ‘OK, at 12 o’clock you are going to have to start working online with her for school,’” Dunn said.
