I am writing this to you as a deeply concerned mother of a Bristol Township Student. My 8 yr old son attends Millcreek Elementary School as a 2nd-grade student participating in the hybrid learning program. He follows in-person learning the two days a week currently offered.
This time last year, in March 2020, I received a message from my children's school district announcing all campuses' immediate closure. The closure would last two weeks, it said. We had no herd immunity against this novel virus. This extraordinary measure was to mitigate the spread of something we knew little about. Additionally, we had little to no data to provide us with a solution. It was a scary time, but this was the best option, and I support our Board in making this difficult decision.
My son got off the bus that day in tears, absolutely distraught by the closure. We comforted him by suggesting this was only temporary. We would get through this. As our community shut down, my husband and I told our son not to be upset that this would be fun! Recently unemployed myself, I welcomed the extra family time. We slept in, relaxed our screen-time rules, played endless board games, and took on fun new projects like so many others. Despite the shock and inconvenience of it all, I thoroughly understood we would all have to rise to this challenge together as a community.
I talked to my son endlessly about the importance of being a helpful member of the community. Teaching him to stay away from crowds, wear a mask, and always wash those hands. We would do our best and enjoy our time together. I reveled in the unexpected silver linings. Observing the educational interactions between students and teachers was something we had never had the pleasure of experiencing. Teachers, students, and parents all bonded over this new and unknown territory we had been thrust into! However, very quickly, we realized this might take a bit longer than initially thought. So we downloaded Chromebook guides and learned how to use helpful shortcuts. We practiced our video chats with family and friends while spending our days biking, hiking, exploring, and always planning to return to school.
That was a year ago.
My 2nd grader now breaks down in tears several times a week. Mystery ailments such as stomach aches, headaches, and any slight discomfort, now suddenly coincide with video-meets and new lessons. Not being in class with his peers, it is hard for him to understand that everyone else is learning this for the first time. His perception from his camera's solo side is that he is the only one who struggles to understand the new subject matter. My school-loving child is now trying everything he can to avoid school. My funny, caring, creative, smart, and helpful child is now throwing tantrums that are so far out of character, I have wondered if he was pulling my leg.
He is not. He is in crisis.
In the quiet darkness of a recent late-night weekend movie marathon, he curled up in my lap for the first time in a few years, looking very much like the small child he once was. Holding back the tears in his eyes, he told me he felt "empty" inside.
I wonder how many parents could hear that and not feel anger and helplessness rise at the extreme level of loss my child is expressing. A loss that is not necessary due to decisions that no longer make sense. With my son's declaration fresh in my mind, my husband and I no longer talk about this being "fun." We are barely holding it together. We are worried, and we are furious.
I can no longer allow this debate to continue as I witness the devastatingly negative effect this delay has on my son's education and mental health status. It is past time to offer more and allow those who are being negatively affected the opportunity to return to a more structured learning environment. My child is entering the one-year mark of learning remotely and continues to experience precariously slow progress, and has regressed in areas such as handwriting, reading, and spelling. The side-effects of his lost education are noticeable, they are dangerous, and they are heartbreaking.
Previous teachers describe him as a boy who shows above-average leadership characteristics for his age. In one year, I have watched my son go from being a leader, an enthusiastic learner, and a two-time Pawsome Student of the month to a boy with little engagement, enthusiasm, or excitement. Instead, he exhibits low self-esteem, nervousness, anxiety, and a marked lack of confidence in learning and school activities.
My child previously had an insatiable interest in socializing, meeting new people, trying new things, leading and organizing group activities, and play. Characteristics now replaced with lethargy and a preference for isolation and solo activities, in total opposition to his naturally outgoing personality. He is nervous about falling behind, as he frequently does when working from home. Quickly discouraged, he spends the rest of the day attempting to catch up, only to grow more frustrated as the day wears on.
He begs me to turn off his camera, so his teachers and classmates won't see him cry.
Despite only missing four days this year, he struggles with most of his school subjects.
The only days he is engaged and enthusiastic are the days he can attend in-person. When he returns home, I watch him jump off the bus with a face-splitting grin, happily chatting about his day, face flushed with joy and confidence. It is so clear how we can help him.
It is impossible that any educator could witness this and NOT believe this student needs to be in his school.
My 8-year-old has done as requested, time and time again. He is leaning into the changes, following the rules, and trying his best. Despite his efforts, in return, he is left with broken confidence, lowered engagement, a discouraging level of anxiety, fear of failure, loss of trust in his school, and the word "stressed" as part of his vocabulary. That is NOT acceptable.
Our children deserve to have the chance to form critical in-person relationships with teachers and classmates that help set the foundation for success. They deserve a safe, stimulating space to grow their independence, opportunities for socialization and play-based learning, and access to school-based mental, physical, social, and educational services.
Every day, we see more children hospitalized with acute mental health crises such as suicidal thoughts, self-harm, and other severe disorders stemming from depression, anxiety, and social isolation. There is no supporting data to validate the need for our kids to make these sacrifices. They have done their part. Now, it is time to do ours and put these kids and their health first.
Since November, Neshaminy School District offers all K-4 students the option of in-school education four days a week, with no significant spike in the community spread attributed to this. Their decision to prioritize the youngest and most at risk of suffering the effects of the "Covid-Slide" has bolstered student and parent engagement and lowered absenteeism rates. Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker has consistently maintained that in-person education is safe when schools adhere to the health and safety plans. Both public and private schools in neighboring districts have recognized the emergent need for structured and consistent education, particularly for the youngest students at the elementary level.
While our District continues to weigh the options, surrounding schools are open for more days of in-person instruction and achieving success! A year after calling for temporary closure, Bristol Township still does not offer in-person school more than two days per week. They continue to face struggles with student and parent engagement, with absenteeism reportedly at a historically high level.
I understand our school board and administration's struggle when making decisions that affect our township students and faculty. The decision to have all students return to full-time in-school education is a complex subject. Unquestionably, weighed profoundly by all Board members who are preparing to vote on this issue. On March 15th, the Board should provide Bristol Township Students the same opportunities as those in surrounding districts. Vote for our kids to have the choice to return to their schools full-time.
With safety measures observed, the risk to anyone of contracting COVID-19 in a school setting – child or adult – has not been proven to present a measurable increase in community spread. Attempts to avoid risk should not outweigh the harm done to our students. Studies and data continue to illustrate the low risk of community spread within schools when operating with a well-structured safety plan. After two marking periods of optional in-person learning, there have been no proven community spread cases due to the in-person schools, nor have there been any recorded super spreader events contributed to opening up to more students. The instances of positive infection are being tracked and traced, and well managed. Not a single positive case has contributed to further infection, thanks to compliance to the health and safety plans in place. In turn, our children and staff have remained protected from disease even when positive cases have been within the school during operation.
In-School education is more than merely being in class. It is about access and socializing and the importance of structure-based learning in a setting conducive to educating. Despite the special touches we put into our home learning space, no area at home will afford this same surrounding, and it shouldn't! These children need to have the division of home and school; it creates thriving learners and socializers.
I believe in the power of public education. But at this moment, seeing the impact on my child, nearly a year into inconsistent hybrid formatting, I have lost a vast amount of my faith. Remote learning is the broken promise of public education.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that compared with 2019, the proportion of mental health-related emergency department visits for children aged 5-11 and 12-17 increased approximately 24% and 31%, respectively. Studies also show the shutdowns are linked to increased risk of obesity among children and adolescents and higher rates of depression and anxiety during and after isolation ends. There is even emerging information pointing to lower life expectancy for these children. The data is real, and an entire generation is hurting. Extensive research and data from across the globe show schools can be reopened safely for both students and teachers. The safety plan in place at Millcreek is working as designed.
For some of our children, the bill of damages may be due, and who will be paying for that? It will not be the administrators or community leaders who already have their educations, careers, and personal and professional success. It's going to be my child and a generation of children who pay the price. And why? Are they the most vulnerable to the virus? Over the past year that our scientific community has studied this virus, we have discovered a lot about who is the most vulnerable, is not our children. Despite this, we took away the schools, the playgrounds, our children's social safety nets, in some cases, their principal food source, and quite possibly, their futures.
When preparing to cast your vote, please ask yourselves, is the benefit still outweighing the risk?
Allow our children the option to go back to school full time. There is just no viable reason to continue limiting in-school learning to such an extreme. Yes, our children are adaptable and flexible. They can bounce back impressively fast, but why are we continuing to ask them to adapt and bend at this point?
The Board appears to be more concerned about liability than anything. Liability concerns, while legitimate, should not be the primary concern. Being high-risk myself and always worried about the potential of infection, and I still understand how important a child's education is to the very foundation of their lives. I make the sacrifice and stay home and away from those outside of my household. Relinquishing my social interaction so my son can attend school is a no-brainer. Give parents the option to choose and believe we will make the best decision for each individual's needs.
These children need you all to be firm, stand up, and advocate for them with your vote. NOW. At this very moment. Please don't let these children down on March 15th. They need your assistance now more than ever. We must consider this just as critical of a need as when deciding to shutter schools last year.
If the Board still considers this is not achievable, then I think we all deserve the rationale behind the decision.
