I watched and read with dismay as our governor delayed the onset of the public-school year for two weeks. Two weeks may not seem like much, but it made us immediately realize the truth — that the pandemic and its response have singularly abandoned families in this state and across the country. Our state has prioritized the opening of bars, restaurants, beaches, venues, barbershops and more. We, as a society, have prioritized business interests at the cost of all else, and failed our children and parents.
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As I suspect many people feel, this failure comes straight from the very top of our country. Yet, until the delay in the school start, I felt the absence of federal response was the main problem. But the delay demonstrates that the failure extends to our state leadership. As evidence of this, even across the state, where the rules about mask wearing or social distancing rules are not followed, the greatest consequence is less parking at the beach and the idle threat of a fine (but only after multiple violations).
We are a family of two essential workers. I am grateful and acknowledge the privilege that I have, and even so, distance learning in the spring was catastrophic. It was catastrophic for my professional life, as I attempted to perform patient care or hospital duties while teleworking. My conference calls with infection control were constantly interrupted by requests to help navigate Google sheets and art projects. It was catastrophic for my children, who missed out on the independence and social exposure of in-person schooling. And this is said from a position of privilege; I cannot possibly imagine how terrible the situation is for families without means.
I understand many factors went into the decision to delay school opening. Testing delays, cleaning protocols, worry about being exposed in our workplaces — these are all reasonable concerns for March, April, May or even June. It is nearly September. Our state leadership speaks often about the importance of safety for our children and their teachers as we reopen schools, yet the delay in reopening demonstrate our leaders have prioritized finance over family.
Noah S. Philip, MD, is a resident of Barrington.
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