Growing up I loved school and even more, I loved the start of a new school year. In elementary school, I looked forward to going out with my mother to purchase new school clothes and school supplies. After I had everything, I would lay out all the new clothes and decide what I would wear each day of the week (I still plan out my wardrobe for the week in my older age). I would take all the school supplies out of the bags and look at them and organize them and even color coordinate spiral notebooks with folders once I was in high school. There was something special about the beginning of a new school year. Walking into the building and seeing all of your friends, sitting at the desk, and getting to know your teacher(s). I loved all of it!
I’m asked repeatedly if I think schools should open or about the plan for schools opening. I typically answer that I don’t know – it changes every week. What I do know is that it is a challenging predicament to be in and I feel deeply for each superintendent who has to make such a difficult decision. I have the unique perspective of having worked many years at the central office of a local urban school district. I’ve also worked many more years in disadvantaged communities where families tend to get hit the hardest when bad things happen – economically, educationally, and health-wise.
In regard to COVID-19, across the country, Black people are dying at a rate of 2.5 times higher than White people. In fact, Missouri and Kansas are among the four states with the worst coronavirus health disparities for Black people in our nation. In Missouri, Black people represent 12% of the population but 32% of COVID-19 cases and 36% of deaths. Hispanic or Latino people represent 4% of the population but 15% of cases and 3% of deaths (The COVID Racial Data Tracker and NPR). Additionally, positive COVID cases are now increasing. On June 22, there were 35,000 cases per day in the U.S. and 13 states where trends were decreasing. On July 23, one month later, it was 70,000 cases per day and only two states had trends decreasing (MSNBC).
We know, through research, if a student cannot read proficiently by the end of third grade, their likeliness of future academic success drops. Right now, only about half of all students in Kansas City, MO are reading at grade level or above by the end of third grade (Turn the Page KC). We also know, for many reasons, children need to be in school – academically, food insecurities, and child abuse and neglect issues to just name a few. Furthermore, there are many parents who have to work outside of the home. If schools aren’t open or decide to provide instruction virtually only due to safety, what are those parents to do? How are families to navigate the information and data coming out with their needs to work and provide for their families? In many cases, parents are having to make the choice of risk losing their job because they don’t want to leave their kids home alone or return to work without a safe childcare solution.
So, what is the right answer? I am a news junky and listen to and/or read different news outlets throughout the day. I have to admit, when I hear the data and the numbers going up each day, my first reaction is that we all need to stay home, curled up in a fetal position, and wait until there is a reliable vaccine for everyone. I have a sister who is an elementary school teacher and I have moments of anxiety thinking of her in a classroom every day. On the other hand, I have worked in education for many years and know about the significant learning loss that happens to students when they are not in front of a teacher each day receiving rigorous instruction. Experts have estimated that children living in poverty will be feeling the negative academic effects of not being in school for the next decade – and that’s just from being out of school since March. Imagine how much worse it will be if they are not back in school this fall. I have also worked in the community long enough to understand the food insecurities our children face on a daily basis. I know about the lack of proper Wi-Fi in many homes. I know what can happen when children are left home alone, or even worse, left in the care of someone who is abusive. And I know what it does to a child’s social/emotional health not being able to socialize with their friends and other children.
I’ve heard some say, children need to be in school, so open all schools now. And others say this is a safety issue and we should listen to the experts and let science dictate what is done. However, there are safety issues with children staying home too – especially if parents have to work outside of the home. Due to safety issues, most schools have decided to provide virtual learning for a period of time. In my opinion, virtual learning is not a sufficient long-term solution. Even if the problem of lack of Wi-Fi was somehow solved effectively for families, children, especially young children are not going to sit at a computer for hours doing school- work. Many schools found that out from mid-March to May when school was virtual. Children did not log on regularly for schoolwork, and some didn’t log on at all. There were districts who reported that upwards of 50% of their students did not log on even one time during the time period of March through May. And if you have children in varying grade levels, all trying to be on a computer at once, it can be a cumbersome task. And who assists the younger children if parents are at work outside the home? And if the parent is lucky enough to work from home, can you really work from home while also helping the children with their schoolwork?
What I have come to realize is that no one group can decide what is best and it will take all of us working together to ensure our children, teachers, and school staff are safe. Districts and schools cannot do this alone and will need the government (federal, state, and local) and the community to step up. Government agencies need to ensure there is plenty of reliable, accurate testing with rapid results. It seems a little crazy that all sports teams and their front office people can get tested on a daily basis with immediate results, but we can’t seem to do that for our teachers and staff in our districts and schools. Are they not as important as our athletes? Nonprofits can assist schools with social distancing issues by opening facilities that allow schools to “spread out” more or be a safe place parents can send their children while they are working. Since many schools are looking at hybrid models (part virtual/part in-person) upon reopening, organizations like the one I work for are providing programming for families who need a safe place to send their children during those virtual days. But we also need churches, community centers, and others to partner with these nonprofits because they have the facilities. State and local government, as well as the philanthropic community, need to ensure schools and nonprofits have enough funding to hire the additional staff needed, as well as funds for all of the additional safety precautions that will need to be in place. As a community, we need to reduce the number of cases, but schools need a solid plan and protocols for what happens if a teacher contracts the virus and/or a student contracts the virus. Schools need to have a plan if they can’t find enough substitute teachers – because there will be a shortage of substitute teachers. And we need everyone’s help to ensure the number of cases is decreasing and continues to decrease by wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and not gathering in large crowds. Schools can open carefully and gradually if and when these items are in place. The goal is to not only open, but to stay open.