FALL 2020 • VOL 14 ISSUE 1
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To School or Not to School Writer: Casey Connelly • Editor: Anhthi Luong
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hould we send children back to school during a pandemic? A year ago, attending school would have been mandatory. Now it’s up to the parents. How have parents made this difficult decision, and what is the CDC’s advice? On their website, there is a “School Decision-Making Tool for Parents, Caregivers and Guardians.” [1] The purpose of the tool is to help all people raising school-aged children to make appropriate decisions about their childrens’ learning this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the most important questions to determine is whether or not parents and guardians will send their children back to school for in-person education or interact with teachers remotely. Of course, the tool won’t tell anyone definitively what to do,but the CDC strongly suggests parents get in touch with their childrens’ school administration to find out more information or articulate their specific concerns. The tool asks questions about how comfortable parents feel sending their children to school, the feasibility of virtual learning, academic and social-emotional wellbeing and school based services, such as Individualized Education Programs and nutrition services like breakfast and lunch. There are 27 questions, and caretakers are encouraged to answer with responses, such as, “agree,” “disagree,” “unsure” and “does not apply.” The point is this: the decision to send children back to school or not is a complicated and personal one. It comes down to whether or not parents can support at-home learning, feel comfortable with their school’s reopening plan (and plans for when someone inevitably tests positive) and need assistance with providing special education programs, behavioral services and
Illustrator: Jennifer Broza
meals for their children. It depends on the location of the child and the caretaker, how well their respective state has gained control over the virus and whether there is safe transportation to and from schools. There may not be
a right decision, and the best decision may change over time. As helpful as the tool may be, it allocates a significant amount of responsibility onto the parents, who may have to watch over their children during remote classes or
