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COVID-19

Opinions remain divided over schools reopening in Mississippi

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covid-19 mask student classroom
(Photo by Alexandra Koch)

Parents, educators and school administrators in Mississippi continue to be divided on whether schools should reopen for the fall semester.

At least two school districts, Jackson and Canton, have announced they will hold only virtual classes for the upcoming semester.

Meanwhile, schools in the Corinth district have already reopened, with 85% of families choosing to send their children back to the classroom, WLBT reports. The district is taking precautions to minimize the spread of COVID-19, among them requiring masks for children in fourth through 12th grades, checking temperatures for all students on entry into their schools and installing dividers on buses to ensure social distancing.

In a joint statement, the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Mississippi State Medical Association advocated delaying the start of the school year until Sept. 1.

“MS-AAP and MSMA strongly feel that schools should make every effort to open in-person school safely this fall, while also considering the earlier White House guidance that cases in a given region or stale should be on a downward trajectory before reopening,” the statement says. “As experts in children’s health and development, we urge superintendents to consult with local pediatricians and other physicians regarding their district’s planning.”

A Mississippi Association of Educators survey among nearly 2,400 teachers and administrators shows only 18.2% support a return to the traditional classroom model.

“This feedback—honest and, in some instances, difficult to read—must be taken seriously as state leaders make decisions about schools reopening,” MAE said in a press release about the survey. “We must heed these educators’ warnings and take their concerns seriously. Their unmatched understanding of the challenges we face inside school buildings is invaluable and ignoring it needlessly jeopardizes the health of Mississippi’s students and educators.

“Or, as one Jackson County educator said more plainly: ‘It is too dangerous for both the teachers and students. Teachers should not have to risk their lives to teach.’”

All school districts in the state must submit reopening plans to the Mississippi Department of Education no later than July 31. View the plan for the Vicksburg-Warren School district and individual school plans here.

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