In the opening month of the school year, over 18,000 students in Mississippi tested positive for COVID-19, including a tragic case involving an eighth-grade student who succumbed to the virus. The surge of the delta variant has been impacting communities nationwide, and as schools reopened, the fallout was particularly severe in Mississippi. The state’s low vaccination rates and resistance to mask mandates allowed the virus to spread unchecked. As a result, teachers are urgently requesting support as they cope with the overwhelming number of cases.
Data from the state indicates that 18,825 students were confirmed positive for COVID-19 within the first month of school, while tens of thousands more faced interruptions to their education due to quarantines linked to cases in their classrooms. Just last week, over 15,000 students were in quarantine statewide. Despite this alarming situation, Mississippi continues to reject safety measures such as mask mandates. During a press conference, Governor Tate Reeves claimed that COVID-19 merely causes “sniffles” in children under 18, and inaccurately suggested that only one or two children had died from the virus in the state. His own public health officials later clarified that seven children had died up to that point. Tragically, shortly after his remarks, an eighth-grader passed away from COVID-19.
Teachers are imploring Governor Reeves to implement a statewide mask mandate in schools, particularly as only 46% of Mississippi residents aged 12 and older are vaccinated. “There is no discussion around, at what point do we protect children over the economy,” remarked Sarah Wells, a public school teacher in Jackson. “It seems like a question he is successfully avoiding, and every level of it is concerning to me.” Michael Adams, a middle school Spanish teacher in Jackson, suggested that the lack of protective measures is motivated by political considerations. “He says he’s not playing to a political agenda, but in my opinion, he is,” Adams stated.
Emily Carter, a former Teacher of the Year in Mississippi, teaches in a school with a mask mandate, yet she fears her local school board may soon overturn it. She wishes Reeves would “take a second look at the science, look at the numbers, and see that Mississippi students need to be safe.”
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In summary, Mississippi educators are urgently seeking help as COVID-19 cases among students surge, prompting calls for stronger safety measures like mask mandates. The ongoing situation highlights a critical need for prioritizing children’s health in the face of political pressures.
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