In my opinion, it’s quality of life over quality of education. I recognize the importance of an in-person education, but education isn’t superior to health. So many sacrifices have already been made for this pandemic, and these sacrifices can’t stop with education. It’s not right to ask teachers to risk their lives to keep their jobs. Teachers shouldn’t have to die for a paycheck. It’s also not right to require parents to send their children to school if they aren’t comfortable with the lack of precautions this country has taken to combat COVID. Also, kids won’t receive a quality in-person education if they are sick, if their teachers are sick, if they mentally can’t handle the stress of COVID-related family issues combined with schoolwork. 

The pandemic has already impacted many families, it has especially impacted low income communities at a disproportionate rate, and has only been exacerbated by remote learning. Many parents are essential workers and need childcare assistance. Not to mention, low income families may not have access to the internet at home. These are services that should be subsidized and provided to families free of cost either by the government, at least while the pandemic is ongoing. The government can’t ask students and teachers to sacrifice their quality of education if the government won’t sacrifice money to ensure that online education performs at its best. This includes providing students with hotspots, online resources (i.e. textbooks, worksheets), laptops/tablets, school lunches, etc… Schools in lower-income areas should receive extra government funding that year. Daycare for essential workers is a little tougher because so many daycare centers have shut down during the pandemic. That’s why I think the best option that balances equity with safety is something that GNSH is doing. Parents can choose whether to send their kids to school every other day, not at all, or every day. That way, parents operate to their comfort level, fewer teachers are required to show up in person, and the hallways are less crowded with germy kids. It’s not a perfect solution, but it is a compromise. 

I firmly believe neither educators nor kids should have to risk their lives, it will only prolong the pandemic and concurrently education will suffer even more in the long-term. A near complete nationwide school closure was mandated in March to prevent the spread of COVID and it is contradicting and irresponsible to mandate in-person learning. Ultimately, I think the biggest problem is the lack of government intervention due to political tension. In this country, we’ve prioritized politics over human lives and because of it, too many have suffered.