Jeffrey Collins of the Associated Press has looked at the difficulties on the ground in deciding whether or not to reopen schools – described as an “impossible decision” by one member of the school board
He reports that the Rock Hill board of trustees in suburban South Carolina is like thousands of school boards nationwide, where members tackle a simple question “are we going back to school amid a pandemic?” with no correct or even good answers, in the face of inconsistent tests and an almost constant increase in confirmed cases of coronavirus.
Behind that question is pressure. Pressure from teachers and bus drivers and carers, afraid to return to work but in need of a salary. Pressure from parents and carers, who have to return to their own jobs but are afraid for the safety of their children. Pressure from a president who declares on Twitter “OPEN THE SCHOOLS !!!” but whose administration provides a little task guidance for doing so.
They have chosen to reopen by dividing students into two groups who spend two days a week each in classrooms, with virtual learning from the other school days.
Helena Miller, one of the trustees, says she has spent countless nights, eyes wide open, her mind wrestling over the safety and education of the children she swore to protect.
And everyone has an opinion. The district has more than 17,000 students, and that means about 17,000 proposals for going back to school, one of the trustees Collins said, only half-jokingly.
South Carolina has some of the worst virus rates in the country, and state leaders cannot agree on what to do with schools. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster contradicted his superintendent of self-education and said schools should allow a five-day-a-week option for working parents. School boards were left to untangle the mess – Rock Hill called an emergency meeting and eventually stuck to its staggered plan.
There was no shouting, no claims of false science, no accusations that trustees were not looking for children. At a time when such arguments are popping up everywhere from talk shows to Facebook, from the White House to the corner shop, this board is proud of civic talk. School boards represent democracy at its local core.
“We want what’s best for our kids,” said curator Windy Cole, who has had her own tears and sleepless nights. ‘I have been to all the meetings, I have listened to everything I can, and I trust that our ward is doing its best under these terrible circumstances. We just have to keep praying. “
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