What Does Re-Opening Schools Mean to You?
All this talk across the country about “reopening schools” has me wondering, what does “reopen” really mean? Depending on where you live it means different things. Maybe it’s reopening schools to pre-pandemic standards or having students back full time but with the current safeguards in place? My biggest concern as I read about larger districts such as Chicago, Rochester, San Francisco, Buffalo, etc. “opposing” reopening of schools, is very adult-centered messaging and motivation as opposed to student-centered.
I am not opposed to providing a safe and healthy environment for the adults, but why are we not discussing the students? As we hear that schools aren’t necessarily “breeding grounds for the virus,” we have to understand the how and why.
Consider what schools and classrooms look like right now:
How many students are in class at one time? Remember, average classroom size used to be 20-32 students per classroom, often less than 2 feet apart.
Are they masked?
Do they have temperature checks before entering the building?
Are there barriers such as plexiglass between the desks?
Where do the students eat lunch?
How many days per week is each student in-person?
Are the students moving throughout the building to go to their other classes?
How many students are on a bus?
What has changed with the cleaning protocols for districts?
Schools attempt to maintain a clean environment but past experience has demonstrated it as a breeding ground for many things such as the flu, colds, stomach bugs, etc. Most evenings the cleaners were able to empty garbage, vacuum, mop, wipe down bathrooms, and hopefully restock. This was not from lack of trying to do more, but there are always barriers. We also can’t ignore districts that recently have purchased a type of disinfecting fogger.
Also, I continue to hear how students are still thriving through these challenging times. I believe this is partially true. Are the students who are thriving the same ones that thrived pre-pandemic? Some students will thrive no matter what. However, think about the students who had challenges with school and may fall farther behind. I am empathetic to the daily challenges for parents and caretakers, but it is hard for me to not consider having our child exposed to the virus and balancing life with a sick child. I believe the questions we should be asking are can we reopen school safely with a student-centered focus. What needs to change?
#standreadytosupport