I’m a longtime parent, active volunteer and community member. I’m heartbroken by our seeming inability to come together to support the health and safety of our children. I encourage us to be civil, respectful and kind. I think many are struggling with the uncertainty of this time. Grief and loss can be overwhelming.
I’d like to thank everyone, including school district staff, who attended the recent COVID-19 Mitigation Feedback Session held by the 9-R school board. I’m grateful we are in a district, a country even, that allows for such open public discourse.
The essential task is to get students in the classroom with some sense of normalcy. Politics and personalities aside, many students live in unsafe and unsupportive households, making campuses crucial.
I agree that mask mandates only for unvaccinated people is exclusive. I understand parents’/guardians’ choice not to vaccinate children. However, there seems to be misunderstanding around protocols for unvaccinated children. If there’s an outbreak of polio or measles, for example, unvaccinated children cannot attend school until the outbreak is under control. I’m not suggesting unvaccinated students be excluded from in- person learning, only pointing out that vaccinating is a choice, while the health and safety of schools is the responsibility of administrators and elected school board members.
Speaking with students and teachers, the kids are compliant. They mostly keep masks on when and where they’re supposed to.
I don’t understand signs and speakers at the meeting referring to “segregation.” Segregation feels heavy-handed and reminiscent of enslaved persons and Jim Crow-era institutions. It seems offensive to use this wrought term. I think I understand the feeling/thinking behind these accusations but struggle to empathize.
Justice work involves asking, who’s at the table? What voices are being heard? What inequitable power dynamics might be at play? I’m concerned voices in the feedback session were overwhelmingly white. Multigenerational households, close-quarter living situations such as apartments, and families experiencing homelessness are often low-income, immigrants, American Indians or people of color. Foregoing mask mandates at this time, threatens people already at higher risk.
“It’s 9-R’s job to educate kids, not worry about public health,” one man said at the meeting. I hope educational institutions concern themselves with public health during a crisis. It not only affects school systems but society at large. We know these institutions fall short, of course, and still it’s their responsibility to provide supportive and healthy environments that are inclusive for all.
“Take responsibility for your own health,” another parent suggested. It’s all of our responsibilities to behave in ways that promote and sustain the health of the entire community, such as keeping trash out of rivers and parks, having running water, clean schools, safe bus routes and crosswalks, and heeding the, yes, imperfect guidance of health professionals at this time.
Another person blamed the faculty and school board for students' mental and emotional health problems. “You’re killing them anyway!” they protested. Let’s be clear: there is a mental health and suicide crisis among youth. La Plata County and Colorado have some of the highest numbers in the country. Many factors contribute to this: social media, 24-hour access to technology, living in a pandemic, disconnection, and children’s over-scheduled lives, to name a few. Public school systems are not perfect, like any organization or government entity. Get involved.
A retired educator spoke about volunteers not being allowed in schools during the pandemic. Volunteers provide vital support to teachers and divergent learners. Educators and nutrition services staff went above and beyond over the past year and a half to continue to provide connection and nourishment to our kids in ways we never imagined.
Educational institutions are not rooted in individualism; they’re rooted in community. Part of being in community means making sacrifices. Let’s teach our children connection, not division.
Lisa McCorry is a parent and community activist who lives in Durango.
