As students and staff officially transition back to in-person learning, the school has implemented new safety precautions inside and outside the classroom. Ranging from block schedules to new lunch procedures, these rules and regulations have been put in place to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. But with the application of these new guidelines, questions arise on whether rules are being properly followed or enforced. I have noticed a number of these precautions not being carried out and how some of these regulations are a bit ineffective.

Sanitation in the Classroom

One of the main issues facing residents of the school has been the sanitation of classrooms. The plan regarding sanitation has required custodians to come into classes in the middle of the period to wipe down desks and other surfaces. This method has two main issues: distraction and effectiveness.

Having janitors come into classrooms in the middle of the period disrupts learning and can distract students as they try to learn important concepts. Because of this, the school gave teachers the option to opt-out of the system. Teachers that chose to opt-out are now having issues with trying to sanitize their classrooms during the five-minute passing period, often leaving the responsibility to students.

This method also begs the question about whether sanitizing in the middle of the period is effective. If a student with COVID-19 had their desk cleaned by a custodian in the middle of the period, they would have the opportunity to re-contaminate their seating area. That means the healthy student sitting there the next period would be put at risk. This would make the sanitation method mostly ineffective. Any sanitation is better than none but different timing could improve the method and reduce the spread of COVID.

Lunch

In addition to sanitization, lunch is also a problem facing our school. Another rule proposed in our back-to-school plan was lunch seating. Students were told that during lunch, social distancing would be required. This requirement has been completely ignored by most students. This precaution is especially dangerous to ignore because many students take off their masks to eat which could put students at risk.

As students continue to attend in-person learning in the midst of a pandemic, safety regulations are the most important tool in helping us stay safe. Following and enforcing these rules will help not only ourselves but the families and individuals in our communities stay healthy and safe. In order to stay in school, students should continue to follow the guidelines that have been set in place.