I'm a teacher would love to be back in the classroom with my students - but reopening schools is simply not safe yet.
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- Reopening schools has been a hotly debated issue in recent weeks.
- I'm an educator and would love to be back in class with my students.
- However, there's too much risk, and we couldn't possibly follow safety protocols.
- Matt Walton is a high school teacher based in Virginia.
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Over the past few months, reopening schools has emerged as a hot button issue around the country. After considerable back and forth between city leaders and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) the CTU voted on February 11 and agreed to the district's reopening plan. Many teachers and teachers unions like the one in Los Angeles and Racine, Wisconsin, are asking for teachers to be vaccinated prior to reopening.
According to Education Week, as of February 23rd, "at least 30 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have made some or all teachers eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine." This is important because many schools that have already opened have had to close because they had a shortage of teachers and staff, because they were either infected or in quarantine
Getting teachers and all school staff vaccinated (including bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodial & maintenance, and administration) is a key component to opening schools because a new study "finds that "teachers may be more important drivers of COVID-19 transmission in schools than students."
Political leaders such as Pete Synder, a Virginia gubernatorial candidate for the Republican nomination, have made school opening a cornerstone of his campaign. He, like many other politicians, has used the hashtag #OpenOurSchools in his campaign and also stated that he has a simple plan: "#OpenOurSchools five days a week, every week, with a teacher in the classroom, now."
The problem is, most politicians and government leaders like Snyder do not have a background in education, or have not spent any time in a school, and do not understand that it's not "simple" to open the doors to every school in the era of COVID-19.
I've taught in a high school for 11 years and know a lot of the struggles that teachers and districts go through to bring students back into the building safely..The school where I teach is in the process of reopening, and has a student population of just under 2000 students. Of those, currently less than 600 have opted to return in person.
The public, political, and governmental leaders included, must realize that reopening a school that meets the guidelines the Center for Disease Control established for is much more complex than using a hashtag.
One of the first things a teacher and school will have to consider is how will the educator set up their classroom to follow CDC guidelines. In their guidelines, the CDC states that students should be spaced six feet apart when possible. If every student in my school wanted to return we would not be able to follow this and many other guidelines from the CDC. Even prior to COVID-19, schools were overcrowded and classes were packed. Very few schools would be close to operating at 100% given this guideline.
Teachers setting up their classroom with COVID-19 in mind has now become a monumental task.
Prior to a student entering a school, they must first arrive, as many do, on a school bus. The CDC guidelines to reduce risk of transmission on buses state that schools "should create distance between children on school buses, including seating children one student per row facing forward and skipping rows between students. Children from the same household can sit together, if needed."
To achieve this it will require buses to increase the number of routes they run, since they will have a significantly reduced number of students on each bus load. This will alter the time spent in the classroom learning and teaching. Furthermore the cost to transport students will greatly increase for school divisions.
Not only are the logistics of classroom setup and bus transportation factors to consider, but there are issues with moving around a school "keeping to ensure that staff and children remain at least [six] feet apart". Many schools have created "one-way routes in hallways" to keep students moving in another direction. Trying to implement this in a lot of schools is a challenge, especially for schools with high numbers of students.
The CDC also recommends people "Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing". To accomplish this in schools will be difficult. Most school bathrooms are small and have few sinks. In order to maintain social distancing only a few students at a time will be allowed to enter. In fact, many schools will have to have staff monitor bathroom entrances to ensure social distancing as well.
The community around a school also must play a key role. Parents and community leaders must make sure that students (especially high school students) and parents adhere to CDC guidelines outside of school. The ability for a school to reopen, and stay open, also depends on what is going on in the community around the school. If communities want schools to be open, then they must step up and do all they can to prevent the spread of the virus. If a community fails to do its part, students will suffer and the school will have to close its doors yet again.
Additionally, teachers will be doubling their workload once a school reopens. Most schools are giving students the option to remain virtual with most teachers teaching both their in person classes and virtual ones at the same time. This is an increased workload to teachers as they have to navigate dual instructional strategies.
Let me be clear, I, like every educator, want to be in my classroom with my students. No one in K-12 education has ever gotten into the profession for the money. We do it because we love our craft, we love to teach, and we love to see young people develop intellectually. It would be hard to find a teacher that does not enjoy being with their students in person. Teachers want to be back, but we also know that having all school staff vaccinated is key to reopening successfully.
Finally, people need to know that reopening a school to all students is not as simple as they think. Hashtags are easy to make, but operating a school, especially during this pandemic's safety protocols, is tougher.
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