The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Let’s think about going back to the schoolyard
Nobody is happy with the plans for school reopening. We are watching terrible news from across the country about how COVID-19 cases are on the rise at schools. And most of us are still concerned to send our kids back to school and put our lives, the lives of teachers and the whole community in danger. Our experience with virtual lessons, however, makes it discouraging to bring back remote learning. It revealed great divides in technology access and students’ achievement and engagement, particularly among English learners, students with disabilities and students from lowincome communities.
But if there is a silver lining to this pandemic, it is that it has strengthened our trust on science. Evidence-based plans have proven to offer the safest solutions against COVID-19. The early actions enforced in Connecticut, although seen as exaggerated at the time by part of the public, have successfully contained the spread of the virus, especially when compared to states that refused to take the virus seriously, delayed their stay-at-home orders and neglected mandatory use of masks in public spaces, which resulted in a more devastating situation. In a moment when feelings are running high about school reopening, I would like to invite you to look at the evidence here in Connecticut and listen to the specialists. In particular, not about the options offered to us, but consider a much-less-discussed alternative: outdoor education.
For months now, we have been feeling safe to go back to restaurants and bars with outdoor seating, to return to parks and beaches for recreation, and to gather in massive marches on the streets in support of Black Lives Matter or against school reopening. Nevertheless, we have not seen a spike on the number of cases. Two major components have contributed to our safety here, besides wearing masks and using hand sanitizer. First, we must not lose sight of the fact that Connecticut has been sustaining one of the lowest infection rates in the country for several weeks. This is a completely different situation from other states, most of which are the homes of the scary news flooding our social media. Secondly, the fresh air outside seems to be extremely effective in dispersing the viral droplets and preventing the virus from building up in concentrated amounts.
When asked about outdoor education in a recent call, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, emphasized that we should get as much outdoor as we possibly can. “If you look at the super spreader events that have occurred … they are almost always indoors,” remembered Fauci. So why are we not talking about reopening schools in an outdoor setting? Do we think things would be different with kids?
Outdoor summer camps across Connecticut can offer a perfect case to address these questions. They had a very successful summer, some of them serving more than 400 kids this season. In a virtual call recently, we were all happily surprised to learn that, although kids were not requested to wear masks during the programs (and most of them have not), there was only one reported case of COVID-19 among participants.
After months of isolation, families recognized how much happier their kids were during and after the camps. Summer camp educators even noticed much less disruptive behavior during activities. Kids were just glad to be outside, exploring nature and interacting with each other. Helping overcome emotional and psychological stress is another great benefit of outdoor education at times like this. And it will be crucial to welcome back students from Black and brown communities that have been disproportionately traumatized by the pandemic, the conversations and reactions against police brutality, and the lack of support and engagement in online lessons in the spring.
The main argument against the plans to return to in-person classes is that our underfunded schools cannot realistically comply with safety protocols. I absolutely agree with it! More than that: indoor classes can even jeopardize all the hard work we have put together to reach our current low levels of infection rate. We must look beyond the remote learning alternative that was presented to us because we have tried it, and it was far from optimal. Instead of readily dismissing outdoor classrooms as a nonviable option, I invite you to learn more from amazing examples from all around the world. Let’s open our minds and consider what this healthier, safer, more engaging, more inclusive alternative plan can offer to our community.
Instead of dismissing outdoor classrooms, I invite you to learn more from examples from all around the world.