While receiving our education is vital, schools being open in the midst of a pandemic is not beneficial to staff and students. In-school learning is not more important than our lives.

Although there have been multiple efforts to stop the spread of covid-19, our health and safety is not assured. There has been a boom in coronavirus cases which has greatly affected our daily lives even more than before.

Today there are 35 teachers and nearly 900 students absent due to COVID exposure tracked by administration through contact tracing. Life in the midst of this pandemic is scary, people are dying, people are sick, caution is necessary. Vaccines are available to everyone ages 5 and older and booster shots are available to those 16 and older. Preventative measures have been implemented, but as we have seen, it is not enough. There are still many who refuse to get the vaccine and wear a mask. In this pandemic people are suffering.

Our only option is to overcome the adversities we are faced with today.