Alva Review-Courier -

Alva students have been marching past the Newsgram building on Choctaw Street this week. It’s time for summer band camp. All the students are widely spaced and wearing masks as they carry their instruments at attention to the beat of the drum corps. Their instrument practices are taking place in a parking lot with wide-spaced folding chairs.

School begins in less than two weeks in Alva so we’ll be seeing more students in masks in the coming days. This might be a good time to give your child some mask-wearing practice at home so they’ll get used to the new normal. Teachers will appreciate any help you can give them.

Some people think teachers have it made with 12-month paychecks while they take the summer off. However, many teachers have continuing education requirements taking classes during the summer. Others spend a good deal of time developing lesson plans for the coming school year with ideas to keep students engaged.

This summer, many will be working on their computer skills to prepare for a possible switch to virtual classes if the number of coronavirus cases escalates. They are also preparing and organizing their classrooms for the coming influx of students. This year there’s an emphasis on social distancing and sanitizing.

A sizable chuck of time has been spent by teachers, administrators and staff working out policies for possible scenarios that may be faced during the coming school year. Groups and committees have been meeting to make sure the school complies with state guidelines while trying to ensure the safety and health of students and staff.

Alva Superintendent Tim Argo said while not all teachers agree on policies and protocols, they all agree that in-person learning is the best option for students. Teachers are eager to get back in the classrooms to do what they do best.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt agrees. “Schools are an essential part of our society. It is critically important that they operate safely and effectively for all students,” Stitt said. “Our kids cannot miss another year of school.”

Federal funds will pay the cost of masks, shields, gloves and gowns at districts across the state, according to Stitt. He is also pushing to provide optional testing for COVID-19 each month for Oklahoma teachers.

This pandemic has led to new ideas and new rules for schools. The American Academy of Pediatrics has concluded that COVID-19 “appears to behave differently in children and adolescents than other common respiratory viruses, such as influenza, on which much of the current guidance regarding school closures is based.”

This organization “strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.”

Stitt noted that just one percent of COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma have occurred in individuals between the ages of five and 17. Less than 300 individuals in that age group who contracted COVID-19 have required hospitalizations, with one child dying after contracting the virus.

“We certainly don’t want to minimize any deaths at all, but it’s important to point out that two school-age children have died this year alone from the current flu season and 245 children have been hospitalized from the flu,” Stitt said.

Justin Brown, director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, said evidence is growing that last spring’s school closures have contributed to “Potentially unprecedented levels of trauma” for many Oklahoma children and families.

He said the number of children experiencing hunger in Oklahoma has increased from one in four to one in three.

Even more disturbing, he said many cases of child abuse have likely gone unnoticed because of school closures.

“Teachers play a critical role in recognizing abuse, and it’s clear that our kids are not being seen by their teachers,” Brown said. “In April of 2019, educators reported 767 cases of abuse and neglect to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. In the same month of 2020, that number was 57.”

What are the chances of getting infected with COVID-19 at a school?

The estimates, from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, range from sobering to surprisingly reassuring, depending on the area and the size of the school. “It’s mean to guide schools so they can anticipate when it might be safe, or easier, to open and bring kids in,” said Lauren Ancel Meyers, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas at Austin who led the research team.

Based on current infection rates, more than 80 percent of Americans live in a county where at least one infected person would be expected to show up to a school of 500 students and staff in the first week, if school started today.

In the highest-risk areas – including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville and Las Vegas – at least five students or staff would be expected to show up infected with the virus at a school of 500 people.

The estimates assume that children as likely to carry and transmit the virus as adults – a large assumption given the unknowns about children.

Some preliminary studies have suggested that children are infected less often, or that young ones do not transmit the disease as readily, which could reduce the risk, said Carl T. Bergstrom, a professor of biology at the University of Washington. But those questions remain unresolved, he said.

I feel confident that school administrators, teachers and staff are trying hard to keep our kids safe while providing them with a good education and a chance to socialize. They are grappling with a lot of unknowns like the rest of us.

Unfortunately, some skills are almost impossible to teach online. As an example, my daughter is a great person to have along when visiting a doctor, lawyer or teacher. She asks all the right questions. She attributes this skill to her excellent high school debate instruction from Mrs. Bradt at Alva High School. It just wouldn’t have been the same online.