I kept my children home for the entirety of last school year. Although schools in our area were open, the absence of vaccinations for us and the school staff, combined with the ongoing pandemic, made me uneasy about sending them back. It was a tough decision; my youngest struggled with virtual learning, but we ultimately switched to homeschooling, which turned out to be a better fit for us. Looking back, I don’t regret that choice.
My hesitation stemmed partly from a lack of trust in the schools’ ability to keep my kids safe from COVID. I understood that masks generally worked, but I doubted kids would keep them on. Additionally, I was skeptical about the enforcement of other safety measures like social distancing and proper ventilation.
To my surprise, the precautions implemented by our school district proved effective. Most COVID cases among students occurred outside of school, with minimal transmission in classrooms. This was reassuring, and the CDC’s research on school safety echoed these findings. With appropriate measures, schools could be a relatively low-risk environment for COVID.
However, “low risk” doesn’t mean “no risk,” which is why I remained hesitant to send my kids back last year. By the end of the school year, my perspective shifted a bit. My husband and I became fully vaccinated, which alleviated some of my fears about potential exposure. Moreover, most teachers had received their vaccinations, and my teenage son was vaccinated by mid-June.
This left only my youngest son unvaccinated. By the end of June, a significant portion of adults in our community had been vaccinated, and COVID numbers were low. Given this, along with the effective masking and ventilation from the previous year, I started to feel more comfortable about sending my youngest back to school. That was until the Delta variant emerged.
Can I just express my frustration with Delta? This variant spreads 2-3 times faster than earlier strains, seems to infect vaccinated individuals more frequently, and has led to a surge in COVID cases across the country, including a quadrupling of positivity rates in my county.
Now, I’m left questioning whether it’s safe to send my unvaccinated child back to school, no matter how much he’s masked.
On the positive side, I live in a state that hasn’t banned mask mandates in schools. Though our state hasn’t released its COVID guidelines yet, they typically align with CDC recommendations, which suggest that all unvaccinated children wear masks. I hope my state takes it a step further and mandates masks for everyone, regardless of vaccination status. It seems logical, especially with Delta spreading among both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. Without verification of vaccination status, how can we ensure that unmasked individuals in schools are truly vaccinated?
Nevertheless, even if my kids’ school district follows safety protocols similar to last year, I’m unsure if they’ll be effective against Delta. There’s also the concern about parents who may have become more opposed to masks than before. Will they encourage their children to remove masks at school in protest?
Last year, most parents seemed to agree that masking kids in school made sense. This year, mask policies have sparked political debates, and I can foresee districts facing significant pushback from parents regardless of what decision they make. This uncertainty makes me anxious about sending my kids back to school.
As of now, I’m still planning to send my children back to school. My vaccinated teenager will definitely return (and will wear a mask, no matter what). My youngest, who struggled during isolation, is also a priority for us. After 18 months, we’re weighing his mental health against the risks of COVID. I’m not keen for him to catch the virus, but if school can remain “low risk”—even if it’s not a “zero” risk—I’m willing to accept that. The real question is whether Delta will change that into a higher-risk situation. Will masks provide adequate protection? Can we be certain they work as effectively against Delta as they did against earlier strains? What if positivity rates rise significantly before school starts?
These are crucial considerations I’ll monitor as school approaches. In the meantime, I’ll be anxiously awaiting my school district’s plans while keeping a close eye on Delta-related articles and research, all the while feeling frustrated by this variant.
For more insights on similar topics, check out this related post for helpful information. If you’re looking for authoritative resources on home insemination, visit this excellent guide here.
Search Queries:
- home insemination kit
- self insemination methods
- fertility options for men
- COVID safety in schools
- mental health and education
In summary, as the new school year approaches, I’m grappling with the complexities of sending my children back during the Delta variant surge. While I remain committed to their return to school, the evolving situation raises significant concerns about safety and health. Balancing their emotional well-being against the risks of COVID is a challenging position for any parent.
Leave a Reply