Opening schools this fall
To the Editor,
In these unsettling times, one of the only things scarier than COVID-19 is the growing divide in our communities. When times are good, it’s easy to find compromise, but when the world seems desperate, people talk in absolutes. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the conversations on our local social media platforms about how to bring children back to school this fall most safely. What is immediately clear is that, in good times, people universally recognize that being in the classroom is essential for children’s well-being, and that a properly functioning society requires them to be there. But surprisingly, what is preventing them from being there is not disagreement over our desire for them to be in school, but rather our inability to act to get them there.
I’m grateful that I live in a community in which the overwhelming majority recognizes the value of education for our children and society. As an educator, I am desperately hopeful that I will be able to teach classes face to face this coming fall, for as many of my students as are able to be there. To the children in the community whose mental and physical health depends on being at school: I stand with you. To the teachers in our primary school classrooms who are truly essential workers on the front line, and who we depend on, now more than ever: I stand with you. To those who may be vulnerable — students, faculty, and community members: I stand with you. To all our community members who show up to work and risk their safety to keep food on the table, cars running, houses functioning, prescriptions filled, people healthy and safe: I stand with you. As a people, we can and must stand together.
I believe that, as a community, we are smarter, more determined, more capable, and more courageous than this virus is. To all of those across the country who share the ideal of a brighter tomorrow for our children: Instead of trying to figure out whether to open schools this fall, let us come together as a community, look to shining examples of success in other parts of the world, and figure out how to get our kids back to where they need to be.
Benjamin Carone
Swarthmore