I think some parents and community members need a reality check
Many parents and people in the community seem to be under the impression that schools are going to be perfectly safe to return to because of all the extra precautions and equipment. The following is an account from a middle school teacher who teaches at a public school that is normally populated by about 1500 kids. Weâre pretty middle of the road. Not a âbadâ enough school to get the heavy investment of state and federal money, but not âgoodâ enough that we have a bunch of parent and community donations. We rely solely on what is provided by the district.
The dristrict/state promised:
Desks would be 6ft apart as much as possible
Class sizes would be smaller to limit cross contact between kids
PPE and sanitizarion equipment would be provided in excess
Facilities would constantly be cleaned
Mass gatherings (lunches/breakfasts) would be limited and restructured from years past
Classes exactly the same size if not bigger than last year.
Desks donât even have 1 ft between them because of how many have to be in a room
Children being allowed exemptions/no punitive actions being allowed to be enforced for kids refusing to wear masks
One gallon of hand sanitizer per classroom
Two 50-packs of hand sanitizing wipes per teacher. To be clear, we are supposed to sanitize every desk between every class. These wonât even get us through day one. We were not provided with any other surface cleaners.
No soap or paper towels for hand washing in classrooms
Lunch and breakfast procedures were only released today, the Friday before our physical return to campus and they are exactly the same as previous years.
There are no class âpodsâ or staggered transitions. All students will flood campus at the same time in a mad dash to change classes. Oh but donât worry, they have one minute less of passing time.
Some side notes that are already concerning regarding cleanliness and safety:
With only half of the staff on campus and no children in the building, the classroomsâ trash hasnât been emptied all week. The teachers have been required to be on campus unless we have an exemption so there is trash.
The staff bathroom is already out of toilet paper and paper towels and has been for two days. I canât imagine what the student bathrooms will be like
The FM mic that needs to be worn for deaf/hard of hearing students is supposed to be shared between each of the studentsâ 7 teachers and just wiped off with alcohol wipes in betweeen. I have yet to be provided with these wipes.
We have been told we have to be out of the very limited sanitation supplies before we can request more, but it will take about 2 days for them to arrive
Teachers were given 1 single layer nylon face mask each
We arenât allowed to send students to the nurse or front office and instead have to call and have someone come to our classroom. As of 4:45 when I left campus today, the Friday before our Monday return, the phone and intercom system in our building wasnât working
The ac is not working in an entire building on campus and is also out in many individual classrooms. (I teach in south Florida where opening a window for airflow is not really an option due to rain and heat)
I understand that public schools do in fact provide a picnic funded service and need to have an option to be open. But donât bullshit everyone and lie to constituents by saying itâs going to be safe when everyone who has ever worked in a public school in any capacity knows itâs just not possible. Parents donât know what theyâre sending their kids back to. Tell the truth so people can actually make an informed decision.
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