COVID-19 Student Safety

When an entire middle school class of students had to go into quarantine recently, it should send a clear message to everyone that getting through the COVID-19 will not be as smooth as some would like to see or have the public to believe. Now that Louisiana is in Phase 3 of the pandemic that continues to take lives, some people are convinced that Phase 3 came too late and opening schools was no exception. There were concerns from parents not just from Louisiana, but all across the nation as fall began which usually signals the start of school, that how were their children going to be protected. Many students opted to take virtual classes while other parents had no choice but to send their children to school where they would be among other children. But as the public is beginning to see, it appears that all of the planning in the world could not guarantee that the school year would be COVID-19 free, as a surge is all but certain to happens as winter approaches. Sources tell the Dispatch that some schools are not complying with the measures that they said are in place, as evident by the virus infecting the students and teachers at the middle school. Sources also tell the Dispatch that they are teachers in schools throughout the parish that have contracted COVID-19 whether knowingly or unknowingly and have been present in classes with their students. There are concerns that not enough social distancing is being practiced in the schools which may contribute to some outbreaks of the virus in Ouachita Parish. Perhaps the major concern of parents and even those that work at some schools, is the perception that no enough is being done to keep the schools disinfected from the virus. The public was assured just before schools opened, that all classrooms/restrooms and other spaces would be kept clean and orderly. But keeping the virus in check has been equally difficult at the high school and collegiate level. That may be because all students returned to class, it is difficult to ascertain if they have the virus if they haven't been tested before returning to school. The same can be said for younger students. But the most cases seemed to come from teenagers and college age students who tend to do more socializing when school resumed. That can make it even more difficult for school administrators to maintain a level of safety for all students daily. Parents are urged to listen to their children to tell them if they "see something" that doesn't seem right if a classmate may not be feeling well and nothing is done. The same should go for the teacher, because as reports in the media indicate that teachers are contracting the virus also. Parents put their trust in their school boards every day when they send their children to school and they can only hope that the schools are doing what they say will do.