There is a lot of discussion about whether it is safe to
reopen schools with Coronavirus surging around much of the country. I discussed
many of the aspects of returning to school in the midst of a pandemic last
weekend but thought it would be interesting to get the opinion of teachers since
they are the people who will be in the hot zone. Since many teachers are older
and have pre-existing conditions, they face a significantly greater risk in returning
to school than their students.
I recently spoke with two teachers about their school
district’s plans to reopen in early August. To protect their identities and
jobs, we’ll call them Mr. Wetherby and Miss Grandy. Several other teachers that
I talked to declined to go on the record, even anonymously, out of concern for
their jobs.
Both teachers say that the school district sent a survey to
faculty members prior to announcing the decision to reopen, but their opinions
on the weight given to teacher opinions differs. Mr. Wetherby says that school
leaders “encouraged each teacher to express their feelings in writing” and gave
them “an open invitation to contact school leadership with issues.” However,
Miss Grandy notes that the survey only asked “whether we were planning to
return or not” and why.
“They did not ask for our suggestions or help in the
decision-making process as a whole,” she says.
When asked whether returning to school is safe, Mr. Wetherby
says, “I believe it is safe-ish. I believe students need to return to the
classroom. I have seen students since school was released in March hanging out
with friends and going on multiple vacations. I am not criticizing these
students, but if they feel comfortable enough to engage in those activities
then they should trust the precautions that are in place. The number one goal
for students is their safety, health and well-being.”
“Not as normal,” Miss Grandy says, adding, “If we are to
make in person as safe as possible, we need to greatly reduce class sizes.
Having 30 teenagers or 20 children behaving normally in close quarters is not
safe.”
Children can and do die and suffer complications from COVID-19
but are at a much lower risk than adults. Asymptomatic
children can spread the disease to adults but the extent of transmission by
children is still subject to debate.
Class size is a big variable at this point. This district, like
many others around the country, will be offering parents the option of
enrolling their children in state-sponsored virtual classrooms or withdrawing
from the school system completely and enrolling in homeschool. At this point, it
is uncertain how many parents will forgo in-person classes and choose distance-learning
or homeschools. In normal times, classes are crowded and space is at a premium
in this large school district in a growing county.
Mr. Wetherby adds, “My school will be providing some
supplies to the faculty and staff. I am not sure if they will provide student-specific
PPE (masks, gloves, etc.) I do know each student will be issued a partition to
help distance themselves from each other.” He continues, “This partition does
have a clear window so that students can see through them.”
“Each teacher will be receiving a thermometer as well as
disinfectant for their classroom,” Wetherby adds. “The school has trained the
custodial staff to ensure proper cleaning will be utilized especially in high
traffic areas. Students will also be allotted fresh air breaks and social
distancing will be followed in all common areas.”
“If a student expresses a need for PPE, that students needs
will be met,” says Mr. Wetherby.
But Miss Grandy argues that social distancing cannot be
maintained in crowded schools, saying, “According to the procedure we will not
even be trying. Social distancing is recommended only where feasible and it was
specified that is not possible in hallways or classrooms.”
If schools reopen, it is inevitable that some teachers and
students will contract COVID-19. An obvious question is what will happen when
someone in the school tests positive for the virus. Communications from the
school district say that people in direct contact with the infected person,
defined in the district as within six feet for more than 15 minutes, will be
asked to self-quarantine for 10 days. They must be fever-free without medication
for three days before returning to school.
The school district is also encouraging parents to not send
children to school if they are sick. Administrators plan to be very lenient on
absenteeism for the coming semester.
“If it is the teacher” who tests positive, Miss Grandy says,
“Then I guarantee it will be accompanied by an immense amount of guilt for
exposing everyone.”
Both teachers acknowledge that there are risks associated
with going back to school.
“I believe there is a calculated risk for reopening,” Mr. Wetherby
says, adding that “Complacency has entered the mind of some individuals and
that will cause issues.”
“The cons are everywhere I look,” notes Miss Grandy. “The
atmosphere is charged with anxiety, fear, disbelief. I’m sure this will
translate into the classrooms. When people start to get sick, I believe it is
inevitable that the schools will close down again, then we will be in the same
boat as March with teachers struggling to instantaneously produce material for
students to learn at home. Only this year, we will be expected to continue
instruction instead of just review. Where does this leave students with no
internet?”
“I believe it will remain open as long as possible,” Mr. Wetherby
disagrees. “I trust the leadership that are currently in place to reevaluate
and take the appropriate measures to ensure the safety to all involved.”
When asked if he is concerned about safety, Mr. Wetherby
answers in the negative, saying, “I am not concerned for safety. I will take
the proper precautions and continue to deliver the best education I can to my
students.”
On this, Miss Grandy disagrees, saying, she is “mostly
concerned for others.”
“I have family that I would be potentially exposing,” she
continues, “But I’m also thinking of the mental health of my coworkers. I
personally know teachers who are having panic attacks at the thought of going
back; waking up from nightmares; considering looking for other work because
they feel the district is not protecting us. I think about the loss the high
school felt when they lost a dear administrator a couple years ago. The school
is still mourning that loss. What will the mental health of the staff and
students be if people start dying because we went back too soon and ill
prepared?”
When asked what procedures they would implement if they ran
the school system, Mr. Wetherby says, “I would reopen, and the guidelines I
would establish would be close to the plans that are currently in place. I
would highly encourage parents who feel uncomfortable with their students
attending school to take the appropriate measures to keep their children safe.
I would let each parent know and understand that the leadership in the schools
support whatever decision that they make for their child.”
Miss Grandy is more critical of the district’s plans. Her
first recommendation is to delay the first day of school until September as
some other nearby school districts are doing. This would allow “the school and
community to see what happens in other places first.”
“Instead, we are the guinea pigs,” she says. “The other
schools are watching us.”
“I think the district would have benefited by having a split
schedule in which students came to school two days a week and the other three
were online,” Miss Grandy continues. “This would have reduced class sizes by
half allowing for the possibility of social distancing. It would also allow for
students who don’t have internet to be able to get work directly from teachers
for the three days of at home learning. They could still get one-on-one
instruction, as well. When the schools end up shutting down again, these
students will be left with packets and little instruction just like in March.”
“I know that a split schedule can be hard on parents, but
this is a time where everyone needs to adapt,” she adds. “And having a set
schedule of two days at school and three at home, at least the working parent
could rely on a set schedule every week as opposed to some school districts
I’ve seen implementing one week at school then one to two weeks at home.”
“With smaller class sizes, proper PPE, masks required, not
recommended, and additional cleaning, I think it would be setting the schools
up to actually make it through this mess,” Grandy says, “But as it is, I
believe we will shortly all be at home again. And then parents will be left in
the same position as last spring.”
“I am glad I am not the one who has to make these decisions,”
Mr. Wetherby says.
Most of us can probably agree on that sentiment.
Originally published on The
Resurgent
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