Sen. Wise: Kentucky students need the opportunity to return to their classrooms.
Fears and anxieties surrounding the novel coronavirus’s health impacts have naturally been the center of state response. The virus is real and is dangerous. Throughout the year, lawmakers have requested a seat at the table to contribute your voice and concerns to the conversation. We called for targeted approaches to addressing COVID-19. Despite our best efforts, requests have not always been welcomed.
We have learned a lot about COVID-19, including how it spreads and what can be done to limit it. Just recently, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced the 14-day quarantine period to 7 to 10 days in some cases. In August, I published an op-ed on the issue of schools reopening. The purpose was to encourage the governor to allow districts, staff, and families to make their own decisions on how and when they could safely return to school.
Last August, I received countless constituent correspondences expressing frustrations associated with virtual learning. I am receiving similar communications now. Students have once again been removed from the classroom by statewide mandates. Parents are similarly unable to work without childcare. The saddest part is the ongoing harm being done to our children. As chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Education, I am disheartened and confused by the rationale behind this decision.
In August, I referenced the CDC’s and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) long-held position that it is in the best interest of kids to return them to school safely. Recently, Dr. Anthony Fauci restated this by saying on ABC News, “The default position should be to try as best as possible within reason to keep the children in school.”
Education professionals worked so hard to accomplish that earlier this year. Classrooms and school bus schedules were modified to meet social distancing requirements, PPE was purchased for staff and students, hand sanitizer stations were placed throughout the school, masks were required, and, finally, families were given the option to learn virtually if that was their preference. In-person learning was the choice of most families.
Dr. Fauci went on to say in his interview, “Close the bars and keep the schools open,” to cut down on the spread of COVID-19. That statement gets to the root of the issue with new mandates. We now know that in-person learning is not a super spreader of COVID-19 and that the costs of keeping kids out of school are higher than the risks of in-person education. In a November 5 publication by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the emerging body of evidence showing that young children do not easily spread the coronavirus is discussed. One study from Brown University analyzed school infection data. The infection rate among students was 0.13% and 0.24% among staff.
Given the growing evidence and recommendations of experts, students should have the opportunity to return to in-person learning. I am hopeful that the governor is reviewing the studies and listening to the medical and pediatric professionals encouraging it. At the very least, I believe it is essential that the mandate be lifted and school districts are given the option of allowing K-8 students to get back into their classrooms’ haven.
Valid concerns were raised about an inadequate number of substitute teachers to fill classrooms. I joined fellow senators recently to issue a letter to the Education Professional Standards Board encouraging them to implement policies that authorize applying substitute teaching experience toward fulfilling teacher certification educational requirements, at least during the 2020-21 academic year. This initiative would provide much-needed stability within classrooms as we continue to work together and navigate the pandemic without sacrificing the quality of education students receive. It would also incentivize student teachers to fill substitute teaching gaps while gaining valuable experience in their career field.
These issues are sure to be a big topic of discussion in the upcoming legislative session. I assure you, legislators hear your voice loud and clear and promise that neither you nor any Kentucky student is forgotten. Their emotional, social, and psychological well-being is too monumental to ignore.
Sen. Max Wise (R-Campbellsville) represents the 16th District which encompasses Adair, Clinton, Cumberland, McCreary, Russell, Taylor, and Wayne Counties. He can be reached on the toll-free line at 1-800-372-7181 or at Max.Wise@LRC.ky.gov.