We, the students of West Hartford Public Schools, do not believe that holding midterms during a pandemic is appropriate.

Recently, Covid cases have been on the rise in West Hartford, and will most likely continue to do so in the coming days as a result of the highly contagious Omicron variant. According to the West Hartford Public Schools Student and Staff Covid-19 Tracker, there are currently 394 positive cases throughout all schools (excluding Post-secondary Programs) and 381 people in quarantine. 

Every day, students arrive at school concerned about the virus. If a student were to test positive the day before exams, they would be forced to quarantine, and upon the student’s return, they would be under pressure to make up all of the exams they had missed, along with the classwork for the new semester. Aside from the virus, midterms cause an enormous amount of stress, and they have been shown to cause more harm than benefit to students' GPAs.

“Promote Reasoning and Problem Solving,” according to WHPS, is one of eight fundamental instructional tactics that can help students maximize their learning habits. As students, we are currently confronted with the issue of midterms. Collectively, we must apply our problem-solving abilities to find a solution. 

We believe that canceling the midterms will benefit both students and teachers because it would allow for more time to be dedicated to the curriculum.

Many other Connecticut High Schools have made the correct decision to cancel midterms. We hope our Board will follow suit, but before making a decision, please consider what the students desire, and please prioritize the students’ physical and mental well-being.

Thank you.