22 Reasons Why Schools Should NOT Reopen in the Fall by Nancy Bailey

Well-meaning parents and schoolboards have been working remotely to determine how to safely reopen schools, but these plans are filled with uncertainty. Many of the changes make schools unrecognizable.

The Coronavirus has involved conflicting information. Now we’re seeing an uptick in cases.

It’s not what anyone wants, but fall doesn’t seem like a good time to reopen schools.

Here’s why:

1. Illness and Russian Roulette 

According to the CDC, the risk might seem low for children, but they still get sick, some seriously. Children and teenagers have died. Questions still surround the disease. It’s not worth the risk. Maybe the situation will improve by January, or next summer. Currently we’re experiencing a pandemic and safety is the number one concern.

2. How Will the Flu and Covid-19 Tango? 

Maybe Covid-19 alone doesn’t affect children as badly as adults, but what if you mix it with the flu? Every year the flu kills children. Last January, before Covid-19 became well known, 27 children had died of the flu. What will the dance of these two illnesses look like in the fall?

3. Adults Matter Too!

A large concern with children is that they can spread the disease to teachers, parents, and grandparents who could be vulnerable. It isn’t fair to risk their health by reopening schools. Teachers and staff should not have to fear their workplace.

4. Lacking Consensus

Adults can’t agree on recommendations surrounding Covid-19, so how can teachers protect children brought together in the classroom? Some students will want to wear their masks, others won’t. Some students will take the virus seriously, others won’t.

5. Serious Issues Besides School

Children from low income families who face hunger, possible abuse, mental health difficulties, and other issues have been hit the hardest during this pandemic. Local communities including religious organizations, social workers, and mental health specialists, along with educators and school officials, are needed to continue to help those struggling.

6. Online Connection for All Students!

School districts should ensure that all students have access to remote learning. Students from low-income households should not feel pressured to return to school because they are not online. Black communities have been the hardest hit with this virus.

7. Students With Disabilities

Students with disabilities need more support during this time. It’s wrong for school districts to shirk their IDEA responsibilities. Teachers and school districts should come up with unique ways to address student needs. Teachers need to be able to connect with students and their parents online.

8. Cost for Safety

The Council of State Chief School Officers estimate that schools will need $245 billion to safely reopen. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander estimated $50 billion for K-12 and colleges and universities. Use the money to help teachers teach remotely, ensure that all students have online connection, and plan for schools to reopen better later when the virus is contained.

9. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has been diverting public school monies to private schools. Who trusts that money will go to public schools for safety? Remove DeVos from her role. She has shown her contempt for public education at a time when students and teachers need federal support more than ever.

10. Social Distancing

Social distancing is necessary, but it creates an unnatural environment for children in school. Bringing children together is a large part of what school is about. How will teachers enforce separation and isolation? How will this affect children long-term?

11. Exposure to Cleaning Products

Disinfectants and strong cleaners will be used to continuously kill the virus on surfaces. Many schools have poor ventilation or classrooms without windows. The fumes from such cleaners could be toxic for students to breath, and harmful if the solution gets on a student’s skin.

12. Masks

Masks are important to protect yourself and others. But is it healthy for a child to wear a mask for a long period of time? How will students with disabilities, or those who rely on facial cues, be able to adequately communicate?

13. Lunch and the Cafeteria

If you’re a Covid-19 carrier you may wear your mask all day only to spread the disease when you take it off to eat lunch.

14. School’s Scary! 

Parents can help contain a child’s fears about the virus at home. But a dystopian school environment with scary rules and strict protocols could be a nightmare for a child. How will young learners react? So much of their learning is about play and socialization. What if a child carries the disease home to their grandpa, or believes they do? How will they feel?

15. Mental Health

Many schools lack counselors. They lack nurses too! Teachers are not prepared or equipped to be nonstop mental health providers.

16. Immunity

What will the effects be of children spending so much time in a sterile environment? Will they still build immunity for other diseases?

17. Handwashing

With this disease it’s necessary to wash your hands well. How much psychological harm will be done, and time spent, making children repeatedly wash their hands in school?

18. School Restrooms

Much concern and conflicting information exists about the spread of Covid-19 in public restrooms. School bathroom conditions have always been a source of concern. Using the restroom at school should not be dangerous.

19. Teacher Qualifications

There are not enough teachers for smaller classes for social distancing. Experienced older teachers may not want to get sick. Will schools hire a glut of teachers without qualifications?

20. Playgrounds

Outside is safer, but recess and outdoor activities mean children will come in contact with each other. How do children play if they can’t use balls, jump ropes, and toys? How do they avoid the swing set and other outdoor equipment?

21. Accountability

How legally protected are school districts if a student or teacher catches Covid-19? What protections exist for teachers and schools?

22. Transportation

Students are close together in school buses even if they’re socially distancing. Transporting a small number of students is not cost efficient.

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Here’s another one.

23. School Infrastructure

Many schools have poor ventilation systems.

Instead of Opening Now….

This disease is too bizarre and there are still too many unknowns for Americans to risk their children’s health by placing them in school. It isn’t worth it, especially when schools are a shell of what they should be.

While I’m not for technology to replace teachers, teachers teaching remotely is different. Funding at this time should go towards ensuring that all students have efficient online access to their teachers and schools in the fall. Students are not going to become zombies if they miss school for a little longer. The economy is not going fail if children miss some school.

Religious organizations, local support groups, and school officials and teachers should find ways to assist parents with child daycare if parents are essential workers. Maybe small groups of children can meet in safe surroundings.

School boards, parents, and educators might use this time to reconsider the educational needs of students in their local communities.

This is an unprecedented time. This crisis can be used for good, for Americans to come together to rethink and bolster the nation’s public school system. Children are resilient. They will catch up when they return to better, brighter, and safer schools in the near future.

Feel free to email me your ideas about Covid-19 and schools or comment below. Feel free to disagree. I understand this is a heated topic. Just please be polite.

Reference

American Academy of Pediatrics. “COVID-19 Planning Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry”