Arkansas parents and teachers have a new call center resource available, Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Johnny Key announced this week.
"The purpose of this call center is to provide a readily-accessible resource for parents, teachers to be able to call if they have questions," Key said. "We will take this opportunity to get the resources they need or direct them to the right place. This is something that is very important as we get closer to the start of school, that parents are going to have more questions. Many of those questions will be dependent on the work that's happening within their local school districts, but we will work to make sure that we get those answers for them."
The Ready for School Resource Call Center will be staffed by education and health professionals and community partners, through a partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Arkansas Children's Hospital and the Arkansas Bilingual Resource Network.
In a press conference, Key said he appreciates the partnerships that aided in the center being started and that he hopes it can serve as an effective resource in quickly getting information out to parents.
The operating hours of the call center are currently 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, but Key says those times are subject to change depending on parents' needs.
"We will gauge the level of response we get, and if we need to look at expanding the hours of that call center operation, we will be doing so." He said.
Genia Bullock, Texarkana Arkansas School District's director of public relations, gave the following statement on how the call center could impact the district.
"The Arkansas Ready for School Resource Call Center is an added resource for parents and is designed to answer broader questions regarding the upcoming school year," Bullock said. "We encourage parents to contact the TASD district office or their child's campus for specific questions regarding their student's return to school in the coming days."
Key, along with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, also addressed questions towards the conclusion of the press conference regarding the state's stance on alternating school schedules.
"A couple days a week online and a couple days a week that would be done in classroom instruction makes it very, very difficult for working parents," Hutchinson said. "How do you go to work if two days, the kids are home learning virtually? Because that has to have some parental supervision. If they're learning virtual, particularly the younger grades, but even the higher grades, you don't leave them at the house alone. It really impacts the work flow, and that's what I've heard from the parents who are concerned about that type of schedule."
Key said school districts are allowed to offer alternative learning methods, like hybrid and virtual courses, but only if a five-day-a-week, on-campus option is also available.
"We can't continue to think of it in the premise of pre-COVID education," Key said. "The consequence is to the impact that (students) have had since March, of being outside of the school building. We are working to build the capacity for virtual learning, but we know that some students are going to do better on-site, in-person. We're not saying you have to have the same type of traditional classroom experience, but you have to have relevant learning experiences for those students when they come to your doors, and you need to have your doors open."