I know that everyone may still be reeling from the unanticipated decision made by the BG City School Board on Tuesday March 9th regarding the return to a full face-to-face schedule. While some in the community are excited, others have concerns for the health and safety of the students, family members and community members. No matter which side of this argument you fall, the decision to make a vote was unexpected because it was announced that “no action would be taken.” At a minimum, this represents an intentional misleading of the public and continues to erode public trust in the school board.
As someone who has worked to prioritize the safety of my fellow citizens throughout this pandemic, I was astonished by the seemly impulsive decision to return to a full five day in-person schedule. There was little discussion of the public health data, no consideration for a phased, responsible reopening that has been recommended by public health experts across the country. Before prior votes, the board typically invited a county health official to the meeting, to discuss the current state of the pandemic locally. What was mentioned and emphasized by the superintendent was that within the first two weeks (plus one day), 20 students had tested positive for COVID-19 and been isolated, and 60 students had been quarantined for being close contacts.
It then dawned on me: to understand the board’s decision, you must only consider the political climate that faces the board and give little weight to public health concerns. As mentioned in the meeting, March 29 will mark the peak vaccine efficacy for the teachers who received a vaccination. While this will provide a layer of protection to the teachers which is critically important, it also alleviates a potential staffing problem associated with mandatory quarantine of teachers when they are inevitably exposed in the classroom.
Because the data reported at the meeting represent a two-week window, they represent a baseline level of infection in the school for the lower density, hybrid schedule and do not reflect any potential spread. A higher density, in-person schedule will no doubt cause an increase in the students who are considered close contacts and positive cases, because proper distancing cannot be maintained (as stated in the meeting and subsequent communication with parents). To the board and administration, however, this doesn’t matter because the fully vaccinated teachers solve the quarantine-related staffing issues that hindered re-opening before this point.
The net effect is that the “popular” political decision of “getting the kids back to school” has been achieved. Again, in order to understand the board’s decision, one has to consider the politics only, and disregard public health guidelines. What some members of the public may not have considered, however, is that more kids will be quarantined as a result of the full in-person schedule. Ms. Hovest and Mr. Myers made fervent cases for getting the children back in the classrooms, to make up for lost educational experiences associated with the hybrid schedule. They failed to remind us that students who are quarantined will receive no education during that quarantine period, since there is no remote instruction plan. I question whether the school days missed due to the increased quarantine frequency, will result in less education days, on average, than the hybrid schedule. If this is true, the logic of their position is flawed and the fervent case was only to appease their political base.
While the COVID-19 cases have generally been on the decline, the cases per capita in the county and in 43402 is still more than 2 times the CDC classification of “high incidence” and Wood County has moved from the 9th highest county to the 6th highest county in Ohio, for per capita cases. I understand and feel the fatigue of this pandemic. I understand the frustrations of living in the “unprecedented times.” We can all agree that we would like our kids back in the classroom, but we must approach the end of this pandemic with caution and reason. National calls for re-opening schools come with a caveat that school districts consider the local COVID-19 context, ensure adequate ventilation, enforce public health guidelines (physical distance, masking, and systematic sanitation), and follow a phased, data-based approach. From my vantage point, it is unclear how the school administrators will be able to ensure a safe environment, as thoughtful information from the teacher’s association indicated a full five day schedule was not feasible given the CDC guidelines. The school board’s decision is placing students in the impossible position of being forced to return to a potentially unsafe school environment if their current classes are not supported by online options. With no choice, they are risking becoming infected or infecting their family members, many of whom are at risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19. While individuals are entitled to their own opinions, public institutions must ensure public good and health. After many months of a cautionary approach to re-opening that prioritized public health, the vaccine has helped the staffing issues caused by mandatory quarantines and caution has been thrown to the wind.
Jason Whitfield
Bowling Green
On behalf of COVID-Concerned Parents of Bowling Green
