We Must Reopen school, but for the Right Reasons
Economics shouldn't overshadow the safety of students, teachers, and parents.
When my school district closed in March, I was shocked. I knew about COVID-19 because hand washing and sanitizing were becoming the norm in Illinois. However, that was the extent of the direction about how to fight the virus.
I was concerned, but the closure of the school was not on the radar. I knew the disease was ravaging China and parts of Europe, but the United States had yet to feel the brunt of the pandemic or to prepare. However, now we know coronavirus was in our country as early as February.
On March 13th, the state of Illinois began shuttering businesses and sending thousands of people to the unemployment line. My district closed and began to create a plan for distance learning.
I am sure lives were saved because schools shut down. However, as the summer wanes, the reopening of schools has become a hot topic. There is no easy solution, but we must put health and safety first.
President Trump and Betsy Devos want schools to open. Mrs. Devos compared children returning to school to astronauts going into space. She states there is risk in everything, and returning to school is a risk we must be willing to take. I don’t understand how a woman with children of her own would make such a statement.
However, we must understand she is a daughter of privilege. She didn’t send her kids to public school, so we cannot expect empathy from her for our kids. Is there a risk of going to school in normal times? Yes, of course, but nothing you wouldn’t expect. Your child may fall and break their arm. A fight may occur, and your child is injured. However, outside your usual expectations, school is relatively safe.
My students nor I signed up to play Russian Roulette with our lives. We owe our students the safest situation possible. Yes, we know that children don’t suffer the same as adults, but they can contract and carry the virus. Furthermore, in rare cases, multisystem inflammatory syndrome affects kids with past COVID infections. It’s treatable but can become deadly in some children. We must consider this disease as we decide how to handle education in the fall.
Trump has no compassion for the students, teachers, and parents of this nation. Instead, he is worried about the economy and parents returning to work. I don’t believe anyone can place a dollar value on a life. How much is a family member’s life worth? How much death is too much?
We all want the economy to return, but we need a dedicated response to this virus. The Whitehouse failed us, and we are paying the price with human lives. Capitalism and politics are driving the conversation. Not love, empathy, or compassion; instead, greed is making decisions with the most precious of gifts- life.
The POTUS is alienating the top disease doctor in the country-Dr. Anthony Fauci. A man who has advised presidents since the ’80s. Dr. Fauci continues to sound the alarm about our increasing national infection rate, but he is going unheard. A man who’s fought and researched countless contagious diseases hasn’t advised the president in months.
Our country is on fire with a deadly virus, and the president continues to lie and say the situation is under control. We only see increased infection rates because we are testing more is the false narrative coming from Washington. Yes, we are testing more, but the percentage of positive tests continue to rise. Trump is Ceaser. He is fiddling as our country burns to the ground.
I do understand children do better in the classroom. In-person teaching helps kids with their social skills. Furthermore, teachers can do so much more in the classroom. They can assess easier and create necessary accommodations for their neediest children.
The special education population or kids with disabilities are at an even more significant disadvantage. Their IEP’s or individualized education plans can’t be executed properly. There is no access to social workers, school psychologists, nurses, or speech therapists. Therefore, parents don’t possess the skills or tools to help their special needs child properly.
Children in poverty are already behind other students, and distance learning only increases the gap. The work isn’t turned in on time or at all, which means they fall further behind. Their parents are trying to pay the bills and don’t have time to help their children. Furthermore, their parents are more likely to have to work because they work in an industry that was deemed essential, like a grocery store, or another low paying position.
We must not forget some of our kids are living in abusive homes. School is an escape from a horrible existence, but now that’s gone. Teachers and other educational personnel are mandated reporters of suspected abuse in the home, but now that is not an option. Children are now left to navigate a situation that can become deadly because no caring adult is available to help them.
I want to return to work. I am worried about my students. I work in a juvenile detention center, and my fellow teachers and I provided stability to our kids. They could depend on us to be there every day to offer valuable education and social-emotional support, but now it’s not an option.
However, I want to return safely. I don’t want someone to become severely ill or lose a loved one because of reckless decision making. We can’t allow economic factors to make choices for our children and our communities.
One in four teachers has premorbid conditions, which makes them more susceptible to COVID-19. How can we risk bringing teachers back into buildings that are, in some cases, built decades ago and risk their lives? How is that fair to them?
My wife works in an elementary school. She has diabetes and can’t afford the risk of contracting coronavirus. She could become severely ill or die. My son is immunocompromised, so being in a crowded classroom with several other students is not ideal for his situation. I don’t know what we are going to do. My wife needs to work, but her health is far more important than a paycheck. We can get more money, but I can’t replace my wife or child.
These are the fears I have about returning work. It occupies my mind daily. It pisses me off when the POTUS states he will withhold funding, which he can’t do since schools are funded at the state and local level. He might prevent relief money from going to schools, which, in my opinion, is devoid of empathy.
FAPE(Fair Appropriate Public Education)guarantees every student in public and private schools a fair and decent education. However, if we send kids back to school without science leading the way we are not providing an appropriate education.
Instead of educating kids, we are now committing a grand experiment with our nation’s parents, teachers, and students.
I thought we were better than this, but apparently, we’ve allowed politics to give the Angel of Death free reign over our broken country. In this writer and educator’s opinion, we are on the wrong side of history and humanity.
Peace, and thanks for reading.
Estacious(Charles White) is a 23-year educator. He began writing over 25 years ago. His work experience encompasses managing schools and teaching a variety of subjects. His passions are poetry, short fiction, playwrighting, and non-fiction. He won one of six prizes in the Rockford play festival for his play “Incarcerated Christmas.” He is married with three children and a native of New Orleans. Email: [email protected]