"Schools are an important part of the infrastructure of communities, as they provide safe, supportive learning environments for students, employ teachers and other staff, and enable parents, guardians, and caregivers to work.  Schools also provide critical services that help to mitigate health disparities, such as school meal programs, and social, physical, behavioral, and mental health services. School closure disrupts the delivery of these critical services to children and families, and places additional economic and psychological stress on families, which can increase the risk for family conflict and violence. [1], [2]"  CDC 

There is no way around it schools are an essential part of society. Though SPS is tying its best, having no in person option simply does not provide a fair and equitable education. The learning loss will be so deep many students will never recover. This will affect these students for years to come. The Education Trust says the following, "Still, even under the best circumstances, distance learning is not a substitute for in-school education. The learning loss created by the COVID-19 crisis is going to be massive." Taking away in person school will be a burden SPS will bear for years to come. 

Not only is distance only learning affecting children from a learning loss perspective but it is creating a larger societal problem. "Two-thirds of children who cannot read proficiently by the fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare." -Begin to Read. Giving every household technology does not begin to solve the inequities of the SPS plan. The haves of Stillwater can and have nots cannot. It is that simple. A 6 year old staying at home alone while their parent works two jobs simply cannot, no matter how much access to technology they have.  However, let's not exclude the older children. Many of them are responsible for schooling their younger siblings while doing their own schoolwork. What about the teenagers that have behavioral issues. Being home alone with no supervision is bound to get them in trouble. 

As you see in person education is absolutely essential. Without it you are setting up kids for a lifetime of challenges, you are leaving children home in abusive situations with no way to get help, children are going hungry and some are getting themselves into trouble. There has to be a better way. The Task Force came up with an in depth safety plan including masks, cohorting and sanitation. They discussed thresholds for site closure and spent countless hours consulting with local health professionals. They designed a plan specific for Stillwater. We need to use OUR plan not a plan the state board of ed punted to the local districts at the last minute. 

Oklahoma State University students are not going anywhere. We cannot let our children suffer the consequences of poor behavior by OSU students. The most vulnerable in this community are being ignored. They are slipping further behind. I urge you to reconsider using the State Alert Map as the metric for SPS school closures.