Current Decision for Fulton County Fall 2020 School Year

This is a proposal for a Real-Time Virtual Program. On June 29th, the Board of Education for Fulton had a conference for back to school plans in August of 2020. Ultimately, the decision was to attend school face-to-face at their home school or a semester commitment for a Full Time Fulton Virtual option on FVS for interested families or those with an underlying health condition due to Covid-19. This decision of attending face to face or go online is to be made on July 17th. The first day of school was also delayed till August 17.  

Online Classes Disadvantages

- There are no electives available on this online program. This includes classes like Orchestra, Band, Chorus, and Art.
- There are no Honor or Advanced level courses, limiting the options available.
The online classes don’t provide the same environment with peers and teachers, allowing for in-depth discussions and questions and personalized learning, which can be a hindrance. 
- Online classes require lots of motivation and dedication on the student’s part to complete tasks on-time without a teacher continuous monitoring. This can allow for some students flexibility, but for others may prove as difficult.
- This places a majority of students and their parents in a difficult decision, having to choose between their studies and their health and well-being. Most students are choosing to attend school face to face due to the various reasons listed above. 

Rise in Coronavirus Cases

The chart shows the recent rise in Coronavirus cases in Georgia, which is currently the highest it has ever been, with a significant majority of cases in Fulton. Knowing the conditions of school, cramming upwards of 2,000 students in a building will not allow for the safety of students. Students already know that typically when someone gets sick in school, it is highly likely that many students get sick, even with precautions. 

Reasons that Schools are Not Safe

- Wearing masks for upwards of 8 hours is very suffocating.
- Kids have to take off masks to eat in classrooms, allowing for exposure. Most students don’t wash hands before eating lunch.
- The bathrooms will not be cleaned throughout the day.
- There is no mandatory expectation to wear masks. 
- Masks also don’t guarantee protection from Covid-19 and only prevent its spread. They also don’t offer a solution for germs already on surfaces around the school.
- School facilities do not offer enough room for students to stay distanced, leading to higher risk of infection in hallways, classrooms, and bathrooms.
- There are no procedures for testing, isolation, and screening in place for schools. Unless that is considered, there will be no happy reopening of schools.

WIth the rise in cases and students still attending school, it creates a high risk situation. The school may eventually close down after a significant amount of students are infected. It is highly possible that when August 17 comes, there is still a huge spike in cases and the Governor and School Board doesn’t take any action to ensure the safety of the students and close school. Knowing that they made a decision to go face to face when we haven’t passed our first wave, it is very telling of what their intentions are and how much they care for the student’s safety. Recently, America has been very complacent on following guidelines and staying at home, as seen in the rise of cases. 

- In Santa Clara, 40 principals met up to discuss their upcoming school semester, only to be quarantined after because of one sick principal. 
- By July 2nd, Texas had a daycare with 307 infected infants and 643 employees infected even with the preparations and necessary precautions. 
Due to the very infectious nature of coronavirus, it’s very hard to ensure that no one gets sick. The safety of students also impacts their families and holds many other consequences. 

Real-Time Virtual School

I ask that students stay home to get the education that they deserve while proceeding with the same schedule on a Real Time Online School. Teachers teach for the same amount of allotted time through a live lesson in real time and everyone rotates throughout their schedule. This allows for students to continue to take their necessary classes and stay safe in the process. Obviously, this can be done on a case by case basis between different schools and the resources available, but allowing for an option can give benefits to students. Signing this petition allows for people to understand the seriousness of this decision and potentially change how we shape history.

STUDENTS SHOULDN’T RISK THEIR LIVES TO GET AN EDUCATION. SIGN THIS PETITION TO GET YOUR VOICE HEARD. SHARE WITH OTHERS!