By Isabella Montenegro
Opinion Editor
The rise in COVID-19 cases during the holiday season caused schools to consider shutting down for the beginning of the second semester. MBUSD’s choice to keep schools open is ineffective to students and faculty due to students missing instruction, teachers being unable to have crucial lecture time and the severe spread of the Omicron variant.
According to the NPR Organization, scientists state that Omicron is highly transmissible, even among fully vaccinated adults. Researchers have found that the Omicron variant has multiplied 70 times more than the Delta variant. This exemplifies how rapid the spread of this new variant is.
It is not safe to send students to school when many students are absent due to testing positive. According to MBUSD, as of Jan. 14, out of the 2,710 students and staff, 273 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed. Therefore, many teachers are having to quarantine because they are being exposed to students who are positive. This leads to reduced instruction, with some teachers simply assigning “busy work” for the students. If learning were to be online, teachers would be able to gain more instruction time.
According to Vice Principal Jennifer Huynh, there is a shortage of substitutes across the state. MBUSD is accomodating to this issue by having combined classes in either the auditorium or the library with only one administrator to watch over the classes. Having to pull qualified
administrators to cover classes takes away the administrators’ time from doing their jobs.
Many believe that although many people are testing positive for COVID-19, death rates have not spiked, therefore supporting the argument that schools should be open to in-person learning. According to the New York Times, COVID-19 hospitalizations are surging, leading to staff shortages and putting hospitals in crises. In addition, there is still a large amount of people
who are unvaccinated, have underlying health conditions and are of old age.
Students are starting to voice their opinions around the area, as has happened at Redondo Union High School. On Jan. 12, students at Redondo Union participated in a walk-out to bring attention to COVID-19 safety concerns on campus. This demonstrates that many students are
in favor of schools reverting to online learning.
According to Huynh, there is a backlash against not shutting down MBUSD schools for various reasons. At Costa, testing is available on Mondays at the Costa gym by appointment. Additionally, sports are testing twice a week to ensure that athletes are not contributing to the surge of positive cases. Students are also being provided with at-home testing kits that include
two rapid antigen tests. Finally, mask-wearing is strictly required indoors by administration.
Teachers are also accommodating by holding class outdoors to improve the air circulation during lectures. Ultimately, COVID-19 is here to stay, and while MBUSD’s seemingly vicious attack on this new surge in positive COVID-19 cases is righteous, students and staff members are still at risk. All in all, MBUSD should close down schools as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise detrimentally.
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