When Should Schools Reopen?
There is no cut and dry
answer to this question. No matter what, there w
ill be pros and cons with the
decisions that must be made. At the end of the day, we are being forced to
weigh the health of students, educators, school secondary staff, and parents
against the need for in-person education and normalcy. While it is a painful
transition for some, many medical professionals believe that pushing children
back into schools too soon could cause a massive spike in cases.
A Serious Risk
As a medical
professional, Wayne Emerson
Gregory knows about common child tendencies. Even on a personal level,
we all can recall being a child and playing schoolyard games. This, of course, includes
things like “tag” where you race and touch the other person. The contact play
is common with children and we must acknowledge that teachers are not paid to
restrain an entire classroom of children from simply being children. They are
paid to educate and expecting them to navigate an active pandemic with a dozen
or more children is not entirely feasible.
Children, especially
younger ones, do not understand the very
real risk COVID-19 poses. With that in mind, we can expect that they will
not follow the protocol set in place to keep them safe and reduce the potential
spread of this novel coronavirus. What four-year-olds do you know that will
keep a mask on for an eight hour school day and not touch their face? They are
certainly few and far between
A Tiered Approach
While there is no personal answer, if you asked Wayne Emerson Gregory Jr., what he personally believes to be the best answer, it would be a tiered approach to reopening schools. Start with the older kids, the ones who are high school-aged, and have the best understanding of what is acceptable. Let them attend in person first then, if cases continue to remain the same or decline, perhaps begin introducing the younger children. It is a concept based around maturity that he believes is the most feasible since older students can comprehend the risks more. Even if this approach is taken, the option for online learning should be given, as well. Working to provide structured online learning across the board is a great way to ensure students can still get the help they need and understand the work they are given. After-hours tutoring via private or small-group Zoom classes for those in need of assistance or assigned study partners would increase socialization and work to offer extra learning opportunities, as well.
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