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OPINION
the Epic lhsepic.com
Editorial: District perseveres through Omicron spike
AUDREY SUN—EPIC Students must swab their nose properly to ensure accurate results.
AUDREY SUN—EPIC The swab is placed in a test tube, and results are delivered in 15 minutes.
T
he new year greeted Lynbrook with a surge in COVID-19 cases, reaching an all-time high in the number of infected students and faculty. While FUHSD’s weekly reported case numbers were in the single digits through the end of first semester, Lynbrook alone had 65 student and staff positives during the week of Jan. 3. In response, the FUHSD community has proven its ability to adapt to rapidly changing conditions through instruction flexibility, contact tracing and resources such as testing and KN95 masks. Lynbrook COVID-19 designee Susan Rocha has taken up the responsibility of mask mandates, testing centers, conveying the ever-changing CDC and Santa Clara County Public Health Department guidelines through emails and communicating with students, staff and families about isolation protocol. Confusion among students and staff runs rampant during such uncertain times, so it is imperative for the administration to continue their transparent and consistent updates with the Lynbrook community. To learn from experience following the January surge in mind, Lynbrook should brace itself for another possible spike after the February break by expanding the COVID-19 response team to prevent this heavy burden from falling on a single set of shoulders. Contact tracing has served as a source of reassurance for many students. When a student contracts COVID-19, administration works to identify close contacts, asking teachers for seating charts and students for who they spent lunch with. Teachers and club officers should implement their own contact tracing systems for activities to increase the efficiency of this process. Some staff, such as French
AUDREY SUN—EPIC The FUHSD community waits in line for a COVID-19 test at Lynbrook. Testing is paid for by the district, making it accessible for more people.
teacher Elizabeth Louie, have already done this by creating forms for students who use their room during tutorial and lunch. The FUHSD administration was cooperative in rapidly implementing CDC guidelines during the first semester and loosened restrictions as cases decreased. Compared to individuals from other schools, the Lynbrook community has been more responsible in adhering to relatively stricter guidelines, with little to no opposition from the student body. “Before the spike, there were some kids in certain classes who didn’t always wear their masks, but with everything that’s been going on, everyone has been wearing their mask,” junior Diya Dalal said. To continue combating the crises of 2022, the district should continue to provide resources, such as rapid antigen test kits and KN95 masks, to students. Further information on resources the district has already devoted to combatting the COVID-19 pandemic is available on page 3. FUHSD is unique in providing campus COVID-19 test centers, which are open at different schools throughout the week and provide both rapid antigen tests and polymerase chain reaction tests for staff, students and their immediate families. While the earlier distribution of rapid antigen test kits to students is standardized and provided by the state, testing centers and staff are paid for by the district and have allowed more students to access proper testing, especially in light of a national shortage of testing resources. “The talk about a layered approach to protecting against COVID-19 is really important,” Rocha said. “Vaccination is strongly encouraged, but it hasn’t become required. I believe
masking is probably the biggest priority, along with testing.” If a student is infected with COVID-19, they must isolate themselves for at least five days, which leads them to fall behind on schoolwork. By moving curriculum resources online, teachers can help students stay on top of their assignments while isolating, if they are physically up to it. Math teacher Rita Korsunsky has implemented remote testing options on Schoology, a solution that can prevent students from becoming overwhelmed with tests when returning on-campus. “Our policies toward schoolwork with COVID-19 should have been clearer — like clarifying when an assignment is due versus when it’s assigned and whether projects were excused or given make-up time,” junior Aakash Kapadia said To educate students on how to use the many resources provided to them, Lynbrook could devote a session of homeroom to demonstrating how to acquire governmentsupplied antigen tests, how to conduct self-tests and what to do in the case of a positive test result. The school has demonstrated a great level of responsibility and efficiency in ensuring the protection of each student. However, with increasing cases and new variants, a larger group of COVID-19 designees and standardized policies for remote assignments will help Lynbrook be more prepared going forward. While providing resources is a huge step in the right direction, educating students on how to use these resources and respond to positive test results is necessary to ensure the well-being of the student body. *the Epic staff voted 35-0 in favor of this stance, with 1 staff member abstaining.
The humor and harm of school IG pages BY CHELSEA LEE
down. Although this is a start to protecting the online privacy of students, permission for sharing photos should not only ike many recent internet jokes among teens, the be requested after the picture has already been posted, as it popularity of school Instagram pages originated on is not enough to save subjects from embarrassment from the TikTok before spreading to high schools all over the account’s audience. U.S, including those within FUHSD. A variety of accounts Subjects may not even have the chance to request for were quickly born from this trend, some with an immense their photo to be taken down if they are unaware it has been following: @lynbrooksleeps features Lynbrook students posted. The image could be in the hands of anyone with napping at school, @fuhsd.bathroomfeet showcases photos access to view the page and be shared with others beyond and videos of FUHSD students’ that circle. If the subjects do not come shoes and @fuhsdposturecheck across the post or if others do not displays FUHSD students’ bad notify them, an unwanted photo could posture. Although the anonymous be on the internet forever. “For some students, it administrators of these pages may “For some students, it may be may be inappropriate or only intend to provide students with a inappropriate for them and they quick laugh, they should be aware of unsafe for them, but for might feel unsafe, but for others, it negative effects such as cyberbullying others, it may be a comic may be comic relief,” freshman Reagan and harassment can easily arise from Markert said. relief.” such pages. These pages can easily compromise A few accounts have become wellindividuals’ internet safety and have led Reagan Markert, known among the FUHSD community, to serious consequences for students Freshman with follower counts ranging from a at other high schools. According to the few hundred to more than 2,000. Most, Branham Bear Witness, Branham High if not all, of the posts are sourced from School’s official newspaper, several students who photographed or filmed students have been suspended and others, often without the subject’s knowledge or consent, received police reports after similar instagram profiles were which violates their privacy. accused of cyberbullying and sexual harrassment on campus. “There have been a few times when people messaged us Since Branham Principal Cheryl Lawton’s announcement to take a post of them down, which we did immediately,” an on the issue, several Instagram pages Branham community administrator of the @fuhsdposturecheck account said. “We have deleted their posts or taken down their pages. have learned to try our best to only post pictures submitted For school Instagram pages, the line between humorous by what looks to be the person in the picture’s friend, not and hurtful content is often blurred. Account administrators zoomed-in photos of someone far away.” and students should assess the possible consequences of their Some account administrators make efforts to respect the actions and maintain respect when running or interacting wishes of photo subjects by communicating on their account with these accounts, as they can easily develop into centers biographies that people may request for photos to be taken of cyberbullying or harassment if managed irresponsibly.
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GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CHELSEA LEE
