On School Reopening Debate: Parents and Teachers Pit Against Each Other

The school reopening controversy has reached a fever pitch between parents and teachers almost a year after the pandemic. 

Even as new coronavirus cases and our national death toll continue their steady upward climb, plans for 'reopening the economy' are plowing ahead. More bars, restaurants, bookstores, hair salons, and all kinds of undeniably non-essential companies open up every day. But the debate about whether and how to open in-person schools this fall remains one of the most complicated.

Parents, both working and non-working, who have been home alone with their kids for months, or struggled to patch informal childcare arrangements are becoming increasingly desperate.

In New York, even parents who live in the affluent community erupted in applause, and the school board president had pounded his gavel to demand order. Meanwhile, most parents, some via Zoom, and at least one teacher opposed a plan launched by the superintendent to return 5,300 students to full-time classrooms in March, up from the current maximum of two days a week.

Earlier this month, a father named Patrick Cozzens stood in front of the angry parents and had read a statement that his daughter, who is 16 years old, help him draft. 

He said, "I've watched her go from a child that has loved school, thrived at school her entire life, to one now, using her own words, who just don't care anymore," and his voice breaking. "What are you focused on? Get our children back!"

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Meanwhile, for almost two weeks, the city refused to close schools when parents and teachers urged them to close, and when they eventually did, teachers were called back to work for almost a whole week of in-person lesson preparation. Nearly 100 school-based employees ended up dying, and some critics claim that if school closures and other psychological distancing steps had been taken only a week ago, deaths might have been decreased by 50-80 percent.

At the same time, many employees who have had to serve as critical employees are now being forced to return to work, many of whom lack union support and are in unstable jobs, fear being asked to risk their safety and health.

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Parents and teachers' points of discussion on school reopening

Everything that is happening implies that we need to present a shared understanding and vision. Here are some starting points to arrive at a resolution.

First, the dangers of opening schools go far beyond those who work in them and for communities of color are far more significant. Many educators were upset that the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) recently issued recommendations on school openings focusing on the risks to children without adequately discussing school-based adults' health risks. Many proponents for school openings have blamed teachers for putting their well-being above children and families' needs.

Second is a top priority policy that focuses on just and safe school reopening as officials have argued that reopening schools is a priority. Still, they have declined to provide the resources or make the hard decisions that this would entail. Safely reopening schools calls for steps both within and outside schools.

The third is working parents should not shoulder the childcare crisis arising from these decisions taken by our government while their income-generating activities suffer. When schools can't open safely, no working parent with a young child should be forced back to work. Instead, we should insist that all active parents, whether or not they should return to physical jobs, be assured of retaining their employment.

There may be some other discussion points, but officials, parents, and teachers must start working together rather than against each other.

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