Student Protests: Youth Across the Country Call For COVID Protections in Schools

A growing number of students across the country are staging protests by launching petitions, walk-outs, and raising concerns that school officials are not doing enough to protect them from surging COVID-19 cases.

On Tuesday, hundreds of teenage students from the city's public high school walked out of class to call for a remote learning option. Students say that they want the school to be in-person, but with the surge of COVID-19 cases, they are concerned about getting sick at school.

In Oakland, California, students call for district officials to increase COVID-19 safety measures. Otherwise, students are threatening to walk out next week.

In Chicago, a group of students walked out of their classes Friday from various Chicago Public schools and rallied in front of the district's headquarters. The students demanded that mitigation measures be implemented immediately during the pandemic. The protesters also called for better treatment of minority communities.

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The Chicago Public School's Radical Youth Alliance also protested after a week-long dispute between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the teacher's union. Mayor Lightfoot pressed for the schools to open, while Chicago Teachers Union called for more masks, testing, and temporary remote learning to curb the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 virus.

In Boston, an online petition initiated by a high school student garnered more than 8,300 signatures. The petition called the attention of Gov. Charlie Baker to allow remote learning again.

Calls for remote learning, more masks, and testing

According to Haven Coleman, 15, and a 10th grader at Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver, Colorado, 30 to 40 percent of students are missing, and at least ten teachers are sick.

In a Change.org petition, Boston Latin School student William Hu expressed that in-person learning is not safe. "In packed conditions such as the hallway, lunchrooms, and auditoriums, and given the alarming infection rate of the new Omicron variant, schools have become a literal COVID-19 breeding ground," the petition stated.

The students call the district to return to remote learning until COVID-19 cases decrease. Coleman added that if it is not possible to go back online, KN95/N95 masks should be provided to all students on all campuses. She also called for PCR and rapid testing for students in person two times a week.

Proper classroom ventilation and more access to outdoor spaces for safe lunches are also among students' demands. The school authorities should also implement more social distancing measures in the hallways and stairs of the school. Coleman's petition received around 300 signatures in just ten hours.

Several schools across the nation echoed similar calls.

Students gaining positive response

Protesters are already beginning to get positive results. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said that he would meet with the students involved in the protests, and he is not considering a temporary remote option for classes. The statement contradicts his initial stance to keep kids in the classroom.

The students contradict the view pushed by mayors, governors, and President Joe Biden, which is to keep schools open so parents can work, and the economy can bounce back. 

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