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I watched the JC school board meeting tonight and listened to parents& #39; frustration about kids not being back in school. I get it. My daughter is entering 3rd grade this year and every parent wanted their kids back in school. Everyone wants a return to "normal".
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But let& #39;s not forget how we got here. Let& #39;s not allow our anger and frustration to be misplaced. Our school boards, teachers, and administrators are doing the best they can with a state government that has hung them out to dry.
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We ignored this pandemic back in March and April when we could have taken action at a state level to prevent the spread of COVID-19, assist workers and small businesses through a shutdown, and embraced mask wearing and other preventative measures to stop this.
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Instead the @TNGOP mocked wearing masks. They called them "leftist propaganda". GOP candidates just last week held events without masks or social distancing. Yet, those same people are upset that we aren& #39;t starting school "normally" and that football might be cancelled.
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Our inaction months ago cost us this moment. We *could* have been back to normal, but our failure to act got us here.
Sadly, there are some who still don& #39;t take this pandemic seriously. I do. As do the 30% of JC families who opted into virtual learning for this school year.
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Sadly, there are some who still don& #39;t take this pandemic seriously. I do. As do the 30% of JC families who opted into virtual learning for this school year.
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Families of special needs children who would love nothing more than for their kids to be back in school. That& #39;s the best place for them to get the care that they need. But the risks are simply too great b/c we haven& #39;t stepped up and taken steps that we must to eradicate COVID
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One thing that we must be clear on: The JC School Board did not simply close schools to appease those 30% of families who opted in to virtual learning. They closed them because we are way above the stated threshold of "substantial spread".
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The "red zone" is an average case rate of 11 per 100,000. As of today, Washington County is almost 30. We are almost triple the rate at which schools would consider closing. How could we expect them to open?
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The only way to proceed forward is to get that number down. It& #39;s to mask up, to socially distance, to avoid unnecessary get-togethers, social activities, extracurriculars (yes, including sports), until we get a handle on the spread.
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Unless we do this, all of us, we are simply prolonging our own pain.
I want my daughter to have a normal 3rd grade. I want all kids to return to normal. But is it really normal to see your teacher in an N95 mask and a face shield?
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I want my daughter to have a normal 3rd grade. I want all kids to return to normal. But is it really normal to see your teacher in an N95 mask and a face shield?
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Is it really normal not to be able to hug your friends, who you haven& #39;t seen since March? That& #39;s not normal.
Is it really normal to see teachers behind makeshift dividers made out of shower curtains and PVC pipes? That& #39;s not normal.
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Is it really normal to see teachers behind makeshift dividers made out of shower curtains and PVC pipes? That& #39;s not normal.
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Out state house should be addressing this in the special session tonight. They should be giving teachers the raise they were promised along with hazard pay and a stipend for PPE.
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They should reduce the burden that they are putting on teachers, students, and parents by allowing reduced school hours and removing testing requirements.
This is an unprecedented time which calls for unprecedented action.
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This is an unprecedented time which calls for unprecedented action.
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