Back to School?

It seems that a lot of people think that kids belong back in school this fall. I don’t disagree. I think the kids are suffering in many ways and not only need to be in school for more effective learning, but also for that sense of normalcy. This has been a very frightening and uncertain time for adults, so just imagine how it is affecting the kids and teens. They may not express their fears and anxieties in obvious ways but how can they not be scared? Going back to school would allow them to go back to their usual routines, see their friends, and feel some sense of order. So yes, I agree that kids should be in schools. Provided strict safety measures are in place.

And therein lies the problem. I do not think there is any way safety protocols and procedures can be put into effect by the time schools are expected to open in the fall. In my urban school district for instance, on a good day soap is scarce, supplies are lacking, and the buildings are old and rundown. This does not lead to confidence that there will be PPE provided to staff and students, that schools will be cleaned more thoroughly on a regular basis, or that effective safety routines will be put into place. In one of our meetings discussing opening, there were lots of vague proposals including hybrid schedules and implementing physical distancing. But what was missing from the information was exactly how all of this is going to be implemented. What are the procedures for entry and exit? Walking through the hallways? How will classrooms be arranged? Who is providing PPE to staff and students? Who is providing materials for individual students since they won’t be able to share supplies? How will physical distancing be implemented and enforced? How will students be able to access their resource subjects? How will related service providers provide services? What are the protocols for staff that go to multiple schools, often in the same day? What about staff that go into homes? What are the procedures for cleaning? Who is going to provide the cleaning products? What if a child goes to the nurse with a fever? What if a parent sends a child to school with a fever? What happens if a student tests positive? Staff member? What if that staff member travels to multiple schools? What about staff that don’t feel comfortable returning regardless of the safety measures? What about high risk staff? And this is all just the safety concerns. If school districts want their staff to feel comfortable about returning to face to face instruction, these questions must be answered prior to the first day of school.

Those questions do not take into consideration actually providing instruction and related services. Will teachers be responsible for both in class and virtual teaching, essentially doubling their workload? Are related service providers who see infants and toddlers still expected to go into families’ homes? How will virtual learning and virtual services be provided? Overall there seemed to be a lot of difficulties with distance learning and yet we haven’t heard much about ways to improve. School districts should have been working on the safety protocols and distance learning plans since March and yet there seems to be no real plan or transparency. There is so much up in the air which leaves a very unsettled feeling. Not just for my school district, it seems to be a nationwide issue. And there is not much more than a month to figure out the plans, obtain supplies and materials and train staff. This is not enough time. It also does not give staff much time to figure out childcare.

If they were taking volunteers for staff to provide in person service, I would raise my hand so fast I would give myself whiplash. I have little thought of self-preservation these days. But how can anyone look at all of those questions that have not been answered and think that schools are ready to open? Someone commented on a friend’s post that of children Covid patients somewhere (I don’t recall where), a very small percent died which came out to be “only” 4 children. ONLY? ONLY? I’m not okay with that. No child should die and no child should die because things were rushed to be open without the proper protocols in place.

I realize this post has nothing to do with grief, cancer, or Ariella but this blog is about my life following the death of my daughter. I do certainly view things through a different lens now and if Ariella was here there is no chance she would be going to school in person and I would be terrified to return to schools thinking I could bring Covid home. And frankly, back to my previous theme of being tired, I’m tired of people saying kids need to be in school because they are not high risk, without considering the safety of the staff. My fear is that opening schools will end up being an experiment gone horribly wrong. And this is from someone who can’t wait to go back. I’d love to hear others’ thoughts. Especially from educators and parents.