Sixth grade social studies teacher Jennifer* said her Georgia school district missed a crucial opportunity to open schools safely. "We could've made our schools socially distanced activity centers and partnered with the YMCA and churches," she explained. "Instead, we are giving out fortune cookies and hoping none of them say 'COVID death.'"
Jennifer said her school "gave parents the option to go digital or in person" for the upcoming year, a choice that was made "based on a survey conducted mid-June that showed moderate support" for in-person attendance. The catch to the option her district put forward, she explained, was that the district "made it clear" they would not supply all students with computers. "In a county with extreme economic diversity, this is the equivalent of saying, 'Poor kids are screwed.'"
Beyond a lack of necessary technical resources, Jennifer outlined several reasons why she fears the year ahead could be disastrous. "Masks are required, but many parents are saying their kid can't or won't wear them" to school, she told POPSUGAR. "Our classrooms can only hold eight students when socially distanced. We will have 24-32 in each room at a time, and they will eat in the classroom." In a county she described as having "the highest number of cases in the state and the largest school system," she is worried COVID-19 could easily spread in her school.
"I value my roll in the mental, emotional, and social wellbeing of students," Jennifer said, "but when does mine matter? I give my students everything joyfully, but not my life or my family's."
