It is disheartening how teachers and staff are viewed as absolutely disposable.
I agree. Our teachers were given the choice of in-person teaching or taking FMLA. The entire K-2 elementary staff in my district just submitted a letter to our school board expressing their safety concerns. I don't fully understand why, but I have been told that they are technically not even allowed to write to the school board. This just shows how they worked together to risk their jobs and express many concerns.
As a parent, this paragraph made a lot of sense to me. I think many parents are not fully thinking through what this will look like.
"As educators and experts in early childhood development, we are in agreement that having children in a 'normal school setting' is indisputably what is best for child development and education. However, the setting in which students are being asked to learn and educators are being asked to teach when we return to school is almost unrecognizable as a "normal school setting." Due to the new and necessary health and safety guidelines, our school setting will be, quite literally, the antithesis of the type of setting needed for child development and education."
Our system is requiring desks to be spaced 6 feet, young children to spend the majority of their time at the desk to keep up with social distancing guidelines, they won't be able to collaborate with peers or engage in centers due to social distancing, they can't share items during free play and guided play, and small group guided reading groups and math workshop will become impossible. These are all essential things in a well-developed early childhood curriculum. I know our district is not alone in what this picture actually looks like.
This paragraph stood out for me as well:
"The second rationale that we must consider is the burden placed on parents and caregivers when students are unable to use the physical school building for their learning. This is something for which we deeply emphasize (because many of these teachers have children in school, too) and recognize as a failing of our social constructs. It cannot, however, be the reason that children are sent back to school. Although public schooling has clearly become a means for parents and caregivers to work during the day, this is not its intended purpose."
They also included 60+ questions about safety protocols including (I've paraphrased a few):
"When young children cry the first few days of school, how do we comfort them by adhering to social distancing protocols?"
"When there are bathroom accidents, how do we safely help children change clothes by following social distancing protocols?"
"Children need help opening snacks, lunches, putting on jackets, tying shoes, how do we keep social distance protocols?"
"How do we conduct fire drills, active shooter drills, severe weather drills while following social distance guidelines?"
"Will we need to document each time a child removes his/her face covering so that we can be aware of possible exposure?"
"Are parents aware of what social distancing will look like in the classroom... masks worn all day, children will be sitting in chairs for long periods of time and cannot engage in play too closely, children will have to do more seat work rather than small group work?"
"Will we be getting another printer to make worksheets? Movement choice, group projects will be hard to do under current restraints and more busy work will be necessary."
"Will students be allowed to sing or play instruments?"
"Can lids be installed to cover toilets as they are flushed? Studies show that aerosol droplets from flushing can carry the virus three feet in the air and cover bathroom surfaces."
"What are the options for staff with underlying health issues? Are the only options to return to work and risk dying or lose our job?"
"What about the child whose nose is always runny?"
