Back to School. But How?

Back to school?  But, how?

Prepared by Josephine Scavuzzo

I am both a teacher and a parent.  I spent the last few months of the school year teaching my students online and supporting my son with his own classwork.  That experience was emotionally and physically draining in a way that I have never experienced before, as I wrote in my previous blog.

Of late, my focus has been the return to school in September.  To be perfectly blunt, the thought of going back to work in my school building terrifies me. My son would also be returning back to his own school (in another board).  That means exposing ourselves to an unknown amount of bacteria, germs, viruses, microbes, parasites...this may seem like an overreaction but that is my perception.

In my estimation, there are too many variables that cannot be controlled.  In our province, masks are required in indoor spaces but will not be necessary at school.  We will need to rely on the honour system, with parents ultimately making the decision to send their children to school if they exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 (or a host of other illnesses).  While I understand that many disease control specialists feel that children are not often “superspreaders”, there isn't currently data available to fully support this notion.  Essentially, we have been in our homes since March 13th which has slowed the spread of the virus.  How can we know what will happen when over 700 students and 60 staff members return to our school building?  If we look at the increasing rates of transmission at child care facilities, that’s a clear sign that returning to school is potentially dangerous. What is the transmission rate in a class of 20, 25, or over 30 students?  We just don’t know.

I understand that the economy needs to be revitalized and parents must go back to work.  These are legitimate concerns. Compound that with the fact that school is a safe haven for many students due to dangerous situations at home, food insecurity, and a lack of academic and emotional support. But, with some stringent protocols in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all students and school employees, there might be a way.

Let’s start with increased funding for schools for handwashing stations, additional caretaking staff, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all employees, daily temperature checks for everyone in the building, smaller class sizes, job security for the immunocompromised, improved ventilation, individual sets of school supplies, learning resources, and technology devices, occasional teacher coverage when teachers are absent-this is not an exhaustive list of concerns that need to be addressed in the next few weeks.  The return to school will come with a hefty price tag.  Back in June, a projection by the American Federation of Teachers estimated that America’s K-12 schools will need an average of $1.2 million each to reopen from coronavirus-related closures (US News: June 9, 2020).  In a new planning document being considered by the board, the Toronto District School Board also says that accommodating some proposed plans for the fall could cost as much as $250 million (CBC: July 15, 2020).  

I love what I do.  It is my passion, my calling, my career, my livelihood.  I realize that this may read like a litany of complaints, but I don’t see it that way.  It would be irresponsible of me NOT to consider the risks.  However, I still have many unanswered questions and concerns.  In the meantime, I will reflect on this past year and I am thankful that my family continues to be healthy.  I am going to enjoy the gift of time with my son over the summer until we can get back to school and reestablish a sense of normalcy, whatever that may be.