Why Teachers Might Still Not Believe It’s Safe to Return to In-Person School

Anger about schools not reopening is directed at teachers and their unions. Sometimes it’s made to sound like they’re the problem and not Covid-19! Many public schools have opened their buildings, and teachers never quit working during the pandemic.

Teachers aren’t epidemiologists, they aren’t statisticians. They want to rely on information and recommendations concerning Covid-19. But that information isn’t always clear.

Grim Milestone

With the recent somber Covid-19 milestone, we hear the virus has killed over a half million. Constant reporting about the loss of life is seared into a teacher’s collective consciousness.

There’s good news too—vaccines, more awareness of the need for better school conditions, a downturn in cases. But there’s a discussion of variants, and news about schools isn’t all good, complete, or honest.

Children

While Covid-19 is said not to affect children like adults, children do get sick.

Here’s the February 25 report about a 10-year-old child whose Covid-19 complications included amputation of his hands and legs. There have been repeated accounts of children who become ill with Covid-19.

Teachers are teachers. They will zero in and recall every report about Covid-19’s effects on children!

Unsafe Buildings

The CDC and those critical of teachers might not realize the poor building conditions. Good ventilation is often a problem. Classrooms often don’t have windows or windows that open.

Before the Pandemic 

Many who say schools need to open wanted school privatization before Covid-19. That’s the reason Red for Ed became a movement. Why wouldn’t teachers be distrustful?

Learning Loss

Teachers care about learning loss. That’s why they jumped to master remote instruction last spring! They also recognize that many reports of falling behind lack credibility. Listen to Teacher Tom. The Concept of “Learning Loss” is Complete BS.

Many teachers are parents, and they want school buildings to open too, but safely.

State Reporting

State issues raise concerns when teachers consider returning to in-person schooling.

Massachusetts 

In Massachusetts schools in the past two weeks had a total of 582 Covid-19 cases split among 373 students and 209 staff members. This involves reports from a two-week period that included February.

Florida

Floridians learn on February 18 that Gov. DeSantis omitted data about Covid-19 rates in schoolchildren when deciding to open schools. Here’s a Florida report of school cases.

Georgia

A February 24 report cites a study describing how teachers passed Covid-19 onto their students and to other staff, who then took the virus home to their families. This is a teacher’s worst nightmare!

The study includes the weeks December 2020–January 2021, but teachers might still be concerned.

Colorado

In this February 18 write-up we learn there are Covid-19 outbreaks in children. There’s some positive information in a reduction of cases likely due to vaccinations.

New York

They’ve been mostly back to school with some disruption, and now they’re including middle schools. While teachers listen to the CDC recommendations, they may or may not feel safe in their classrooms even if cases are said to be fading.

Here’s a rundown of school cases in Western New York scroll, and you’ll see almost every school has had student and staff Covid-19 cases.

Here one can keep tabs on the recent cases found in New York City.

These are reports of only a few of the school districts and states across the country.

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Teachers weigh all the reports and information they receive. They want students to be safe. They want to do what they believe is best.