BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – UAB’s Institute for Human Rights hosted a panel discussion on Facebook Thursday afternoon to discuss the challenges teachers, students, and families are facing as we gear up for another school year. Panelists included Dr. Tondra Loder-Jackson, a professor of educational foundations in the UAB School of Education, Dr. Ashley Kuntz, the director of Scholar Development and clinical assistant professor of educational policy studies at Florida International University, and Dr. Tonya Perry, a professor and interim chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the UAB School of Education and executive director of GEAR UP Alabama.
They discussed everything from teachers’ concerns about their health and safety to options for families and college students have when it comes to returning to school during a pandemic. Dr. Perry discussed what she has experienced as the executive director of GEAR UP Alabama, which is an educational initiative in the Black Belt Region. She talked about how some students’ grades will suffer because they don’t have devices or internet to learn virtually.
