Round Rock mom speaks about balancing work, children's education amid pandemic

AUSTIN, Texas - Many school districts are opting for a few weeks of virtual learning before transitioning into on-campus learning, but virtual learning could pose a problem for parents who do not have the luxury of working from home. Now, some parents will have to juggle work and their child's at-home education.

“Keeping [my son at] home is not an option, but it's also not safe for him to be at school,” said Latisha Tabor.

Tabor is a single mother who has a five-year-old son that will be attending Kindergarten at Round Rock ISD on August 20th. Her son has intermittent asthma.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP

This mother says it’ll be difficult to balance work and her son’s education.

“To be honest, I have absolutely no idea how i'll be able to do that because when I go to work, he goes to daycare and then sometimes I don't get off work until 10:30 at night, and he's not going to be in the mood to do the virtual learning when he's been at daycare all day,” she said.

Tabor says she knows she's not the only parent dealing with this sort of situation. According to the Brookings Institute, a study in 2018 showed 70% of working parents relied on childcare and school to watch over their kids. 

“It's all because of the virus, but it's also just the fact that I have to do it all by myself all the time. Every time I go to work, he goes to daycare. and that's scary for me too, but  I have to work because I have to pay the bills. there's no way to get around that,” Tabor said.

SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS

She plans to juggle work and her son’s education during the three weeks of virtual learning as best she can. She then plans to send him to school to learn on campus.

Tabor admits she's scared to send him on campus when he has asthma, but it's her only option.

“I keep teaching him how to clean his hands and wash his hands regularly. We sing the happy birthday song when he washes his hands. I have to stay strong because if I show weakness, my son feels that,” she said.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST INFO ON THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

___

FOX 7 Austin is working to keep you up to date with coronavirus, with both local and national developments. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news from around the country at coronavirusnow.com.