Are We Ready for School?

This school year is different from most years. Being ready for school is much more than just having the necessary school supplies and clothing. The COVID pandemic is still very much upon all of us. Without herd immunity, the spread of the coronavirus as schools reopen is highly likely. There are measures like requiring masks indoors but contingency plans are urgent as well. "What if?" is certainly an important question to consider. How we do things now tells a bit of how prepared we really are. Yesterday was the kickoff/open house at my son's high school and it happened with crowded corridors. My daughter's middle school also had an open house, but only for sixth grade students, thus, unlike in the high school, parents and students were not elbow to elbow. I am still scheduled to teach online at Georgetown University, as it is not possible to keep track of all students in a more than 100 person class in case contract tracing becomes necessary. 

My son helping the Parents Teachers Staff Association sell shirts at my daughter's middle school. Masks are worn indoors and social distancing between nonfamily members is kept.

The scene at the high school is worrisome. It was an event that was supposed "to celebrate the return to 5 day in-person learning". The pandemic is not over. The number of new cases per day right now is much higher than this time last year.

And with vaccination, nearly one in five high school student has yet to receive a first dose:

What we are doing now can tell how we are going to fare in the next few months. The event in my son's high school yesterday is not reassuring.