Parents in Las Vegas brace for school closures due to coronavirus

Sitting in a Henderson pizza restaurant Sunday afternoon, Gena Ebarb and her son Luke reacted to the news of schools shutting down in Nevada as they read about it on social media.

“Let’s go,” Luke Ebarb, a student at nearby Bob Miller Middle School, exclaimed in between bites of his pizza.

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the statewide closures of K-12 schools until at least April 14, as authorities try to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state. As of Sunday afternoon, there were 26 reported cases of the new coronavirus in Nevada.

Gena Ebarb supports the shutdown of schools, especially after witnessing the craziness at grocery stores and retail outlets as news about the new coronavirus spread.

“I think it’s a good thing,” she said. “I think it can help stop the spreading (of the coronavirus). At first I wasn’t on board with it (the cancellation of school), but when I see the grocery stores and the panic going around, I think this is the perfect time.”

Although behind the statewide closure, Ebarb is concerned about learning-retention issues the off time might create.

“How are they going to learn off their Chromebooks?” she said. “Three weeks off is a really long time. We’re going to do our best to keep him busy.”

Her son staying home from school for several weeks shouldn’t create any issues for Ebarb, because she works from home.

Ebarb’s day-to-day life has already been affected, though, as Luke’s sports league has been postponed and a possible trip is up in the air.

“He plays baseball, and that got stopped,” she said. “We have a trip booked to go to Hawaii, so we don’t know if that’s gonna have to be canceled. … So our whole life has been stopped.”

Parent Michelle Brehm Ramirez said she’d like clarification on behalf of her senior daughter on whether graduation events at the end of the year will continue.

Lisa Knopf said she and her husband will have to figure out how to be able to be home with her kids.

“I’m not too happy if this means our kids will have to make up this time later. If the schools can supply us with things to work with during this time, I’m neutral,” Knopf said.

Parent Jessica Castaneda said she offered to help teachers put together packets or whatever else they may need, characterizing the situation as, “it is what it is.”

“I’ll be doing some research on keeping my kids educated at home instead of being glued to electronics all three weeks,” Castaneda said.

‘I worry for my students’

Aimee Fuller said she had mixed emotions as a teacher and a mom.

“My kids are going to be fine. I worry for my students,” Fuller said.

Kindergarten teacher Terri Broome Wilson pointed out that online learning would not be an option for her, even if it were available.

“I am quite relieved that I won’t have my 26 little petri dish babies crowded up in here coughing and sneezing all over all day,” Wilson said.

Teacher Ryan Fromoltz said it was critical to curb the spread of disease, even if the choice would create hardships for all.

“You cannot close venues and other places and say it’s OK for kids and adults to be in such confined quarters with each other,” Fromoltz said.

Susan Slater, who said both she and her husband are district support staffers, said she believed the closure was a good choice, and that she’d keep her 5-year-old in daycare for as long as it was open as an alternative to CCSD preschool.

Las Vegas parents Miguel and Sergio Mayoral, who both work as mortgage lenders, had just set up their home office this weekend when they found out their son would be joining them working from home.

They said they were grateful for jobs that allow them to work from home as well as care for their 11-year-old son, Aiden.

Aiden, a sixth-grader at Hyde Park Middle school, is in the math and science magnet program. Sergio Mayoral said their son is still going to wake up at the same time and continue his studies.

“He’s going to be up in the morning doing his English, science, math, he’ll have a lunch break and he’ll do his normal stuff, just like normal,” he said. “The show will go on, even though he’s on break. He’s not going to just sit here, watch TV and play video games.”

Sergio Mayoral said his son’s teacher said that in the next day or so, parents will receive updates on what the students can do during the time off to work toward their projects and to not set their studies back.

“I just want to make sure that everything is going to be done for the kids,” he said.

The father said he just worried about less fortunate students who rely on the free or reduced-price lunch provided by the school district.

“What happens longer term?” he said. “It’s tough for everyone. We’re lucky because we’re in a different position, but everybody can’t do that.”

Mayoral said the logistics of online learning may not be ideal for all families, as well.

“They can have Google classroom, they can have all these different resources to help these kids, but if they don’t have laptops or computers, it won’t,” he said. “Some of these families, English isn’t their primary language. That’s going to be a big deal; that’s three weeks with nothing for some kids.”

Another Las Vegas parent, Amanda Day, said she doesn’t have internet at her home and is worried about the learning aspect for her 9-year-old son, Holden, whose in third grade at Bass Elementary School.

“I don’t have a computer, and I know I’m not the only one who has that,” she said. “It’s choosing between buying groceries and paying the internet bill, so I don’t understand how it’s all going to work. I’m going to have to put faith into the people that are in charge.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writers Aleksandra Appleton Briana Erickson contributed to this report.