From a Teacher in Durham, North Carolina, on the Forced Reopening of Schools

In response to NC legislation mandating a return to in-person school throughout the state (within 15 days of the legislation's passing!), the Durham Public Schools Board of Education has called an Emergency Meeting for this Thursday Feb. 18th from 5-6:30pm that includes a presentation on in-person learning options.

In response to the resulting discussion on Durham's EK Powe Elementary School PTA listserve today, a DPS first-grade teacher and mother of three, Gina-Marie D'Meza, sent the email below. Though they may acknowledge the severe hardships of others, so many Durham and NC families can really only *see* their own. Gina-Marie's email makes clear the very real concerns here.

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Email from Gina-Marie, DPS first-grade teacher and mother of 3:

As a parent of 3 and teacher at Powe, I may be able to shed some light into why the teachers and DAE are feeling like reopening is not safe. I completely understand how difficult the challenge of virtual learning has been. I have two girls at Powe as well as a 4-year-old and a husband who is a first responder. Difficult is really an understatement, yet at the same time we feel it is the safest option that we have.  

There are several factors that teachers are discussing as this moves forward. I am sharing my personal experience and that of the teachers I am in contact with. There may be teachers and staff who feel differently that I have not heard from…

One of the biggest concerns is how and why DPS has decided that it was safe to open under Plan A. This would mean that social distancing is not required. Just the very thought of that is scary. Social distancing of 6 feet is required everywhere in this country, and now we are saying we can not guarantee that in our classrooms. I know they are hoping that we can social distance based on numbers, but hoping is not good enough; it should be a requirement.  

If we were to decide on social distancing, many classrooms don’t have the furniture to accommodate this spacing, as many classrooms are equipped with only 4 or five tables. Will this be provided? 

Vaccines: Although teachers have been moved up in priority, the waiting lists around our state without teachers are into late April; adding teachers, I am sure, will push this back. If the bill is signed, schools only have 15 days to open which will not be enough time to have teachers vaccinated. 

School nurses: Did you know that DPS only has 3 full-time nurses? All of the other nurses worked for the county and have been pulled back to support the county.  

Protocols: What are the protocols when a teacher needs to be out and we can’t get a substitute? What happens when someone in a class tests positive? We have so many questions and so little answers.  

Forcing us back in person also means that there is a possibility that all class rosters are going to be shuffled. That means new classes of students with new teachers. All of the community that we built and schedules we created will be gone. Staff and students will have to start this process over with only 1.5 quarters left in the year.  

I am sorry if this seems rambling, I am trying to type this in the middle of our crazy morning routine. I just wanted to share some of the thoughts behind our teachers' feelings.  

Can schools open safely? Absolutely! All of my nieces and nephews in NY are back to school safely in fully funded schools. Each student has a desk 6 feet from their peers, they have protective materials, enough bussing to space students, there is a nurse at every school as well as the recommended number of counselors to support students and staff. It is not that teachers don’t want to be back in person. Trust me, in person teaching is much easier than teaching virtually. We just want it to be a safe place for us and our children to be. If nothing else, this pandemic sheds a light on how underfunded NC public schools are. 

Thank you for listening, 

Gina-Marie D’Meza 

(mom and Powe teacher)

My additional thoughts on the matter (sent to the School Board as well as the PTA listserve):

I think it is unfair to our teachers (and their students, for that matter) to force schools to reopen with only 2-3 mos remaining in the school year. For 2/3 of the school year, these teachers have had to learn how to teach virtually and train their students to learn likewise. Now we want to bring those same students back into the classroom after nearly a year of not being physically in school with their classmates. DPS has behavior/discipline issues in the best of times, and these will only be exacerbated in the present situation. Are our teachers going to get the support they need to maintain order and the necessary rule-following for the safety of everyone involved? DPS was short on in-classroom support (teaching assistants, etc.) before the pandemic. Are they any better prepared now?  It is unfair and quite possibly impossible to expect our teachers to simultaneously teach, police, and nurture their students, many of whom are going to return to school traumatized. I absolutely want the most vulnerable students to get the in-person instruction they need; but I feel that, at least for elementary and middle schools, unless DPS is going to provide every teacher an assistant who is well trained in the safety protocol as well as working with young people, bringing back all students in one fell swoop is a recipe for disaster.

As for Constructive suggestions:

Re the 6-feet-apart issue, seems to me DPS could use city and county community centers and public meeting places like churches to enable students to be 6 feet apart, and those entities could allow these spaces to be used free of charge, per their community/public purpose. There are so many remedies that could be implemented at little to no cost, if 1) DPS would reach out to the community in on-the-ground partnership and 2) DPS weren't so afraid of liability in legal terms (which is totally ironic).

That said, following CDC safety guidelines - the least that should be applied - is going to cost significant financial and human resources; and the state needs to pony up or get the federal government to do so.