There are going to be things we don't know. We're going to have to figure out how to move forward anyway.
But I do think your post points to one of the biggest challenges schools will face in the fall - you didn't read the article and aren't particularly interested in the developing science, but you believe what you believe and think the schools need to make their plans around a lot of what-ifs and fears without regard to what new information science might have to offer. I'm not saying that to pick on you, just to be clear - I'd say a third of the parents at our school fall into the same category, and they're not interested in hearing that the CDC and WHO now believe surfaces aren't a common means of transmission or in understanding just how rare the inflammatory syndrome is, and they're especially not comfortable with the idea of sending the kids back before we know everything there is to know about the virus and its potential after-effects. They're scared and there's really nothing that is going to make them not-scared when it comes to sending their precious children back to school. Schools are going to have to find a way to either overcome those fears (unlikely, in the current environment) or accommodate a significant minority of families continuing to opt-out of in-person classes while still expecting the school to provide an education to their kids.
I agree we will have to move forward. I also am very interested in the developing science. For you to say I’m not because I didn’t read the whole article you choose to believe is correct does not mean I’m not interested.
I still stand by the fact that this is a brand new virus which we know very little about.
One small study means nothing. For every study that comes out there are two or three contradicting it. Schools are going to have to make some very large changes going forward. We all agree on that. Businesses are being required to follow social distancing guidelines for adults and are learning to adapt as we move forward. Schools will have to do the same. But we can’t say businesses have to meet the requirements for adults yet send kids back to school like nothing is different.
I know kids have to be in school....I work and have worked in schools for over 25 years. I was devastated when our schools had to close this year.
To require businesses to meet CDC guidelines before they are allowed to reopen, but sending kids back to school because it happens to be the start of a new school year without having figured all this out is irresponsible.
Like I said before, we don’t know how rare that inflammatory syndrome is. if you bring groups of kids together...some which may very well be asymptomatic, we may find it is not that rare after all, or it may very well continue to be rare. The point is...we simply don’t know.
We also do know this virus spreads more easily in close quarters. Classrooms are close quarters. You are talking 25-30 plus kids in a room all day together for six hours a day. I consider that close quarters.
Funding for schools is being cut as I type and and almost every district in this country is struggling to get by, never mind implement all these new protocols. Who is paying for these protocols? Schools can’t afford more buses to social distance kids on the way to school, they can’t afford the disinfectants that will be needed or the masks that may be required. Teachers and parents have been paying for tissues and wipes and hand sanitizers out of their own pockets for years already. They can’t afford new computers or supplies, etc. so kids don’t have to share.
Just the size of classrooms make it impossible to social distance. There is not enough floor space. With all the protocols to worry about, how are teachers even supposed to teach? Do people realize how a classroom even operates? Kids touch everything and they spread germs...everywhere.
All of these things are the new reality of what schools have to deal with. It is not me basing it on fear. This is the facts we are going to have to work with going forward. Without federal assistance, I don’t know how schools will implement all this effectively. I want kids back in school more than anybody. I am just not ready to see them go back like things are normal until these problems are addressed.
I sincerely hope schools across the country can figure these things out before the start of the new year. I’m just not convinced they have the resources needed for it to happen so quickly and safely and effectively.
One other thought on this is that I do think people feel differently based on where they may live. Where I live, I am hearing from lots of parents and teachers that they are very worried about September because we are “just not there yet” to send kids back. My state was hit hard (MA) and is re opening very slowly and cautiously. We still don’t have stores or restaurants open yet. Most people we know agree with this and would rather take the time to follow the science and data to get things going again.
Other states have pretty much reopened fully and people are more ‘ready’ to just get back to normal as quickly as possible. I do think that can play a big role in affecting peoples views on schools reopening.
It will certainly be interesting to see this all play out.