I personally feel like the ISSU and ASTI were not heard at the meeting yesterday (04/01/2022). The decisions that were made should have been made with more consideration for the people. I understand that exam years and fifth years can not afford to go back to online learning so in person learning should be prioritised for them. However, we need to look after the vulnerable! I want to propose the idea of teachers setting up a zoom call during each class, for the students who live with high risk people who suffer with illness such as cystic fibrosis etc or need to quarantine because they tested positive with covid. People who are in this situation can not safely go back to school with all these cases, so why should they have to miss out on learning. Having students seated less than a meter apart in tiny classrooms with the windows open in horrible weather is just not enough to keep people safe. I feel for the students who have been avoiding socialising with friends to keep themselves and their loved ones safe because what does it mean if they have to go back into school where 100s of students and teachers are mixing. If us students can make this happen, it would also benefit the students who suffer with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety etc. Unfortunately the pandemic has taken a huge toll on people’s mental health and students who suffer with mental health conditions often suffer in silence and can not bring themselves to go into school. If we had a system set up where each class was streamed on zoom these people would no longer have to miss out on an education either.

These are reasons why I think online learning should be an option for students and teachers.