Going back to school

Parents are (rightfully) concerned about how to care for school-age children while they try to go back to work. Some seem to be more willing to allow teachers and school staff to risk the virus than to explore what might be a simple solution.

Proponents of returning to school are correct when they suggest that the kids aren’t taking a big risk. CDC data indicates that the percentage of patients hospitalized with the virus between 5 and 19 years old, is only a tenth of a percentile. The problem is school staff. If parents in a neighborhood would talk to each other instead of demanding that schools babysit their kids, there might be simple solution. Neighborhood school pods. One stay-at-home parent (with children of their own) accepts school-age kids from two or maybe three families… six or seven kids max,

They would go to the neighbors home for the school day. The rest of the parents kick in a fee for child care and head off for work. Kids could be in one room without masks. Risk is mostly managed, or at least mitigated. On-line school continues and there is at least a little social interaction. The school might even provide lunches for the pods (delivery? pickup?) . Not a perfect solution, maybe better than forcing a single parent to choose between child care and work. Probably better than a school full of virus-unmanageable children spreading it to staff and the entire community. ?? Just an idea.

Hal Blegen

Spangle