Crossfire: Should FCPS reopen?

Students should return to in-person classes

EMILY FRIEDMAN SPORTS EDITOR LAINE PHILLIPS FEATURES EDITOR

Wake up, sign into online school, stare at a computer screen for hours, do homework, sleep, repeat for months on end. Over time, this routine is causing students to lose motivation and attentiveness.

The pandemic has forced students worldwide to learn virtually, but Fairfax County’s online school system has created an inadequate learning environment.

According to The New York Times, Virginia has chosen to put an emphasis on opening bars and restaurants but not on opening schools. In many European countries, they have focused on keeping schools open, and the U.S. should be doing the same. Education should be prioritized over leisure.

Not only has instructional time dramatically decreased, but the quality of instruction is not as good as in-person learning.

For most math and science classes, teachers are using a flipped classroom, where students watch videos of lessons instead of receiving live instruction. Some students don’t watch the videos at all, while others do not fully understand the material because they can’t communicate with their teachers about confusing concepts.

Although teachers offer office hours to meet with students outside of class, the scheduled times (often Monday mornings) are not easy to make. The office hours usually only last about an hour, so if a student has a scheduling conflict, it’s more difficult to find another time to meet with their teachers than it is at school.

Online learning poses an additional challenge for teachers, as they are forced to adjust lessons to fit the virtual format.

“It’s mentally draining adjusting previous lessons to make them work more effectively online. There is a lot of cognitive load that just wears you out,” social studies teacher Joseph Dwyer said.

Even though students are logged into class, teachers notice that participation is low because students have no motivation to be attentive during class.

Virtual learning is not ideal, especially for younger students, those who have ADHD or other learning disabilities and students with other distractions and responsibilities.

At home, students must contend with elements that interfere with their learning, including siblings and electronics. These outside factors can interfere with their ability to learn effectively.

The online format not only affects learning, but it also limits social interaction, which is detrimental to mental health.

“The emphasis on only learning has been really demoralizing because there’s nothing fun about school—it’s just all the [work],” junior Sophia Tursi said.

In school, students learn more than just the educational content. School is also a place for students to build relationships with friends and teachers and learn important social skills.

“I miss the social aspect of learning and the camaraderie that comes along with that,” Dwyer said. “I think the lack of physical proximity makes learning more difficult for everyone involved. I imagine it is harder for students to stay engaged and on task, and it is harder for teachers to get natural feedback we used to take for granted like body language and facial expressions.”

Private schools in the DMV area have figured out ways for their students to go into school for hybrid learning, where students have in-person school twice a week. There’s no reason FCPS shouldn’t be able to make similar adjustments.

Bishop O’Connell High School started their school year with hybrid learning.

“During online school I have absolutely no motivation, and being in person kind of reinforces you to stay on top of things,” junior O’Connell student Abby Zimmerman said. “It’s nice to have clarification from teachers and to have the teacher contact.”

Although the risks of in-person learning require new precautions to be taken, FCPS could easily imitate the safety adjustments taken by private schools in the area.

“At O’Connell, they make you wipe down desks after every class. There’s built in sanitation time. All the desks are six feet apart, including during lunch. They’re pretty on top of it,” Zimmerman said.

Returning to school will be safe if teachers are provided with personal protective equipment and everyone in the building wears a mask at all times.

“From what I’ve read, schools are not a major source of community transmission if they are set up properly, but I think there are a lot of logistical concerns and hurdles to make that come to fruition in all of the different contexts for FCPS,” Dwyer said.

FCPS plans to bring 7th-12th grade students back for hybrid learning on Jan. 26.

Since teachers and students with serious health concerns can opt out of in-person school, it’s not fair to deprive all students and teachers of a somewhat normal school experience.

As a result of insufficient schooling, students are struggling. Schools need to focus on reopening for the sake of students and their futures.

Should FCPS reopen?

Schools shouldn’t reopen if we can’t be safe

ANA PAULA IBARRARAN OPINIONS EDITOR CAMERON TEBO CARTOONIST

America’s spiral into a deadly pandemic has been ongoing for nearly a year. Yet, on Jan. 26, middle and high school students are scheduled to return despite the lack of a cure or approved vaccine. With Fairfax County averaging over 320 new cases each day—surpassing the peak of the first wave in the spring—returning to school is a laughable idea.

Resuming in-person instruction seems even more dangerous following Superintendent Scott Brabrand’s Nov. 16 decision to delay the return to classrooms for Group 5 students due to safety concerns.

“The current health metrics for COVID-19 cases in our community now exceed the threshold to expand our inperson learning,” Brabrand said in his announcement.

This delay shows that the county was rushing to return to school without sufficient planning, which poses a major health risk.

“When returning to school, implementing and maintaining social distancing during classes, lunch and passing periods will be difficult without a good plan,” said junior Anjali Kesari, who has opted to continue with online learning rather than returning to in-person instruction.

Like Kesari, 34% of McLean students have chosen not to return to in-person learning in January. For some, the decision came due to the growing number of COVID cases and their discomfort with being in the school building.

THE CURRENT HEALTH METRICS FOR COVID-19 CASES IN OUR COMMUNITY NOW EXCEED THE THRESHOLD TO EXPAND OUR IN-PERSON LEARNING.”

- SCOTT BRABRAND FCPS SUPERINTENDENT

For other students, the option between returning to in-person learning or continuing online comes from a place of necessity, as some students are either highrisk themselves or live with someone who is high-risk. While students have been granted the ability to choose between in-person or online instruction, that same opportunity has not been extended to everyone. “Teachers and staff do not have any choice [between in-person or online],” said a McLean teacher who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation from groups advocating for an immediate return to school. “All teachers will have to return in-person on their assigned return date unless they have a personal medical issue that makes them high-risk and qualifies them for an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accommodation.”

Taking this option away from teachers leaves them in a difficult and unfair position. The current restrictions for what qualifies a teacher to teach online completely disregard teachers who may live with someone or have a close family member who is high-risk. Even with the hybrid model of instruction, teachers will be exposed to all of their inperson students each and every week, so their risk of infection isn’t lessened.

“[Those teachers] will have to return in person or take a leave option that does not provide pay,” the anonymous teacher said.

With teachers essentially being forced to go back and two-thirds of McLean students opting to return to in-person instruction, maintaining social distancing while in the school building will be impossible, a problem most private schools don’t face.

The push for returning to in-person school has been fueled by the lackluster experience students have had with online school. Although online learning has its flaws, it is a much better alternative than potentially exposing McLean students and staff members to COVID-19 and increasing the likelihood of spreading the virus throughout the entire community.

The school board is in a difficult position, but they must carefully evaluate all potential solutions before making any rushed decisions.

“It is incredibly tough to balance the needs of certain parents who want their children back in school and the safety concerns of teachers and staff, many of whom do not feel safe returning to school,” the anonymous teacher said.

The increasing rate of coronavirus cases and the school system’s ability to continue with online learning create make reopening FCPS dangerous and unnecessary.

Until cases in Northern Virginia begin to show a steady decline and proper measures are taken to ensure the safety of all students and staff, reopening school doors simply runs too high a risk for everyone involved.