To the Editor,
The publishers of the Swarthmorean promote magical thinking in their recent commentary regarding the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District reopening plan. As a high school teacher with over 20 years of experience and a master of public health degree, I am working through my second major pandemic. I previously worked in healthcare with drug-using pregnant women during the AIDS epidemic.
The publishers note that businesses are open, citing Target as a comparison to a classroom. An important point of clarification is the science of COVID-19 transmission: extended exposure. On a typical school day last year, I had over 160 students and 18 Head Start preschoolers for 45-minute classes. Extended exposure with a high volume of students creates a petri dish of transmission. I called the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and neither is offering group classes beyond family units. Additionally, mask compliance reminders in schools would be endless, with some students allowed to remain maskless because they are high risk. Clearly, high-risk students most need the masks they have doctor’s notes to avoid wearing.
The publishers also express frustration that casinos and bars are open. Despite the fact teachers have no control over the businesses, the editors advocate teachers assume the risks of unsafe community conditions, including death, regardless of the science. The data cited is also questionable, with the statement that 94% of positive cases are in people over age 19. The data actually indicates that 7.7% of cases are in people under 20 years of age. Invite one of these cases into a school with hundreds of students, and that number will predictably skyrocket. Personally, I’ve had multiple students test positive and one had no symptoms. She was tested because her co-workers were positive. Finally, there were over 300 positive cases in Delaware County in the week prior to the publishers’ comments.
Perhaps the path to opening the school is empowering the community to bring the rate down by wearing masks and social distancing. The district should choose a rate, such as percent positive or total case number over 14 days. When the goal is reached, sports resume. A second goal leads to safely reopening schools. While I’m not suggesting sports are more important than education, sports are conducted outside and provide data to move forward with indoor activities.
In the interim, having all schools on the same schedule, including lunch, would provide a small amount of relief for parents.
Julie Clapp
Swarthmore