By Linda Reeves - The Florida Catholic Palm Beach
Photographer: Via Instagram @catholichealthservices
Catholic Health Services posted this chart of COVID-19 risk levels on their social media accounts on June 17, 2020. The image was accompanied by this advice: "As South Florida eases restrictions and slowly opens up, it's up to you to manage your risk of exposure as you choose which places to visit. Here's a tool to help you out!"
MIAMI | Before school opened, archdiocesan school principals surveyed their families to get a better understanding of their thoughts on the reopening of schools.
Did parents want to send their children back to a classroom with a teacher for a full week of lessons? Did they prefer keeping their children home and learning online?
Ana Garcia, principal of Msgr. Edward Pace High School, said her survey results revealed that 65% of her parents are concerned for their children’s safety and prefer that they learn online from home.
“We have some families who are terrified,” she said.
It's not only the students who might be infected and get sick, Garcia noted. Many of the school's families are living in multi-generational homes or caring for vulnerable grandparents with pre-existing conditions.
Medical experts say that underlying illness, such as diabetes, or conditions such as obesity, increase the risk of dying from COVID-19 in people of all ages. “I have some students with conditions,” Garcia said.
At St. Mary Cathedral School in Miami, Principal Eduardo Flor said his families also were concerned about sending their children back to school. Some of them live in households with four to five children and more. “More than 60% of our families want their children to stay at home,” he said.
Mother of Our Redeemer School in Miami sent out a survey in June to get a grasp of how families felt about coming back to campus. A follow-up survey was distributed in July.
“The results changed based on the level of contagion in the community,” said principal Ana Casariego, noting that the coronavirus cases in South Florida rose exponentially over the summer. “Our last survey showed that 50% of our parents want their children back in the building.”
Kristen Hughes, principal at St. Andrew School in Coral Springs, said she received mixed messages from her families when she asked about remote, in-person learning or a hybrid version (a few days a week in class and others online).
“The results were all over the place,” she said, adding that at the end of last year, parent feedback was positive about online learning. “Everyone was happy with the virtual teaching.”
