SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It’s been 11 months since middle and high school students in the Poway Unified School District have stepped foot inside of a classroom.
Since the pandemic shut down schools last March, the district's schools have been in virtual learning.
Thursday, with parents by their side, some students took their classwork outside and on the campus of Del Norte High School, hoping to send a message to Governor Gavin Newsom.
"We need to continue to put more pressure on him, so we can get the kids in the classroom where they belong," said Berkley Doucette, who has three kids says.
Just last week, Poway Unified welcomed back those in special education and elementary school students back on campus. An option some older students believe should be offered to everyone.
"I’m very frustrated that elementary-aged kids are back in person but we can't. That's not fair,” says student Tessa Thorndrue.
Christine Paik, a spokesperson for the Poway Unified School District, says under state guidelines they aren’t allowed to reopen their middle or high schools. San Diego County must move into a less restrictive tier before they can bring them back on campus.
"When the state changed their guidelines as they have so often, they took that decision out of our hands," said Paik.
An answer some parents like Doucette don’t want to accept.
“We're not supposed to be educating our kids while they're in their bedrooms for 5 hours a day," Doucette said.
