When schools went virtual in March, I thought if we stayed home till the end of the school year that our family would be able to enjoy the summer like we had previous summers. Perhaps, I was a bit naïve. In hindsight, there was not much that many of our families could do to lessen new cases of COVID-19 as some Americans were still congregating mask-less in large groups spreading the virus. Now, with cases surging in July, the 2020/2021 school year could be in jeopardy, at least the face-to-face version, and our children face several more months of uneasiness.
I think the toughest thing right now especially as a member of a high-risk family is figuring out how to best support our children as they either re-enter the classrooms or go virtual during the pandemic. Everyone’s level of risk is going to be different depending on their views and their health as I discussed a while back on a blog post about Weighing the Risks of The Pandemic Dilemma.
As parents of high-risk families, we need some sort of transparency from the schools so we can make informed decisions as to what works best for our children and our families. To me, schools that are not prepared for the virtual option during a pandemic are doing a huge disservice to the teachers, students, and the families of those involved particularly those who are highly vulnerable. With the new case numbers surging in several states including Florida, Georgia, Arizona, and Texas, the concurrent (virtual learning from home) path is probably the safest one for those children in high-risk families, but there are so many other variables to think about.
I know the remote option makes it difficult for those families who have both parents or a lone parent/guardian working outside of the home. So how are these families going to stay safe while being financially stable at the same time? I know that there are major complaints from families who want their kids in school because they learn better in person and parents need to go to work. I believe if the schools give families the option to learn face-to-face or virtually, parents will be able to assess their risk and decide which method is comfortable for their respective families. In some cases, the hybrid method could be effective where a child is in the classroom somedays and at home the others. That way parents who need to work outside the home could possibly adjust their schedules to be home on the days the child will be learning remotely. There are so many decisions to make.
I asked members of the CF Warrior Project Facebook Group who are also part of high-risk families which topics are most important to them as we return to school. Here are just 10, with my thoughts on how we could try and keep everyone as safe as possible based on the research I’ve done:
- Transportation – What seems to be the safest protocol for school buses is to have one child per seat and make sure that all children wear masks and that the person sitting in front of him/her and across from him/her is actually sitting one seat over. The bus driver should be required to wear a mask and needs to make sure the bus is cleaned prior to picking up the children and after dropping them off. That is a lot of extra work for bus drivers so I wonder if school districts will have difficulty finding enough drivers as school approaches. I also believe that children who are carpooling should have to wear masks in the car along with the driver and the driver should be cleaning the vehicle before pick-up and after drop-off.https://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/reopening-schools/getting-kids-to-school-tackling-covid-19-transportation-problem.html
- Face Coverings – Teachers, administrators as well as students two years old and older should be required to wear face coverings throughout the day as there have already been daycare and camp outbreaks in the United States. Studies have shown that children can be carriers of the COVID-19 antibodies and therefore can give the virus to their teachers, parents, and/or grandparents. Children are often asymptomatic, but this will also protect those young people who could possibly contract the virus and have harsher symptoms. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/07/17/coronavirus-can-kids-spread-covid-19-spreadquestions-answered/5450062002/
- Social Distancing – All students need to be at least six feet from each other in the classroom and not facing each other. Cafeterias need to require six feet of space between children at the minimum while making sure no one sits across from each other and the option to eat outside should be readily available to all students. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/prepare-safe-return.html
- School Guests – No one should be allowed to enter the school other than the current students and staff unless there is an emergency. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html
- Temperature Checks – All schools should execute temperature checks on all students, teachers, and other school employees rather than simply relying on home temperature checks, which can vary in accuracy. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninashapiro/2020/07/12/will-daily-covid-19-temperature-checks-help-get-kids-back-to-school/#9feaa694e3ff
- Students Who Test Positive – The safest protocol I have found for children who test positive for the virus is for the child to be out for at least 14 days and that child must test negative at least once after those 14 days. I know that most schools do not require a negative test to return and several only require 10 days, but based on my research 14 days should be the standard and I would not feel comfortable without at least one negative test. The biggest issue of course is the length of time it takes to get a COVID-19 test in many regions around the country and then get the results. Our government needs to figure out how to speed up the process especially in areas with high-infection rates. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fprevent-getting-sick%2Fwhen-its-safe.html
- Students Who Are Exposed – I believe if a child is exposed to someone with the virus that he or she must quarantine for 14 days from the last time they were in close contact with the person who had a positive COVID test and be sure to have at least one negative COVID test after those 14 days. Schools need to be clear with parents how the policy will work but once again the concern is the time it takes to get tested and receive the results. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html.
- Helping Employees – Can employers develop flex plans for those who must be at home to help their children with remote learning? Can telecommuting be implemented where employees work remotely from home? Can a compressed workweek be implemented where someone who needs to work 40 hours can work those same hours in four days instead of five so they can be present for a child who may be learning remotely on certain days? Can job-sharing be implemented? I would hope employers are incentivized to allow their employees to work at home as less people in the office means less opportunity to spread COVID-19. I would also think that job-sharing would be beneficial as one employee could cover for the other if that employee was to come into contact with the virus. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/07/16/covid-19-back-school-complications-employers-and-working-parents-column/5429833002/
- Remote Learning Options – I believe that it is critical to have the remote learning option. Those students who have the virus or were exposed to it must be able to keep up in the classroom even though it is far from the same experience as face-to-face learning. This is also to protect those families who are more vulnerable with regards to their health. The problem of course is that hundreds of schools are under-resourced, and a virtual option is nearly impossible to execute for those institutions. What happens then if there is an outbreak at school? How many children will be stuck without an education? https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/has-child-abuse-surged-under-covid-19-despite-alarming-stories-n1234713
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/06/29/back-to-school-reopen-online-classes/3251324001/ - Teachers and Other School Employees – What about the teachers? What happens if they get sick? Does the whole class have to stay home and get tested? How can we protect them better both mentally and physically? Shouldn’t all children be required to wear masks along with the teachers? What about janitors, bus drivers and other school employees? Why are these individuals so often not taken into consideration? https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/13/us/teachers-covid-19-return-school/index.html
The final concern that I have is how do we explain the pandemic to our children. Being someone who deals with depression and anxiety, I am always concerned about my kids’ mental health during times like these. I think the key to helping them is staying calm, being open, and offering support. Andrea and I have always been open with our kids when explaining our own medical conditions so the transition to discussing COVID-19 has been relatively smooth. We want them to develop healthy coping methods by feeling free to talk to us and ask us questions. They are aware that we cannot take risks like some families, but that does not mean we cannot talk about the things that we want to do and perhaps we can find a compromise. We also tell them that if something happens we will get through it together.
Parenting during a pandemic is something we were not prepared to face. Of course, the same could be said for our children so it is important to be patient with them. It is critical that the key decision-makers in the household are on the same page, that everyone learns to manage their stress in a healthy manner, and that the children know that they have their parents’/guardians’ full support.
As parents, we are dealing with unprecedented times, but, together, we can succeed on this difficult journey.
Stay positive. Stay focused. Stay home when you can. Let’s all have a wonderful and safe school year.
Live your dreams and love your life.
Andy