[b]Reopening During a Pandemic:[/b] A College Student’s Perspective

Right now, everyone seems to have an opinion on whether schools should or shouldn’t be held in person during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it appears that one key demographic is missing from most of these debates: the students. Arguments that advocate so strongly for the closing of all schools – with no exceptions – often forget the fact that in-person class is more than just convenient. For some, it’s necessary.

As someone with a learning disability, it is nearly impossible to focus on a lecture via Zoom. As a queer person, it is nearly impossible to feel safe in my small town. As someone with mental illness, it is nearly impossible to get through quarantine without becoming anxious or depressed. That’s not even touching on the abusive households or lack of technology that other students come home to, but the near impossibilities I face have made me so grateful that my school did make the decision to do hybrid learning this fall.

I know I may sound like I am putting my happiness over the safety of thousands of lives. That is not the case! If my school, Emerson College, were not able to adequately promote a healthy environment, I would not have come back. Moreover, I do not think that every school should reopen. I feel safer at Emerson than I do in my hometown. This is only because Emerson is small and wealthy enough to provide weekly testing, daily symptom checks, new air ventilation systems, an endless supply of hand sanitizer and wet wipes, strict visiting rules, and other helpful policies.

Of course, being surrounded by people is scary and has inherent risk. But at least if I do catch COVID-19, I will know within a week, whereas at home, this would not be the case. Meanwhile, a student at the University of Maryland confided in me that her roommate had tested positive for COVID-19 and was knowingly attending parties. Large schools, such as Alabama University, which has surpassed over 1,000 cases, are not equipped to reopen safely.

No matter what liberals or conservatives try to tell you, this simply is not a black and white issue. It is easy to say that all schools should stay closed, no matter what. It’s also easy to say that every school needs to open, no matter what. Instead of upholding this simplistic binary, communities and board members must start evaluating each school’s ability to open safely and balance that with its ability to offer online learning effectively. Education is important and is not something to be tampered with unless necessary. But in a lot of places, it’s necessary. It is crucial to start thinking about not only the effects of students being infected, but also those who are forced to remain in toxic or dangerous households.

I have seen both sides of schools that partake in hybrid learning. My mom is a fourth-grade teacher. She is not a babysitter, a janitor, or an IT assistant. Yet right now she is being forced to play all of these roles due to the school’s lack of empathy for its teachers. Thinking about her wiping down desks while I enjoy the freedom of college makes one thing clear to me: this situation is complicated and should therefore be treated as such.

Photo credit: LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash