This pandemic has exposed many inequities in our society.  We learned that those at the bottom of the pay scale are also those essential workers who make our society function.  We learned that many American workers could not make it through one week without a paycheck.  We learned that our largest school districts are also our most vulnerable.  We learned that while those at the top talk and fill out paperwork, teachers took action and made sure students were connected, studies continued, and families had what they needed to make this crisis more manageable.  

Teachers didn't wait for officials to act.  They got on Google Meet and had class.  Teachers didn't wait around twiddling their thumbs while officials were thinking about how every student will get a device for remote learning.  They made phone calls, emailed students, and reached as many families as possible to assure them this would be okay.  Teachers taught whoever showed up at their meetings and tried to stay in contact (as best as possible) with those who did not show up and tried to determine what everyone needed for everyone to show up.  In our district, it was six weeks before they started giving out laptops.  During that six weeks, teachers were meeting with students not waiting for paperwork to be completed.

We made it to June and had virtual graduations and virtual move up ceremonies and virtual yearbooks.  Who knows how we did this, but it was adorable watching my daughter on her Zoom Classroom with her three-year-olds.  

And then it was August and time to get ready to return to school.  But we didn't flatten the curve -- we opened the bars, we had graduation and birthday parties, we went to crowded restaurants and crowded beaches and had protests and had rallies.  And some wore masks and some rejected the masks.  And some practiced social distancing and others crowded together in bars and on beaches.  And the cases continued to climb and winter was coming.  And many schools didn't open.  And some schools did open and then had outbreaks and had to close.  And some schools opened and did fine.  And once again the saying "We are all in the same storm, but not in the same boat" was brought to light.

And now it's been almost a year and what have we done to ensure our schools open?  We argued about opening schools a lot, but what have we actually done? What have parents done do ensure their children can return to school?  What have districts done to ensure our safety when even before a pandemic we worked in toxic buildings?  What has our government done to assist schools with this daunting task?

After almost a year of the back-and-forth of opening and closing schools, we finally have CDC guidelines for opening schools.

1. Universal masking

2. Social distancing

3. Washing Hands

4. Cleaning frequently

5. Contact tracing

The CDC director also said that opening schools depends on community spread, hybrid models should be used for K-5 so we can get younger students back to in-person learning, MS and HS can stay remote for now, and that students, teachers, and families at high risk should be offered virtual options.

I do have some questions about these guidelines, but at least we have something more concrete on which to base our plan..