Harmful for kids

As a mother to three Virginia Beach students and a licensed professional counselor, I am growing increasingly concerned over the psychological, social and academic ramifications of keeping schools shuttered. Colleagues and I have witnessed an uptick in depression, anxiety, drug use and suicidal ideation that appear directly correlated with not allowing kids to return to in-person learning. Children and families will continue to unnecessarily suffer, including irreparable harm to some, unless our school leaders do the right thing and open schools immediately. My oldest who attends private school does so because his public middle school, at barely 50% capacity, said it was too full to add him. He enjoys going to school, while my others are back to being chained to their Chromebooks.

I applaud Chesapeake Public Schools and other Virginia schools for their bold leadership, remaining open and allowing science and expert opinions to dictate their decisions instead of fear. They are ahead of the curve, while Virginia Beach City Public Schools is failing our kids and leaving them behind. VBCPS was successfully keeping kids and teachers safe in schools, acknowledging schools were not superspreaders, yet they still closed due to being single-mindedly transfixed by community versus school health metrics. I empathize and respect those who are medically vulnerable and opt for virtual learning, but per survey results, the majority of us believe it is best for our kids to be in school and we’d like our choice to be honored as well.

Leslie Logan-Sadler, Virginia Beach