Some Teachers Say Reopening Schools Is Unsafe & Unrealistic
Pursuing a career in education has been Sara’s dream since childhood. Now she is preparing to enter her eighth year as a high school English teacher at a public school just outside of Austin. But as she pictures herself getting ready on the first day of school this fall, amid the coronavirus panhttps://www.teenvogue.com/story/teachers-reopening-schools-coronavirus-covid-19demic, it isn’t students, colleagues, and the excitement of a new year that comes to mind; instead, she says, she’ll be wondering: Is this what kills me?
Her concern is not unfounded. As the debate around reopening schools rages on, the U.S. continues to report surges of COVID-19 cases, with numbers is many states spiking at a faster rate than they did in the spring, when most schools initially shut down. Adding fuel to the fire, the Trump administration continues to push for public schools to open their doors, even threatening funding cuts to districts that don’t comply. While some experts agree that in-person learning should be a priority for students, others are raising questions about the capabilities of schools to implement the safety protocols necessary for such a decision.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines include a range of action items for schools: reinforcing the use of face coverings, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, spacing desks six-feet apart “when feasible,” staggering class schedules, limiting mixing between class groups, and more. But this list is not exhaustive and leaves room for a lot of questions: Can masks really be enforced for younger children? Will all schools receive necessary cleaning and protective equipment? How will teachers effectively distance their students if they already have over-crowded classrooms?
No one understands these limitations better than the teachers themselves. “I manage 100 teenagers a day, and I see so many issues with reopening,” says Caroline, who teaches 9th- and 12th-grade English at a public high school in a Boston suburb. Her district, which closed on March 11, is currently considering a variety of options for the fall, including full-time in-person learning. (Three of the teachers Teen Vogue spoke to asked to use pseudonyms, and one asked to use only her first name because of concern for repercussions from their schools for speaking out.)
“I am incredibly stressed and anxious,” continues Caroline, who is pregnant and already has a young daughter. “Everything [about reopening] feels unrealistic: keeping masks on teens all day, keeping them six feet apart, keeping some of them from acting like this is all a joke. I would only be able to have fewer than 10 students in my classroom at a time, but I typically have 20 [or more]. What will happen during cold and flu season, when people who have symptoms are required to quarantine for two weeks? Will staff have to use their own sick time? We only get 13 days a year. How many students will be absent at once? Will we even have substitutes available to cover?”
Claudia, a music and choral teacher at a public middle school in northern Massachusetts, has similar concerns. “I am one of the few teachers who has a lot of students at once, and I teach a subject where there’s concern about spreading germs, as we share supplies and participate in activities all together,” she tells Teen Vogue, adding that she has not yet received clarification about whether her school will resume in-person learning in the fall. “It doesn't seem like returning safely is possible. There isn’t enough space for social distancing — there just aren't enough classrooms in the schools.”
Even with safety measures in place, there is still the problem of the virus itself, which is currently raging in the U.S. Other countries in the world have reopened schools safely, but only after they significantly slowed the spread of the virus. As Emiliana Vegas, co-director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, explained to Vox: “No country that has reopened schools so far has had the pandemic under such little control. That’s what’s complicating everything for schools.”
For teachers of younger students, control might feel more fleeting. Madison, a first grade public school teacher in Des Moines, Iowa, explains that while she’d be delighted to see her students, she is deeply skeptical about the likelihood of safety guidelines being followed. “Kids might not fully understand what’s being asked of them, since play and socialization are so developmentally necessary and rooted in their nature,” she says, adding that she has concerns about spacing issues and common areas like the playground. “I think one wrong move could hurt a whole lot of people.”
Many of the reports that suggest schools reopen seem to prioritize the benefits of in-person learning over the risks associated with the virus, which are focused mainly on children. But many believe these arguments downplay the risk to teachers and staff; where is the priority of protecting them? Data has shown that children and adolescents are generally less vulnerable to COVID-19 than adults. As of early April, children under age 18 made up roughly 2% of U.S. cases; however, children can contract COVID-19, and though there’s not a great deal known about what role they play in spreading the virus, some studies suggest transmission from children is likely. That inevitably puts faculty and staff at risk — and their family members. As the Daily Beast recently reported, medical officials in Israel say the resurgence of COVID-19 there was fueled by the reopening of schools; thousands of teachers, staff, and parents are now infected with the virus.
Both Claudia and Sara are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 complications, and Caroline has concerns about her family members. “If my husband and I get sick and are hospitalized, how will that affect my daughter?” Caroline asks, adding that her in-laws, who are both over 65, typically care for her child while she works. “If I expose my daughter [to COVID], then that exposes them. These are the people who could be hurt because I have to go back to school.”
The idea that teachers could be putting their lives on the line by returning to school isn’t new. It’s a fear that many U.S. educators have been grappling with for years due to gun violence. The coronavirus halted the number of school shootings this year, but there were dozens of instances of school gun violence in 2019, and 2018 was reported as “the worst year” for school shootings in the United States. In recent years, steps have been taken toward gun reform, but there’s still a long way to go. Meanwhile, teachers have been completing intense and realistic active-shooter training, all while struggling with the question: “Would I take a bullet for my student?”
When a teacher loses their life in a school shooting, they are often lifted up as a hero and thanked for their courage, especially by those in positions of power who have the capability to protect educators through stricter gun laws. But school employees have repeatedly said they shouldn’t be forced to choose between their job and their safety — and the same conflict is coming up again during the pandemic. “So much pressure is put on teachers to keep kids safe that we're often no longer seen as people,” explains Sara. “Teaching has become less of a profession and more of a battleground in many ways.”
Just as some health care workers would rather be equipped with proper Personal Protective Equipment than showered with praise, teachers also reject heroic labels. “If we pat teachers on the back the way we did with medical professionals, we are just exacerbating the problem,” Madison says, arguing that educators, like nurses and doctors, need resources and support. “We aren’t listening to what these groups are saying; we are just thankful it's them dealing with it and not us.”
Many teachers are already going above and beyond to help students during the pandemic: Some have delivered food to families in need, and others are finding creative ways to engage with students virtually. When her school started distance learning, Caroline began calling students who indicated they were struggling emotionally, and launched her own teacher Instagram page to connect with her students in a different way. But amid arguments for reopening, Caroline now feels like she’s been reduced to collateral damage. “Teaching isn’t a career you sign up for assuming that your life could be at risk,” she says. “This is a huge problem. I have no desire to be a hero. I became a teacher because I love kids and I want to help them find the ability, power, and confidence to shape their own futures. That's about as heroic as I'd like to be.”
As more and more teachers speak out with concerns about reopening, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: They need to be included in the conversation. To leave educators out of the decision-making, put their lives at risk, then turn around and call them heroes when some inevitably get sick and die seems unconscionable — and yet this is where we are headed. “I went into the career of education for the kids, not to be a sacrificial lamb or a pawn,” Claudia says. “I don't want to be a hero. I want to teach.”
Reference: Teen Vogue