Citing safety, students walk out
COVID risk cited as plea made to go back to remote
Numerous Boston Public Schools students walked out of class Friday to protest what they called unsafe conditions due to COVID.
The peaceful protest was followed by a webinar, watched by 363 people and moderated by a handful of students, most of whom provided only their first names.
Their 16 demands included personal protective equipment for teachers, proper COVID testing for both teachers and students, and two weeks of remote learning, during which anyone who may have been exposed to the virus could quarantine themselves.
“Students should not have to risk their lives for their education,” said Tiffany, one of the moderators. “Teachers should not have to risk their lives for their jobs.”
In a statement Friday, the school district said: “Boston Public Schools believes deeply in students advocating for what they believe in. We further believe it is critically important that we encourage and support them in expressing their concerns, beliefs and positions to their leaders. We will continue to listen to our students and families as we navigate this latest surge and the impacts it has on our ability to remain in person and deliver a quality education.”
But Stacy Tran, who has diabetes, one of the conditions that put her at greater risk of contracting COVID and dying from it, called on the state to shutter schools until it is safe to return.
“Who else are we going to sacrifice to try to create a return to normalcy?” Tran said. “When I die, who’s going to be next?”
“The choice comes down to your moral ground,” Josie said. “I call for the superintendent to push for us. I call for the mayor to push for us. Does someone have to die from COVID for us to be shut down?”
Suleika Soto, a mother of two BPS students and a member of Families for COVID Safety, said the district needs the two-week pause students are demanding.
“We’re broken by our decisions whether or not to send our kids to school,” Soto said. “We’re sending our kids into COVID-filled schools.”
The students also encouraged their peers to eat their lunches in their assigned classrooms rather than crowded cafeterias to ensure proper contract tracing and to reduce the virus’s spread.
And they called on state officials to allow remote learning time to count. However, Gov. Charlie Baker and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley have said that under state law, students are required to have 180 days of in-school learning.
“We’re living in a time of fear, suffering and death,” said Jonathan, a school nurse. “This particular surge was predicted six months ago, and the district waited for DESE guidance … Now we see where that’s taken us.”