August and September are when students across America prepare to go back to school. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 back to school time has looked different this year. Many schools have attempted one of two options: going online or a hybrid method that allows students to come back to school.
My college chose to go online for the fall semester. While the original plan was to implement a hybrid model for some classes, the college made a last-minute decision to suspend any kind of in-person learning until further notice.
However, my siblings and friends are under different conditions, like doing a hybrid method, and their schools’ decisions could affect the process of flattening the curve across the state.
Since March, many were wondering what the plans were for going back to school in the fall. A lot of people were wanting schools to open. They reasoned that students need socialization and a proper learning environment. Not only that, but there are people who raised concerns about not having the right technology for students.
Then there are people who believe going online is safer. Schools are a place where illnesses spread easily. COVID-19’s symptoms can range from minor to severe, and students should not risk contracting it. There is a way to have online school, and there are solutions that can make online school possible.
A hybrid method offers a form of online school, but students are allowed in the classroom with regulations. College campuses have been trying the hybrid method, but results are varying. Since implementing the hybrid model, students have been moving into their college dorms and meeting back in the classroom. This has caused an uprise in cases at universities. However, it’s not a matter of whether the classrooms are being cleaned efficiently, but a matter of students coming in, not knowing where they have been beforehand.
A prime example would be Penn State University. Recently a video circulated of freshman holding large gatherings on campus. Not only did the video cause a massive stir, but students who attended these gatherings tested positive for COVID. Penn State has not mentioned a shutdown yet, but considering the disregard for campus safety, a shutdown is inevitable.
Kutztown University also has students disrespecting guidelines. My friend is a student there and has told me about events that might shutdown the college. For instance, an incident occurred where an on-campus student contracted COVID after violating bringing an outsider into the dorms. She said that the outsider did not mention that they had COVID, but still went to the dorm anyway. This did not make any news headline unfortunately, but findings like these have been going around campus word of mouth for a while now.
These problems could’ve been avoided if the colleges just chose to go online. It’s been made clear that there are students who don’t respect campus safety. Not only would going online solve the problem of social distancing rules but decrease the amount of positive COVID cases rising due to schools reopening.
Of course, going online is not as simple as it may seem. Many students don’t have the same privileges as others when it comes to certain devices that they’ll need for going online. However, there are accommodations schools can make to help students without proper technology.
I have siblings who are going online for the first month of school. They don’t have their own computers for school, so this presented a problem. Luckily, their school announced that they would be providing them with laptops for the meantime while they figure if they will bring students back.
Another obstacle to moving schools online is students not getting the same nutrition at home that they get in school. People think that if the schools close then obviously the cafeterias do too, but that doesn’t have to be the case. A school in Philadelphia had their cafeterias remain open for children who couldn’t make a balanced meal for themselves. Just because kids aren’t physically in school doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to provide students with proper accommodations to make them feel less anxious about going online.
Yes, students staying home will not eradicate coronavirus, but it will decrease the chances of more outbreaks. Research has shown that COVID is now affecting people in younger age groups. Now with another influx of cases, every necessary precaution should be taken to prevent another wave.
In a recent announcement, Chestnut Hill College will welcome back their students for on campus classes. In an email from Sister Carol, “We will apply our own low-density, hybrid model with a combination of online, hybrid, and face-to–face classes”. This combination was presented to students for the fall semester, which was then changed to all online.
There is no telling what the future of the virus will hold by the time of January. Considering that the country might enter its second wave, the college should be very cautious about what a hybrid-model could bring them. They are expecting students to come back to campus and also live in the dormitories. Should they go through with this current decision, they should also be mindful of the rise in cases and how going back to a campus as small as ours could affect the students and faculty.
Schools are places that hold large gatherings, and within the first two months of schools reopening cases have started to rise again. Schools are becoming main hotspots for COVID, with institutions closing every couple of days due to new cases.
Students could also have high-risk family members and spread it to them. I for one live with a high-risk family member and if my college stayed opened, I could’ve risked their health.
The United States still doesn’t have the coronavirus under control. No matter what institutions do, having students return puts everyone at risk.
