After a year of vigilantly wearing masks, implementing and practicing social distancing, and making sacrifices to ensure safety, the Watauga County School Board of Education came to the difficult decision that starting on April 12th students will be attending school 4 days a week instead of just 2. The Watauga and Pioneer cohorts will soon become a thing of the past and the unity of the student body will gradually begin to reform.
Although having some amount of normalcy restored in the school system is something worth the excitement, there are many differing opinions when regarding this decision.
“I'm excited to have students returning 4 days per week after spring break. I think every opportunity for students to receive face-to-face instruction from one of our teachers is something students should look forward to,” says Principal, Dr. Chris Blanton.
A petition has recently circulated around Watauga County opposing the Board of Education's decision. The petition acquired over 300 signatures in one single day and it is only continuing to grow. Many of the signatures have been from the student body.
“The Watauga Board of Education made the wrong decision. They are being too hasty,” says Junior Bella Willanell.
Members of Watauga County share a fear that going back at this time will be too soon and that not enough progress has been made since the school closure on March 13th, 2019.
“It’s incredibly sad that our voices are being ignored. I’m worried for our students who aren’t eligible for the vaccine, for social distancing being thrown out the window, and for the mental health of our students who have to change up their schedules yet again,” Willanell adds.
Many students have taken up jobs during the 2x3 day schedule, working primarily on their asynchronous school days. With the alteration of the schedule beginning on April 12th, students have become concerned about how this change will affect their jobs, and whether or not they will be able to hold up the responsibilities of their jobs following the scheduling adjustment.
Some members of the community fear that by attending school 4 days a week with reduced restrictions, they will be putting their more susceptible friends and family members at risk of getting COVID-19. While the vaccine has become more attainable, many people have yet to receive it and are still at risk of COVID-19.
However, by attending school 4 days a week in comparison to the 2x3 day schedule, the Watauga Board of Education feels that this is the s
afest way to provide some level of normalcy within the school system while still maintaining some safety precautions for COVID-19.
While there are a variety of concerns and altercations with attending school more regularly, there are definitely some benefits and pros that have also been taken into consideration.
“Changes such as the declining rates of COVID transmission in the community, increased vaccine availability for educators and students, and new public health guidance all give us confidence that it is safe to move forward,” says Dr. Scott Elliot, Superintendent.
It is more than obvious that many students have struggled this year regarding school work and their learning experiences. Communication with teachers was challenging, thus making the process of having a balanced and proper student life nearly impossible. The lack of in-person connection and instruction made it increasingly difficult for some students to succeed and continue to grow.
Many typical high school experiences were stripped away from students, especially upperclassmen. Oftentimes students have found it far too difficult to obtain a proper education when being forced to combine their li
ves at home with their school lives.
“There are kids who don’t get to eat if we don’t have school and kids whose parents can’t afford to take off of work to watch their kids,” says Senior, Piper Lawrence.
“I think going back to school is good for kids that live in abusive households because it can help them get away from home for 7 hours,” Lawrence mentions.
From an educational standpoint, attending 4 days a week rather than 2 will almost certainly increase the level of student learning occurring along with making it immensely less stressful for students to keep up with their studies. Communication will vastly improve and many students will be more inclined to finish their school year strongly.
“My hope is that by moving to Plan A for school operations we will provide our students with a positive end to the school year,” says Dr. Elliott.
Written by: Abby Graham
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