The Ralston school district has been on a modified schedule for more than half of the academic year so far. The current schedule split the students into two groups. One group would meet Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the other group would meet Tuesday, Thursday with each group alternating weekly. The school district has decided to ditch this model and have all students attend class every day (green plan). Their reasons for this decision have good intention, but there are many safety concerns for teachers and students.

Many students feel uncomfortable going to school in a congested environment. If the district switched to the green plan the lunchroom, smaller class rooms, and the halls will not be able to accommodate proper 6ft social distancing. There is barely enough room for students to be 6ft apart as is and adding more students would increase the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 19.

AP students could lose their college credit. The only other option from green is going to remote learning (from a computer). AP students who want to stay home in order to be safe would be at a disadvantage because they would be forced to drop the class. Keep in mind many students have the option to dual enrolling in classes (which cost form $40-$500), and would have to give up that money they already paid for.

 Some teachers prefer staying in the “yellow level” because they are exposed to less students and reducing the probability of catching COVID-19.

In this current climate, the vaccine will be a form of protection from the virus and is the first step to eliminate the spread of COVID-19. However, you must be 16 and older or are considered high risk making eligibility for the vaccine a very small proportion of the student body. To make matters worse, new strains of the virus have been found across the country, prompting health officials to suggest doubling up on mask.

The Ralston board of education will be having a meeting on Monday, February 8. I personally want to see if they would reconsider their decision by staying in yellow or compromise on a new plan for the district. A possible solution would have students choose to follow the green model or yellow if they are not comfortable with being surrounded by students (via zoom). It’s important to have a say in your education system.