Schools: Make Do

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an order saying schools must open 5 days a week starting in August. That order has made Florida a political battleground over schools and the COVID-19 outbreak as he followed the lead of President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy Devos, who are pressuring states to fill classrooms with students in the fall. President Donald Trump said “The people of our country should think of themselves as warriors. Our country has to open.”

DeSntis doubled down on his assertion saying, schools must, “find a way to make do.” The state is preparing to reopen schools amid a pandemic that has shown no signs of slowing. He gave his six minute address from Tallahassee during a week that saw COVID-19 cases increase rapidly, with an average of 119 deaths per day. A 9-year-old girl from Putnam County was listed among the updated death count Wednesday, the fifth child to die in the state. It used to be that one child’s death was too many but now, children are just collateral damage in the rush to re-open the economy before the November election.

As hundreds of Florida residents are testing positive every day, school districts are working to create back-to-school plans that call for face coverings on students, social distancing “where possible”, and frequent cleaning of schools and buses. But they have received opposition from teacher groups and many parents, who say conditions are not yet safe enough for in-person instruction.

DeSantis acknowledged that some teachers are more vulnerable to the disease because of medical conditions, or might not feel comfortable in the classroom. “They should be given the option of working remotely,” he said. “Let’s just find a way to make do.” The Governor did not discuss any precautions state wide which could help stop the spread of the virus. Face masks will be required in schools in an effort to limit the virus’ spread.

Researchers have found, with some exceptions, kids are less likely to be infected with COVID-19 or experience serious, if any, symptoms if they do get it. A recent South Korean study, however, discovered children 10 years and older spread the virus just as much or perhaps slightly more than adults, particularly at home.

Three school teachers in Arizona worked in the same classroom to teach students virtually for summer school. All three teachers caught COVID-19 and one died from the infection. They took every precaution with masks, sanitizing and social distancing, but became infected anyway. The virus can be a threat even with the best precautions. Florida is not the countries epicenter with more than 400,000 cases of COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci called on hard hit states to pause their re-opening. Dr. Deborah Birx compared the outbreaks in the sunbelt state to be like three New Yorks. According to a recent poll, only 44% of parents are willing to send their kids to school.

Orange County Florida made the enlightened decision to have all students begin virtual learning starting August 10, 2020. This will of course also have it’s costs in that not every student has a computer or internet connections but the county is committed to make it work. I have been teaching virtually and challenges abound for instance Zoom meetings get cut off every half hour and students cut out occasionally. One students computer is very old and the audio makes her sound like an unintelligible robot but we make do with the chat feature. It is a brave new world and we are working out the kinks. I honestly love teaching virtually because the students can see me create a drawing stroke for stroke. I can share what I do much easier since every student can see what I am doing on their computers. Some students want instant gratification but art is a slow process of discovery and problem solving. Staying connected an engaged with every student is the new challenge in the digital world.

Donald Trump is the one person you should not listen to in order to keep your children safe. Re-opening schools should not be a priority over public safety. The president and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said they want all schools to reopen full time in the fall. They do not offer ways to do that safely.

On Monday July 6, 2020, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran ordered Florida public schools to reopen in August. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that if Walmart, Lowe’s and Home Depot are open, then schools should be open as well. But neither the governor, nor the White House, can force school districts to open in Florida, which has just set another record of 11,433 new COVID-19 cases in a single day this Friday July 10, 2020.

DeSantis and Corcoran both conceded last month that county school boards would have the final say about when and how to reopen their campuses. The state constitution, empowers school boards, not the state education commissioner, to “operate, control and supervise” public schools.

Vice President Mike Pence said, “The president said today that we don’t want the guidance to be too tough.” So, next week, the CDC will issue weaker and less specific and less costly guidance to keep students safe during a pandemic. The president threatened to cut off funding to schools if they do not open, but the federal government only funds a small portion of school budgets. States fund the bulk of school budgets.

States that opened too soon including Florida, have already ignored CDC guidelines on how to re-open safely. They are knee deep in a huge spike in infections with no plans in place to slow the spread of the disease. Up until now parents have been able to protecting their children by keeping them at home. No one knows how the virus presents in children, or how children might transmit the virus to older adults.

To date, two 11 year old children have died from the virus in Florida. 44 Florida Intensive Care Units are at full capacity. Florida State’s lead epidemiologist, Scott Pritchard, who had held his position for 15 years, quit on the day that DeSantis announced the state would open K-12 schools at full capacity. Clearly the scientists disagree with the mindless politics of rushing to open schools in the midst of the pandemic.

Florida teachers are warning that re-opening schools at the height of the pandemic could be deadly. “We’ve been given no guidance. We’ve been given no regulations that make sense to reopen our schools, and in the middle of a pandemic, we’re being told we have to reopen schools come hell or high water,” said Fedrick Ingram, president of the Florida Education Association told CNN Tuesday night.

At least one superintendent has said he will let “local conditions at the time” dictate whether schools open. Six associations representing teachers and parents – including the National Parent Teacher Association and the American Federation of Teachers – have criticized the President’s push to reopen schools. One of the teachers that will soon have to go back is Tracy Merlin, who teaches elementary school students and says it’s nearly impossible for instructors to guarantee their students’ safety under the current circumstances. On social media, teachers were posting, “Where can I get a living will?”

Lily Eskelsen Garcia, the president of the National Education Association, said she previously taught nearly 40 middle schoolers in a “tiny little classroom with one window. That was not healthy before the pandemic,” she said. “My classroom was a germ factory. I knew that I was going to catch someone’s cold every year. This is different. This is a virus that kills people.”

Dr. Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases advised superintendents to use the CDC guidelines as a guide to get students back to school safely. Physical distancing, masks, and hand washing could help keep the level of infection in the community down. Schools can consider modifying the school schedule with alternate days, morning versus evening, allowing online virtual lessons.

The above illustration was done as a virtual online demonstration for my Elite Animation Academy students about how to illustrate contemporary news. While instructing students on how to research, I found images of a Japanese teacher who had students create their own wings which promote social distancing. I also found research showing robots and automatons in front of students. Perhaps this is the only sane solution for the rush to crush students into crowded classrooms.

Orange County Florida Public Schools, will offer a three-pronged plan including face-to-face instruction, virtual schooling and innovative learning.