Is reopening schools worse for the adults or the kids? A France study shows that children don’t infect adults; it’s the other way around, and most kids don’t get sick.
But what about the adults in the building? You have teachers, substitutes, counselors, secretaries, custodians, librarians, administrators, nurses (who will be essential), and other staff who could all be carriers of COVID-19. If any of those folks contract the coronavirus, the whole school could be shut down.
Subs like me are typically older who could die from this awful disease. We should be given combat pay and health insurance to return along with a school district waiver against immunity restrictions. In addition, I would feel safer if everyone, especially adults, are checked for fever when they walk in the door.
I am all for opening the schools, but like Trib columnist Robert Gehrke said, “It’s basically an experiment whose outcome cannot be predicted.” Kids can’t afford to miss any more school, but it has to be safe to reopen.
Marty Bernstein, Midvale