We, the students at Valley Stream Central High School District, believe that the administration should close down the schools. Mass cases happening each day is a nightmare we all face, and talking to administration is like talking to a brick wall. The Omicron variant is highly transmissible and less deadly than the Delta variant, but still, it increases hospitalizations across New York State and even the entirety of the United States. Governor Hochul refuses to make any sufficient barriers to COVID-19 transmission rates. Public health has become a controversial matter about the scarcity of economics than what is meant to be - Public Health.  

The craziest part is that we are not cases if we get sick. We are still human beings. Hospitalizations are increasing in children, and many of us have families waiting for us at home. Even with the GLOBAL survival rate being ninety-nine percent, it means risking 78 million lives. Many of those lives could very well be the students in this school or district. Even if we survive COVID-19, it does not mean we are recovering from COVID-19 well. Post COVID-19 symptoms like Parosmia can lead to severe eating disorders, as the government and many health officials do not know what can happen later to us if we get sick. Are you ready to risk our lives over education?

We, the students, struggle with anxiety—every 1 in 3 adolescents battle this mental health disorder with symptoms that continue to go unrecognized. We have to go to school where we receive “COVID count” emails every day, where the number of students infected prevails, and so does our anxiety. We, the students, are fearful of being in school during a GLOBAL pandemic, scared to become sick because where it might not affect us, it could affect someone in our household. Some of us live with older parents, grandparents, people who have serious illnesses, or even people who can’t afford to miss work. The constant apprehension of bringing this disease home is disturbing.