I went on Facebook while I was at the gym, as I always do, and I was browsing through the first few initial ads before I realized every other post seemed to be about new updates from the K-12 public school districts around me. I'm from Northeastern Ohio, and our COVID-19 cases are on the rise. I understand the dismay, however, I'm super concerned.
As of 8/5, several school districts have released their plans for the upcoming quarter. Back-to-school season has never looked like this. While the updates are pretty short and seem to be lacking several details, there are a lot of similarities. Many districts are choosing to just go online for the first quarter as of right now, so until mid-October. I have also noticed that many districts have pushed back the start date of the school year.
Personally, this doesn't really impact me. I am in my third year of college, dealing with my own jacked up semester. However, I can't help but be super concerned. There are many factors that will be impacted by these decisions to alter the semester, and I'm worried about the outcome of these students' education.
Some of the factors I'm worried about include:
1. Students with learning disabilities who need specialists to help them understand content.
2. Students who rely on free school lunches.
3. Students who don't have reliable access to internet/technology.
4. The mental health of students being affected by the lack of socializing and participation.
5. The rise of domestic abuse increasing even more.
These five concerns are each hefty in their own way. I'm worried about today's students. Personally, if this would've occurred when I was in grade school, I would not have been prepared, and I would've been constantly overwhelmed. To this day, I still despise online classes and I can't imagine completing any K-12 classes online.
Of course, this doesn't just affect the students. It affects the parents, their workplaces, everyone's schedule and more. Everything is changing.
I understand the need to analyze the possibility of online classes, but I don't think the decision should've been made the way it was. This action has caused a barrier that digs as deep as the economic barriers. It is pure common sense that kids who come from wealthier, better off homes in better neighborhoods will be able to transition easier. This means that children who live in worse off neighborhoods and are lower-class/nearing the poverty line won't have the luxury of a smooth quarter of learning.
These kids will be constantly worried about where their next meal is coming from. They will be worried about their parents arguing. They will even be worried about taking care of siblings or possibly older family members living in the home. After the past semester, there were lower class children who were sent to detention homes for not being able to complete online assignments.
This is unacceptable.
The school districts need to do better. They need to be entirely transparent in their memos and not just send out a bulleted list of dates. They need to offer assistance and resources for students who cannot do this alone. They need to do their jobs, and be productive educators. I hope that as these semesters near, the school districts will see some of the dilemmas that are arising in the variety of types of homes that their students come from.
