Dear Governor Newsom,
I am writing you this letter from Anaheim Hills in regards to the agenda being pushed by both the Orange County Board of Education and the Orange County Board of Supervisors, for full reopening of our schools WITHOUT options for hybrid, or virtual learning, and no masks. I am truly baffled that these elected officials, are pushing to dump our children and educators into an unsafe environment while a highly contagious pandemic is occurring. These same people point to other countries that are opening up their schools with no problem… except our own country has NOT had a handle on this pandemic – we haven’t tested enough, and there are people who think it’s a political hoax. We have 4% of the world’s population, with 25% of the COVID-19 infections. Some people don’t want to follow safety protocols as they scream about “my freedoms!”. It is obvious to me that these ultra-conservative, anti-science “officials” only wish for the economy to get going, without any regard to the safety of our children and teachers. Here are just some questions I have about this subject of reopening our schools: Where are the funds coming from to make sure that schools have all the supplies necessary for opening safely (ie: cleaning equipment, plexiglass, sanitizers, handwashing stations, thermometers, masks, etc.)? I’m also expecting that cleaning schedules will be increased to ensure that things are sanitized properly. Will we be hiring extra staff to ensure that all this extra cleaning happens? Will all the schools have full time nurses available? Should a child or staff member get sick and need immediate medical assistance, it would certainly be helpful to have an RN on campus. How do we address the students who have a fever the morning of, but have been given fever reducer by a parent/guardian before school starts so they can attend? That fever will come back once the medication wears out, but nobody will know until it happens. Is it COVID-19? Maybe, maybe not – we won’t know until that person is tested. In the meantime, an entire school population has been unknowingly exposed to this person. What is the ideal number of students per classroom? In areas where weather is varied, are students (who are often taught in older buildings with outdated HVAC systems), are classes going to be taught INSIDE with recirculated air, or outside (weather permitting)? If inside, why? Restaurants and bars have been closed because studies show that the virus can remain active up to 3 HOURS in indoor air (and can travel long distances via the air ducts of ventilation systems), why should students/teachers be exposed this same way? If outside, do schools have the accommodation for extreme heat? Rain? Cold? Snow? We all know how hot it gets in all parts of California (especially southern California). Are teachers expected to constantly monitor mask wearing and social distancing while simultaneously teaching children? Lower elementary students are known super spreaders – we cannot expect the youngest students to remember not to play with their masks, or touch their faces all the time – they simply don’t have that maturity. Children also forget to social distance when they see their friends. How are teachers/school staff expected to tackle this for several hours every day? Two adults per classroom? Again, do we have the funds for this? What happens if a student or a teacher test positive for COVID-19? Does the entire class need to be quarantined for 14 days? Who will teach the class (online) if the teacher is infected and seriously ill? Will the teacher need to use their sick days? What if they have reached the maximum number of days allowed? Will the school district be paying for their extended leave of absence while they have COVID- 19? If the teacher’s family falls ill, and they need to take time off to care of them? Are the allocated sick days part of this as well? Do we have enough substitutes to cover in this scenario, and will they be prepared with the curriculum? What protocols are in place to ensure that teachers and students that are considered high risk are kept safe? We can’t forget about the people who have asthma, diabetes types 1 or 2, high blood pressure, pregnancy, cystic fibrosis, cancer (remission), lupus – these may be teachers, school administrators, or students (my seven year old falls is asthmatic). Will the students need to be separated from the general pool to be taught elsewhere? How about the teachers with any of these conditions? A good chunk of the teacher population are older individuals, and can fall into any of these categories. How about addressing the students whose parents do NOT believe in wearing masks, or social distancing (thus ensuring that their kids follow their beliefs as well)? How do we protect the students, teachers AND their families, who are trying to protect themselves by following safety protocols? What happens if a student contracts COVID-19 from school? Will the district/local government cover their hospital bills if their families do not have the funds to cover? Will the school or school district be liable for the exposure, because obviously the proper precautions have not been followed. If a teacher or a student dies from COVID-19, do we have enough counselors or psychiatrists to help with the grieving process? How can we push for full re-opening of school when all our local school boards are having their meetings via Zoom because it is safer? Hypocritical much? Is it safe? The science says it really isn’t. I can see that unless something is done, our children, teachers, and school staff are going to be exposed to the veritable petri dish of “who has or doesn’t have COVID-19 and have we been exposed?”. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Regards, Katrina Downey Concerned Parent OUSD
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