School confessional: ‘I would rather everyone be safe and alive'

The following is a response to our call for people to share thoughts and concerns about Michigan schools returning to in-person learning this fall.

“Honestly, I wish all in-person learning for K-12 and college students is postponed until a vaccine is available. As kids be kids, it will be almost impossible to enforce mask-wearing throughout the school day. And let’s all be honest, kids are more free spirited than adults so expecting them to adhere to wearing a mask will be more of the challenge for teachers than actually the teaching part. Universities and colleges may have a bit more success with their students, but how can we guarantee these young adults will actually stay away from potential COVID-19 exposure hotspots. Yes, they check their temperature, perform periodic testing for dorm students, and try to enforce mask-wearing. All it takes is one false negative test on a pre-symptomatic student to be in the mix with perfectly healthy students. Then you throw in the asymptomatic person in the mix. And candidly speaking, young adults tend to display more affection toward their peers, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc. I am a military war veteran. Part of my training was how to identify and act upon potential nuclear, biological, and chemical attacks. Fighting an enemy that you can see is the easy part, the invisible ones are the most unpredictable and terrifying. Call me paranoid and selfish, but I would rather everyone be safe and alive than being in a hospital on a ventilator adding burden to our already exhausted health system. Just a thought.”

-- Anonymous

View more: School Confessionals

School confessionals: Share your thoughts, concerns about return to in-person learning

Michigan school districts, colleges and universities are working to prepare for a return to in-person classes this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In-person classes were stopped in March when the virus swept through Michigan. On June 30, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer revealed her plan to help schools across the state return to in-person learning this fall. The “MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap” is a 63-page document that outlines coronavirus (COVID-19) safety protocols for each phase of Whitmer’s reopening plan.

The governor’s order requires each school district to adopt a COVID-19 plan that lays out how it will protect students and educators across the various phases of the Michigan Safe Start Plan. Whitmer’s roadmap is to be used as a guide.

This has everyone -- parents, teachers and students -- wondering whether this is a good idea, how well it can be accomplished, how safe everyone can be kept, and what exactly the best to do this will be.

Please share your thoughts and concerns about returning to in-person learning this fall -- we want to hear from you:

Related:

• Here’s what Michigan school districts have planned for the fall amid the pandemic
• A look at how Oakland University is preparing campus for fall return amid pandemic
• What the new school year will look like for Detroit public schools
• A look at how Eastern Michigan University is preparing campus for fall return amid pandemic
• Return to School section