With the consistent spread of the Coronavirus and its multiple variants, Prince George’s County Public School should remain virtual, or at least provide the option for parents to allow their children to remain virtual for the remainder of school year 2021-2022. Currently, the virtual program is scheduled to end on January 28, 2022, and students will return in person on January 31, 2022, but the number of positive cases is increasing daily. 

While there is a vaccine for children 5-11 available, it has only been available for less than two months, which doesn’t give parents enough time or statistical data to determine if the vaccine is good for their child. In addition, there are many multi-generational homes where students could potentially pass the virus on to immunocompromised family members who are not eligible or otherwise unable to receive the vaccine. This could result in many preventable deaths.

If continued virtual learning is not an option, students should not be penalized if their parents choose to protect their families and not send them back to school. Students should then be given the option to receive assignments and complete them at home, with assistance on an as needed basis. 

This decision to return to in-person learning should not be made as a “One size fits all” and should not be at the hands of the government or school administration. Each family should be able to assess their individual situation and PARENTS should have more than one option for their child.