HOPE? APPROACHING VACCINE STIRS REOPENING CONTROVERSY Text by PAISLEY ANNES, JONAS PAO and ISHAAN BATRA Photos by ANUSHE IRANI
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EPRESSED. ANXIOUS. Zombie-like shells of what they once were. That is how a mother of two Palo Alto Unified School District secondary students described her own children at the Feb. 2 school board meeting. Her high school daughter was a straight-A student and had just managed to make a group of friends despite being shy. Then, COVID-19 hit. Schools were shut UNPAUSE PAUSD — A PAUSD elementary student holds up her sign at a protest urging PAUSD down, all extracurriculars were forced onto reopen. “They are hurting so bad and [are] so lonely,” said PAUSD parent Stephanie Compton at the Feb. 9 board meeting. “They’re going to need a lot of support and help socializing.” line and the world was put on hold. Many hope the COVID-19 vaccine Paly teacher Mimi Park does not feel will shove the world back into normality. If vaccinated, the sooner we can have schools up and running safely,” Cohen said. comfortable returning until she has reonly things were so simple. The California ceived the vaccine, and would be morally vaccine rollout has been painfully slow, and Tentative teachers uncomfortable returning when students are plans are constantly changing. Many who At the Feb. 9 board meeting, Supernot yet vaccinated. were promised prioritization find themintendent Don Austin announced plans “I think about the high cost to life and selves far back in line, if at all. to bring grades 7-12 back onto campus physical life of people that I genuinely care Teachers were to begin receiving the for “Zoom in about: my students, the staff members, all vaccinations in late a room.” Acof that,” Park said. “It’s really hard to imagJanuary according I am very fortunate to be cording to Ausine the kind of benefits [of in-person learnto California’s origtin, students ing] really outweighing that, until we get to inal rollout plan. vaccinated, but I am still can return to a situation where we have herd immunity.” However, teachnot ready to go to work.” school as earHenry M. Gunn High School Student ers in Santa Clara ly as March 1 Attendant Aria Sufiani has already received County are still not — ARIA SUFIANI, PAUSD employee if Santa Clara his vaccination, but is against re-opening. eligible to receive County is in “I am very fortunate to be vaccinated, their first injection the state’s red tier of pandemic risk for but I am still not ready to go to work givas of Feb. 12. five consecutive days. This announcement, en that I have very little confidence with Palo Alto High School English teacher which came only a week after the news that the protocols,” Sufiani said at the Feb. 9 David Cohen awaits the announcement of sixth grade students would have the option board meeting. “I do want to support my when he and his coworkers can receive the to return to campus for hybrid learning, students, but please, I’m 30 years old, I vaccine, and believes that it may be the key riled up the already impassioned parents, have other friends and colleagues who are to a speedy reopening. teachers and students. dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19 “The sooner we have more teachers
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14 FEBRUARY 2021
