I’m not pointing fingers at anyone but if the kids are not getting the education they need in the affected year something has to change. If it means kids have to go to school all year to catch up on what they miss its what it is. Also even if schools would have 50% of school staff out it would probably a better education then they would be getting sitting at home doing nothing. Virtual learning is just not the answer for most children. Be the labor great or small do it right or don’t do it at all.
Before asking why schools don’t stay open with 50% of their staff healthy/available…please go take a walk into your local public school. The teachers who are there healthy are not universal parts that can teach every grade level, different subject, while cooking lunches, driving busses, etc. This issue isn’t going away with Covid. Covid will be gone long before school staffing shortages. Administrators, School Boards, and Legislators better get in front of the issues now (but seem to not be).
The biggest issue even when schools stay “open” is that so many staff are gone many kids are doing “remote learning” anyways. They’re zooming in to their teacher who is out with Covid while sitting in a library, study hall room, etc. It’s essentially still “remote learning” while sitting in a school building. The only real pro to this is that at least parents aren’t forced to be home too. There isn’t a perfect answer. All I care is that schools try to do what they can with the resources they have and I as a parent will continue to work my a** off to fill in gaps and be optimistic.