Note: KTVB will live stream the Nampa School District meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. The video will appear here.

NAMPA — A group of parents and students gathered outside the Nampa School District offices Wednesday morning ahead of the school board’s vote on athletics and how classes will be taught amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Several dozen attended the rally, which began at about 11 a.m. The group waved signs and chanted “let us play” and “online learning is not learning.”

The Nampa School Board held a lengthy meeting Tuesday night to take testimony, but adjourned without taking a vote. Trustees will meet again to vote on the school return plan and school sports at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Nampa School District spokeswoman Kathleen Tuck said that the board will not take public testimony during Wednesday’s meeting.

“The Nampa School District respects the right of students, parents and community members to peacefully protest,” the district said in a statement Wednesday. “We understand that when and how to return to the classroom and school activities is a difficult decision and that not everyone agrees with our reopening plan.”

Nampa schools went back in session with online learning only on Aug. 24.

District officials previously opted to follow Southwest District Health’s traffic light system; when Nampa is in a “red” category, students will do remote learning only. A move to orange or yellow opens the door for hybrid learning — some online, some in person — while a green categorization would allow students to return to the physical classroom as normal.

Canyon County is currently in the red category, with 80 deaths and more than 6,800 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic hit Idaho in March.

Tuck said that currently, student-athletes are allowed to participate in conditioning-style practices like weightlifting, but cannot hold full practices or games.

That could change following the school board vote Wednesday night. 

“Our administration and board trustees have spent countless hours over the past several weeks analyzing the science, data, expert opinion, and parent and staff feedback to try to determine the best course of action for our students, teachers and staff,” the district’s statement reads. “… In the interim, we continue to deliver a quality online educational experience to all of our students and look forward to a year of achievement and success.”

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