Except, we have a raging pandemic happening.
Our society is very far from being in a place to send kids back to school safely. So, the big dilemma is whether to send kids back and risk the unknown, or keep them home despite the terrible cost to their social development and your career.
We are choosing to keep our kids home. We knew all along this was the likely scenario, although I had a lot of moments where I hoped otherwise. The decision is now clear. Here is our reasoning:
1. It's not safe for my kids.
2. It's not safe for their teachers.
3. It won't be consistent - I believe we will have constant interruptions whenever a kid or teacher tests positive.
And things that are making me particularly concerned:
1. Cases are exploding all around us - the chance of my kids interacting with someone that is positive while at school is well above where I am comfortable. This accounts for 90% of our decision.
2. Our school is not reducing capacity and is not capable of enforcing the rules around being safe (such as having families that are at risk quarantine).
3. Many people do not believe this virus is a problem, which means many families (and possibly teachers) will not feel the need to follow the rules.
4. Testing is abysmally slow and inaccessible.
5. Contact tracing is useless because of the privacy laws in our state.
6. I no longer have any trust in groups in charge of decisions around school safety, public health and policy.
So, what does this mean for me?
I will continue to stay home with my kids, splitting shifts with my husband, not getting nearly as much work done as I could before, and feeling overwhelmed. And I am very lucky, because I can get away with that and not lose my job (though my career is a different matter - this is the topic of a future post).
A problem we are facing in particular is that our kids' school is not offering an online option. So, we must leave the school and find another one or develop our own homeschool curriculum. And, once we leave, it is difficult to come back - unless we pay for them to hold our spot indefinitely (for two kids, which is $2k per month - not a light decision). I understand why, but am very disappointed. In fact, the situation is leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth. Many other families will not return, and the school might not make it anyway. All of this is weighing heavily on me this week. Plus, I have a lot of work ahead of me to prepare for the year ahead of homeschool, and a possible permanent transition elsewhere.
