Protect Our Students

By: Priscilla Rodriguez

The 2021 school year is unfortunately looking a lot like the 2020 school year. As time passes by, the COVID-19 case numbers just keep increasing, making it hard for students and teachers to return to their regular school year. Parents and teachers are concerned about this situation and want what's best for us students.

Many schools reopened for the 2020-2021 school year with high hopes of returning to a normal year but unfortunately, ended up closing again due to high rates of infections.

In 2020, many schools were reopening again. For example, in August of 2020, states like Mississippi, Georgia, Illinois, and Indiana opened up for t

he school year for middle schools but had to put kids back in quarantine not even a month after opening due to high cases raising up.

I can only imagine how teachers are affected by this. Teachers will be around students for hours each day if we return back to school which makes it really hard for them to keep a distance.

Many parents are concerned about their children’s education. Will they ever go back to school? Will this affect their education? On the other hand, parents like mine are aware of the circumstances and all they want for their children is for them to be successful in a safe way.

My mom, Gloria Rodriguez, is a full time worker that works in the healthcare field so she understands this pandemic and strongly believes in COVD-19. Therefore, she likes to take the right precautions and believes in safety in schools.

Parents are wondering if schools will open back. Manny thinks differently than others. Some parents want to return, others don't think it is safe. “As long as schools take the right precautions, I am okay with you returning to school,” says Gloria.

This is the mentality of most parents. They just want the best for their kids in the safest way possible. They have heard and seen in the news multiple cases of schools closing again due to it reopening in the middle of a pandemic. It just isnt the smartest move.

“I believe that everyone should wear their masks and follow the 6 feet rule if schools are going to reopen”, says Gloria.

LIke every parent, she is worried about her kids and just wants them to be safe.

Teens and very young kids have died from this virus and with schools closing again after reopening, it just doesn't seem like they could protect us well enough.

Personally, I believe that schools should stay closed for the remainder of the year considering the fact that we just reached 500,000 deaths of COVID-19. I really dont think it is safe for students or teachers to return back to school.

I know that distance learning isnt our favorite thing ever, but its better to be safe than sorry.