Three COVID-19 cases were reported this week in our school system: a staff member at one middle school, a student at the other middle school, and a child in the preschool program. It hasn’t even been three weeks since in-school learning started back up. But, though we might have hoped it would take longer for COVID-19 to get into the schools, we all knew it would happen eventually.
What we didn’t (and still don’t) know is whether or not we’re going to see more community spread, or lose any members of our community, as a result. Case numbers are up in most states, though I don’t know how much of that can be blamed on school openings. Nationally, several educators have already died from the virus, including most recently in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri. The virus is under better control here than it is in those states, but I think we will suffer some losses, too, if we keep the schools open. I still hope I’m wrong, though.