The COVID-19 virus has been a menace to the world since November 2019. In the USA it has taken over 500,000 lives, more than WWII. We now have the vaccine that is slowing down the death rate throughout the country.
The big question is, are we going to believe the science and take hold of our future and return to normal. The CDC has developed guidelines to help schools bring back in-person learning, but…do parents, teachers, staff and education officials trust science?
How do schools need to operate in order to bring our children back to in-person learning?
According to the CDC, promoting the right behavior can reduce the continued spread of COVID-19. How?
- Maintain healthy operations.
- Prepare for if and when someone gets sick.
- Collaborate with state and local health officials to meet the unique needs of the community.
- Build redundancy – monitoring, supplies, logistics, facility and staffing.
- Build redundancy – monitoring, supplies, logistics, facility and staffing.
It is apparent that, looking at the science, all teachers, staff and different personnel coming to campuses must be vaccinated. Also, that there NEEDS to be zero tolerance regarding mask usage and appropriate social distancing.
HOW DO WE OPEN FOR IN-PERSON LEARNING?
- Correct use of masks for all.
- Physical distance and class size.
- Handwashing and respiratory etiquette.
- Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities.
- Contact tracing-Isolation and quarantine in collaboration with health department standards.
- Testing-documentation required for all newly hired i.e. vaccination record.
Of course, all the essential elements required to achieve a successful return of our children to in-person learning will create costs, but that’s what our government will need to step up and HELP. We must build redundancy in monitoring of standards, vaccinations, cleaning and disinfecting areas. There will be a need to examine our modes of transportation and build new structures to support the need for social distancing. And, supplies demand will continue with more masks, personnel and resting equipment.
This is the 75th anniversary of WWII and looking at history there were many events that helped turn the tide of the war, here are 3 of them:
- Doolittle’s Raid – James Doolittle, on April 18, 1942 took a crew of 80 in bombers and dropped bombs on Tokyo. This was a necessary feat for America, after suffering a great loss at Pearl Harbor, just 4 month prior on December 7, 1941. The message to Japan was to make them aware of America’s resiliency and ability to overcome suffering and show their source of power and might.
- Battle of Midway – A MUST WIN! It was necessary to stop the foe from taking over the pacific. So, the best way to accomplish this was to know the opposition’s plan breaking the language code. American ingenuity outthinking the enemy and strategically planning, resulting in victory.
- D-Day June 6, 1944 – The landing of allied expeditionary forces onto the continent of Europe. The force was made up of soldiers, sailors and airmen of many countries with the hope and prayer of liberty loving people everywhere to march with them. This was a proof that cooperation and coordination together with others can overcome the greatest problem.
We NEED our children back in school with in-person learning, which will require our continued resiliency, ingenuity, cooperation and coordination. Let’s defeat COVID-19 be trusting our scientists and using those same traits that all Americans know have worked in our history!