I kept my kids at home for the entire last school year. The schools in our area were open, but with no vaccinations for any of us or the teachers, and with the pandemic still going strong, I just didn’t feel safe sending my children into crowded classrooms. It wasn’t an easy decision, and my younger son struggled immensely with virtual learning (we eventually switched to homeschooling, which was much better), but ultimately, it was the right choice for our family. I have no regrets.
My decision to keep my kids home was partly influenced by my lack of trust in schools to keep my kids safe from COVID. While I understood that masks were generally effective, I doubted whether young children could consistently keep them on. I was also skeptical about the enforcement of other safety measures like social distancing and ventilation, and whether they would be sufficient to prevent the virus’s spread.
However, I was (mostly) pleasantly surprised to discover that our school district’s safety measures worked quite well. Most of the COVID cases among kids last year were contracted outside of school, and there was minimal spread within the classroom. The protocols put in place seemed effective, and research from the CDC confirmed that schools could be a low-risk environment for COVID.
Now, I realize that “low risk” doesn’t mean “no risk,” which is why I was initially hesitant to send my kids back last year. By the end of the school year, though, my perspective began to shift. My husband and I became fully vaccinated, which gave me some peace of mind knowing that we could likely handle a COVID infection if our unvaccinated child brought it home. Additionally, many teachers at my kids’ school were also vaccinated, which was a major factor in my previous apprehension. By mid-June, even my teenage son was fully vaccinated.
This left only my youngest son without a vaccine. By the end of June, a significant portion of adults in our community had been vaccinated, and our COVID numbers were quite low. Given that masking and ventilation had proven effective last year, I began to feel that sending my youngest back to school would be a low-risk situation I could accept. That is, until the Delta variant emerged.
Can I just say how much I dislike Delta? To put it bluntly, that variant has caused me a lot of anxiety. Delta spreads 2-3 times faster than previous strains and seems to be infecting vaccinated individuals more frequently. It has also led to a massive surge in COVID cases across America, causing our county’s COVID positivity rates to quadruple in just a month.
Now I find myself questioning whether it’s safe to send my unvaccinated child to school, even with a mask on. Honestly, Delta has made me extremely uneasy.
Fortunately, I’m among the lucky ones in that I don’t live in a state that has banned mask mandates in schools. While our state has yet to announce its COVID guidelines, they typically align with CDC recommendations, which advise unvaccinated kids to wear masks. I’m hopeful that my state will take further action and require that everyone wears masks, regardless of vaccination status. With Delta spreading among both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, it seems like the sensible approach. Plus, without proof of vaccination, how can we be sure the unmasked students are really vaccinated?
Even if the safety measures from last year are retained, I’m left wondering whether they’ll be effective against Delta. What about those kids whose parents are now even more opposed to masks than before? Will they encourage their children to go without masks in protest? Last year, it seemed most parents agreed on the importance of masks in schools, but this year, the mask debate has turned political, and I can foresee schools facing significant backlash regardless of their decisions. This uncertainty is making me uneasy about sending my kids back to school.
As of now, I am still committed to sending my kids to school. My vaccinated teenager is definitely returning (with a mask, no matter the rules!). My youngest, who struggled the most with isolation, is also on my mind. After 18 months, we are weighing his mental health against the risks of COVID. I absolutely want to keep him safe, but if school can maintain a “low risk” status—even if it’s not “zero” risk—I’m willing to consider it. The real question is whether Delta will escalate the risk. Are masks still effective against this variant? What if positivity rates spike before school resumes?
These are the thoughts I’ll keep pondering as the school year approaches. For now, I’ll be anxiously waiting for my school district to unveil its plans, obsessing over every new Delta study, and hoping for the best.
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In summary, while I am determined to send my kids back to school, the emergence of the Delta variant has raised significant concerns about safety. Vaccination status among adults and teachers, along with mask mandates, are crucial factors in my decision-making process. As the school year approaches, I will be monitoring the situation closely.
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