Text by PAISLEY ANNES
Returning BACK TO CAMPUS
I
N LATE OCTOBER before the hy- Prevention, the American Academy of Pebrid plan for January was announced, diatrics, and Santa Clara County Health 64% of Palo Alto High School parents Official Sara Cody are just some supportand students selected, in a survey ad- ers of prioritizing the safe reopening of ministered by the Palo Alto Unified School schools. Both the CDC and AAP cite studDistrict, that they would want to return ies that show that children are low risk, and to school in hybrid form. Clearly, there is that the transmission rates in educational a need within the PAUSD community for settings are low. in-person learning. However, students are at heightHowever, once the hybrid schedule ened risk of isolation’s dangerous, even was announced and passed by the school life-threatening effects. According to a board, only 10% of Paly students selected study published in the Journal of the Amerthe hybrid option, according to an update ican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psyfrom Principal Brent Kline. This is because chiatry, enforced isolation increases adolesthe hybrid schedule is atrocious. The classes cents’ likelihood of anxiety and depression. offered students minimal in-person learn- Keeping students home may seem like the ing, and in-person classes — English and safer choice, but at what cost? social studies — were those that function Additionally, children are at an inbest virtually. Classes such as sciences and creased risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation arts, where the quality of the course can- and violence due to shelter-in-place ornot be maintained in distance learning, ders, according to UNICEF. With distance remained virtual. Additionally, the hybrid learning, it is easier for dangerous home plan could only support 30-40% of stu- environments to go undetected because dents, so even if more teachers, who are the students had chosen leading reporters of Enforced isolation the hybrid option, they suspected abuse, are may not have been ac- increases adolescents now only able to catch cepted. of students likelihood of anxiety aoverglimpse The small perZoom. centage of students and depression. No one signed up that chose hybrid does to do their jobs during not mean that students do not want to re- a pandemic, but COVID-19 is now a part turn. It means that a better plan needs to of our lives, and we must learn to live with be made –– a plan that serves the needs of it. Essential employees, including both of the students. Expanding PAUSD+ is sim- my parents, have been working since the ply not enough. start of the pandemic because others rely At the school board meetings regard- on them. Thousands of students and famiing reopening, many PAUSD communi- lies depend on PAUSD for their education. ty members stated that benefits of hybrid PAUSD has a duty to provide students with learning were insignificant because the so- the best education they can, and this cancial distancing, the masks and the plastic not be done through online school. dividers would make it hard for students to In-person school is necessary for stusocialize and teachers to teach. Yet, I hang dents’ well-being and the upkeep of their out with friends every week, six feet apart education. With the dire importance of reand wearing masks, and it does not impede turning to school in person, Paly must reour ability to communicate or socialize. open as soon as it is safe to do so even if that The Center for Disease Control and means a transition mid-semester. v
50 DECEMBER 2020
