There is No Way to Safely Reopen a School During a Pandemic
The “experts” keep saying that schools must reopen so that students don't miss out on the social skills dynamic. Well, let's walk through a typical day of school pre-pandemic and see if the same social dynamic is even possible.
For most high schools the morning begins with the first gathering, typically in the front of the school, the foyer, the cafeteria, the gym or in various classrooms for morning tutoring. Since "gathering" is now discouraged, how will our students begin their day?
We're constantly being reminded of the staggering number of children who don't eat without school food, so perhaps the students will start their day with an isolated breakfast and their masks drooped under their necks. God forbid remnants of food get on the mask, making for an uncomfortable rest of the day for some of our most self-conscious students.
The hallway before class and during passing periods has proved impassable on many campuses. "Excuse you," "watch where you're going" and "you all stop that and get to class" are all sounds of a busy hallway on any school day. Upon our pandemic return, it has been suggested that there will be markings on the floor to keep students apart and to ensure a flow alongside the right of each respective hallway.
How long is the passing period again?
There are high schools right here in Dallas with an excess of 3,500 students. Should even 60 percent of them return to campus in the fall, those hallway markings will be just as irrelevant as their placement on the floor.
Those of us who adore teaching teenagers understand the importance of them being around one another, figuring out how to deal with emotions and how to cope with harder tasks and difficult peers. We even know what teenage love looks like in the hallway, from "let me carry your backpack as I walk you to class," to "let me hold your hand and give you a kiss so I can make it through 5th period."
How do we treat that adorable and respectful couple in the hallway now when they attempt a quick kiss between classes? If touching isn't allowed and the sharing of items is discouraged - we may be creating a semi-healthier environment, but most certainly one that eliminates socialization, a much-utilized dynamic of school.
Many schools now share nurses due to restrictions and budgeting. On the third Monday in the midst of allergy season, do we send that student who coughs up a lung and sneezes 13 times back-to-back to the nurse? Do we expect the nurse to administer a Covid-19 test? Or should she simply equip the student with ice, a band-aid and 30 minutes on the cot before she has to deep clean said cot for the 30th time that day?
We go through so much training on bullying, but how do we ease the insecurities of a child who gains suspicious eyes after a sneezing fit and taunts of "you've got Corona?"
Do teachers still take up phones? Does a monitor stand guard in every restroom to ensure hands are properly washed? Are lunch trays deep cleaned after every lunch period? Are the door handles to each classroom deep cleaned after each use? Does the English teacher welcome back the pencils he loans out after each class period? Does the Math teacher have the proper spray to sanitize each calculator after each of her classes?
For the experts, reopening schools has everything to do with making money. As they sit in their offices, making statements about the need for schools to reopen - they couldn’t be more disconnected from the realities of an actual campus. They have no true conception of what goes on hallway to hallway. The social and emotional health of our students is not atop the agenda if the immediate plan includes putting them all back together during a global pandemic.
The many things students do enjoy about school will be far from normal. Will the band students be able to collectively learn a song or practice a field show if only so many are allowed in the band room? Will the art teacher be allowed to share her personal brushes or are we expecting students to all afford their own and tote those supplies to school each day? How do partnered labs work in science class now? How does the P.E. teacher teach "physical" education with equipment that by pandemic definition is not to be shared? Will the theater teacher now assess his students facial expressions underneath their masks? What about the room at the end of the hall where our student mothers have their babies on campus for a half the day to complete their work? Some of them return to school with three week old babies in hopes of not falling behind.
Believe it or not, children sometimes get into scuffles. Should the coach walking by in the hallway run to grab his gloves before attempting to break up two students fighting? Sure, two angry students will keep their masks on during a fight. No chance any saliva will go flying as they battle silently.
America is waiting for those education sob stories that end in triumph. This country loves to hear how teacher's self-sacrifice and financial expenditures lead to student success. Now, however, is not the time to go on a hunt for stories of overcoming. Now is the time to be safe.
There is no way to safely social distance in a school setting. Without dangerous aggression and infringement on basic personal choices, there is no way for school staffs to fully enforce pandemic safety measures in a school.
Elementary students need to see a teacher smile for reassurance. Middle school students often need to see a teacher squint her eyes and perch her lips to redirect behavior. Visual learners in high school need to see a teacher speaking to maintain emphasis and attention throughout lessons. Imagine the lingering effects of every adult in the building with a mask on.
Quite frankly, the only reason we're even discussing schools reopening is because of what it does for the non-educational world. Yes, many parents can return to work and that is a great thing. Yes, students can return to a more structured daily routine, which also is a great thing. Yes, school districts secure funding.
Over 130,000 people have died in the United States because of Covid-19. Don't allow your naiveté to make you think that number doesn't include young people. What happens when the population we should be most desperate to protect becomes overwhelmed by this virus? Are we okay with first graders dying in hospitals without their parents by their side? Are we really going to continue with this subconscious belief that young people don't have undetected medical conditions?
Just because we're tired of the Coronavirus, are we truly willing to sacrifice the lives of our young people?
Oh and then there are the teachers...
