Children, teachers need to return safely to classroom

I was deeply saddened to read that Pittsburgh has once more delayed getting public school students back into the classroom where they can most effectively learn (Jan. 28, “City Schools Remote Until Spring”). I especially take issue with the photograph that run to accompany the story on page A-3, which depicts a white child sitting at a desk with his technology and school materials organized in front of him.

I am quite sure this is not a realistic portrayal of the majority of Pittsburgh Public School students, many of whom do not have the space and resources depicted in this photo and in fact share tight living spaces with multiple siblings who are also trying to learn online, with younger siblings needing care and working parents struggling to provide for the family while trying to oversee at-home schooling. Not to mention the fact that the majority of PPS students are children of color.

As a tutor of homeless and at-risk children, I can tell you firsthand that the students I work with have not only lost significant learning since the pandemic began, but also are at increased risk of hunger, depression and abuse.

As a former teacher, I realize that teachers often get blamed unfairly for problems in schools, but in this case, I believe teachers are neglecting their duty as essential workers and should not continue to resist returning to the classroom. There are countless schools that have figured out how to get children and teachers safely back into school classrooms.

Why can we not learn from those examples and stop the hemorrhaging of learning that is happening here? Why have teachers not been considered by the government to be “essential workers” from the beginning of the pandemic? Why is the education of our children not just as important as access to grocery stores or public transportation. What could be more essential than protecting the physical, emotional and academic welfare of our children?

AMY STABINGAS Point Breeze