OPINION: We’re on a COVID coaster of school reopenings and closings

Tally so far from reopening: Hundreds of students in quarantine and three local high schools closed

Among the arguments to reopen schools was the mental health of children, some of whom were experiencing trauma from losing a critical stabilizer in their lives, their classroom and teacher.

But are we returning children to stability in this COVID coaster of school reopenings, closings and quarantines? Are we replacing one trauma with another?

Children are returning to classrooms subject to 14-day quarantines when exposed to a classmate or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19. In Paulding and Cherokee counties, among the earliest districts last week to open in the country, parents received quarantine notices after the first day of classes.

In some cases, the entire class is sent home for two weeks. In others, it is just the students who have “close contact” with positive classmates. It is quickly adding up to hundreds of kids and dozens of teachers and staff.

So, children are now sitting in classes where a quarter or half of their classmates disappear one day or they themselves go home for two weeks where anxious parents look for warning signs of COVID-19.

After only seven days of classes in the two districts, three high schools shut down to contain the spread.

North Paulding High School is now closed for the week due to infections. When it reopens Monday, it will embrace a mix of online and in-person classes. North Paulding students will be in the building on alternating days based on their last name, says a letter from Superintendent Brian Otott and principal Gabe Carmona.

The intent is to reduce hallway congestion -- seen worldwide after student photos of jammed hallways went viral -- and other challenges since school started last Monday. The 2,000-student high school has 35 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the district.

And now both Etowah and Woodstock High Schools in Cherokee County are shuttered through the end of the month because of the number of students forced to quarantine. Since reopening Aug. 3, there have been 59 positive COVID-19 tests reported across Cherokee, resulting in two-week quarantines for 925 students and staff as of Tuesday.

At Etowah High, the number of positive cases at the school Tuesday had increased to a total of 14, with tests for another 15 students pending; and, as a result of the confirmed cases, 294 students and staff are under quarantine and, should the pending tests prove positive, that total would increase dramatically, explained the superintendent

Today, Cherokee announced the number of positive cases at Woodstock High had increased to a total of 14 with tests for another 15 students pending; and, as a result of the confirmed cases, 289 students and staff are under quarantine and, should the pending tests prove positive, the total would significantly increase.

Both Etowah and Woodstock high teachers will start online instruction for their high school students. Speaking of trauma, has anyone considered the trauma felt by teachers, many of whom are entering their classrooms fearful over contracting the coronavirus and bringing it home to pregnant partners, elderly parents or immune-compromised children? Or having to provide content in multiple formats, sometimes on the same day when they have students under quarantine?

I’ve heard from teachers who are moving into their basements or with friends to protect someone in their family at high risk of serious complications or death from the virus. One educator is moving into a rental house to protect her child with an auto-immune disorder.

We have turned our schools into a virus minefield, but are sending in troops of teachers and kids without adequate protection. At the very least, we ought to mandate masks, something districts have the power to do but are reluctant because of parental resistance. A few hours before the decision was made to close Etowah High School in Woodstock, 27 parents in Cherokee rallied in support of keeping schools open and masks optional.

At the Paulding County school board meeting Tuesday, teacher Meredith Hanft said she was speaking on behalf of other teachers with concerns about the lack of a mask mandate.

“Our goal is to be in class with our students without fears for our own personal safety and safety of our families. It’s been repeated more times than I can count that everyone had a choice. Let me tell you teachers were not given a choice. First of all, we were never surveyed. We were not asked to participate in planning,” she said. “No one asked the concerns for someone who would be enclosed in a poorly ventilated room with 30-plus bodies. These decisions were made by people other than teachers.”

Hanft said only six out of her 80 high school students were wearing masks in her classes this week. ”I had students making fun of the fact that I choose to wear a mask,” she said.

Students were not educated on the vital importance of wearing masks as promised, she said. Nor did intensified cleaning occur. She entreated the board, “You should be protecting your teachers.”

While Hanft’s emotional appeal drew light clapping, strong applause and screams followed parent Jennifer Whitlock’s contention, “We don’t have enough evidence for children wearing masks.”

To be clear, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends teachers, staff, and students wear cloth face coverings in public settings, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the doctors who specialize in treating children, says in its guidance:

Children {in elmentary schools} should wear face coverings when harms (eg, increasing hand-mouth/nose contact) do not outweigh benefits (potential COVID-19 risk reduction).

Universal face coverings in middle and high schools when not able to maintain a 6-foot distance (students and adults).

- COVID-19 Planning Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry

Some parents urged district leaders to promote mask wearing. With some school board members not wearing masks, parent Rachel Adamus said, “When you say you recommend masks and then you come to a board meeting without masks, that sends a very clear message.”

Adamus asked that the Paulding safety plan be implemented with fidelity, saying, “I want to know what you say is going to happen is happening in our schools. Since Paulding formulated its reopening plans, COVID-19 cases have nearly tripled in the county, and the positive infection rate is double what is recommended to safely reopen schools, said Adamus.

As uncomfortable as they may be for some students and staff, masks are a key defense against virus spread and a smarter alternative than quarantining classrooms and closing schools. Yes, there will be ups and downs and twists and turns on this COVID coaster of reopenings, but we need to make sure everyone leaves this wild and unpredictable ride alive and well.