Thousands sign petition for parents to be given choice on sending kids back to school

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A petition calling on the government to let parents choose whether their children return to school next month has had massive support.

Launched after the Prime Minister revealed on Sunday that schools could reopen to some pupils from June 1, it's been widely shared on social media, attracting more than 375k signatures in less than a day.

Started by mum Lucy Browne, the petition on Change.org, states: "Give parents the option not to send children back to school if they reopen in June." Lucy, whose daughter is at primary school and would be one of the first to return, said: “Many of us have lost confidence in the government's handling of this crisis and feel it is too early to return children to schools.