There is a huge debate going on, globally, nationally and locally, about education and whether it is right to reopen schools or not.
We see many, many articles and posts on social media with very strong opinions about it. We are choosing to remain silent on the debate because we all have our individual opinions and we don’t think it should be a political debate. What we will say is this:
There are some families that have done their own risk assessment and are very keen for schools to reopen. They believe that the risks to physical health are much lower than risks to social and emotional development for their children, and of course to their education. That is ok - be kind.
There are some families that do not want their children back at school until a time when they feel it is safe. They might not know when that is and they are happy to keep their children home until then. That is ok - be kind.
There are families concerned about their loved ones that work in schools and are worried they cannot be kept safe. They want guarantees of safety before they can feel confident, even though they miss the children and their colleagues and want to return. That is ok - be kind.
There are some teachers and school workers who are very keen to get back ASAP to return to normality, see friends and children they care about. There are school workers that worry about children usually in their care, every day, and want to go back to schools so they can check in with them and look after them. That is ok - be kind.
These are unprecedented and scary times. Please be kind to others, we can all only walk our own individual paths through this. Let’s work together, not apart.