As schools reopen, many families are faced with the difficult choice of virtual or in-person learning. Every family must decide what they feel is best for their child and family situation and what environment they feel most comfortable with. As with most things, especially now, doing anything has some risk to it, and for any activity, the risks must be weighed against the benefits or the risks of not doing the activity. There are reasons that some children need to stay home, some need to be in school, and most are in the middle somewhere.

While there are many factors, they come down to several key questions:

  1. Is it safe for your family for your child to return to at-school learning? Are there high risk family members who will be exposed to your child? Is your child at higher risk? What are the risks to your child of not returning?
  2. Has the school put the necessary steps in place to have a safe school environment?
  3. What is the infection rate/spread in your community? Is it low enough and headed in the right direction? How can you tell?
  4. What is your family’s and child’s anxiety level and risk tolerance in regard to coronavirus and the things that have to be done at school (masks, distancing, no hugging, touching, etc.)? Will it make you or your child more anxious or even too anxious to function normally or learn? Every child is unique, and every family situation is different.

Is it safe enough for your family situation?

While COVID-19 is a minor illness in most children, some children are at higher risk of serious illness or death from this virus. Conditions which make children at higher risk are most serious chronic conditions, including heart disease, genetic and metabolic diseases, sickle cell disease, obesity, and diabetes.

There may also be high-risk siblings or adults at home who might be exposed if the child becomes infected; since many infected children do not have symptoms, you would not necessarily know your child is contagious.

There may also be risks to your child staying home for school, including anxiety, depression, decreased learning, and poor social functioning. Some children do not learn well virtually. Some children need the interaction with their friends or teachers, and are at risk of depression. Some families do not have resources for virtual learning or the ability to stay home with their child.

Has the school taken the necessary steps to create a safe school environment?

While schools cannot completely eliminate the risk of becoming infected, there are a number of steps they can take to reduce the risk for children as well as teachers and staff. For each step, there are multiple ways to approach it. We know by now many of the things that increase the risk of COVID-19. They include:

  • being inside
  • larger numbers of people together
  • mixing with greater number of people over time
  • singing, eating, yelling
  • being closer to another person without a mask on, especially if eating or singing
  • eating or touching face without clean hands

Therefore, steps a school can and should take include:

  • Being outside more
  • Getting more fresh air inside, better air circulation
  • Better air filtration and cleaning
  • Cleaning surfaces
  • Keeping children apart as much as possible
  • Wearing masks, especially if not 6 feet apart
  • Keeping the same of kids together as much as possible
  • Not eating together in larger groups
  • Better hand cleaning
  • Extra precautions with choir, band, theater, and sports
  • Fewer kids in school at same time (staggered schedules, hybrid plan, etc.)

The school also needs to take these steps with every part of the school day and every activity, including:

  • Busing/transportation
  • Arrival and departure procedures
  • Changing classes
  • Classroom structure/layout
  • Lunch and other meals
  • Bathroom
  • Recess
  • PE
  • School nurse station
  • Before and after school programs
  • Sports, arts, and activities

You should also look into your school’s plan for responding to sick children or staff and positive tests, and their plan for communicating with parents and the community. It should be efficient and transparent. That has been a problem in some areas.

What is the infection rate and spread in your community? What is the current trend?

If the infection rate is high in the community, particularly if it is worsening, then the spread will be worse in school. While this does pose a risk to the children, there are several issues that are probably a greater concern:

  1. School becomes almost impossible if there are too many children quarantined, sent home, schools open then close then open again, etc. Sports do as well. We have seen this already with colleges, schools, and sports teams. It is just too difficult with too many cases. Parents will have a hard time with work if their child’s situation is constantly changing.
  2. It probably poses a greater risk to the teachers and staff than the students. With a high community infection rate, the greater number of children with infection likely pose a risk to the adults at home and at school, though the data here are not definite.
  3. Having children return to in-person school during a high or rising community rate will just make it that much harder to get the numbers under control.

What is your family’s anxiety level and risk tolerance in regard to this issue?

Some children and some parents have anxiety about returning to school or other activities outside the house. Some have none at all because they believe the risk is actually low and our society has overreacted to the situation. Most people are somewhere in the middle. Your family’s belief about the risks and tolerance of that risk must be taken into account as well.

Some children also have anxiety or fear about wearing masks, or all the unusual things happening at school actually increases their fear and anxiety.

Is virtual or in-person learning right for your child and family right now? Only you can decide what is right for your family. It is a hard decision, and no one should criticize you for the choice you make for your family. Remember that the decision is not permanent. You can always change. We are here to help you if you have questions or need help thinking through the issues.

Remember the rules:

  1. There is risk to everything.
  2. Follow the science.
  3. The science is changing because this is new. This does not invalidate science; rather, it confirms that it works.
  4. There are many things we still don’t know.
  5. There is often more than one right answer or approach to applying the science.
  6. Most people are trying hard to do the right thing for themselves, the ones they love, and their community.
  7. Be kind.