By: Geneva Burkitt
How schools should weigh safety and education when reopening
The average public school in Massachusetts has around 250 students per grade and 20 students per class. Society needs schools to support students’ mental health and education. However, even the most ambitious schools simply may not have the space to fit all their students safely in person considering the threat of COVID-19. Schools planning to revert to an all-in model should deeply weigh their decision; institutions should put student safety first while valuing the great importance of students’ mental health and learning environment.
The remote learning model this year has negatively impacted students’ academic and home lives. During the pandemic, students have been forced to remain in the confines of their homes, which has affected both parents and students. The limits of online education have caused great learning loss during the school year. Parents are concerned and are seeking ways to enrich the school life of students. More than 97% of educators have reported loss in their students’ education, and many curriculums have fallen behind by months. Education systems have thus rightly prioritized reopening elementary schools first. These formative years of a student’s life will greatly impact the academic and emotional growth of a young scholar. When students continue with online learning, they not only run the risk of losing substantial amounts of knowledge from their school year but social and emotional development as well.
Students’ mental health during the pandemic has been a focal point in this school year, and should continue to be displayed as a pressing issue. Students have transitioned from all remote to hybrid learning and will further transition from hybrid to in-person learning. After a great lack of socialization throughout the pandemic, returning to school is stimulating but draining. Nonetheless, returning to a normal school life will improve students’ mental health. This is because spending the majority of the school year on screens learning and socializing has created a large decrease in the mental health and wellbeing of teenagers. Not all students are able to learn from a safe home environment nor have the resources or ability to thrive while learning on screens. Students will be challenged in the return back, but would benefit from being surrounded by peers and engaged in their classes.
In general, private schools are much better equipped to adopt an all-in model. On average, private schools have less students and greater funding. With the privilege of a smaller student body private schools can return more safely to school. On the other hand, public schools need to exert more energy to enforce safety protocols because they have larger student bodies and less funding. Public school students have had a different online learning experience and will unfortunately not have the same quality COVID-19 safety procedures as private schools.
Returning students to an all-in person model within the last two months requires careful consideration. Keeping students in cohorts that allow them to stay six feet apart is the safest option. However, allowing students to return in person would be the most effective towards raising student morale and quality of learning. Students will need to eventually return no matter what; schools must work to skillfully manage that transition and to ensure that students stay safe physically and mentally in this delicate time.
Students participating in socially distanced learning.
