Sean McKenna’s daughter graduated last year and their youngest son is still in high school. McKenna is concerned about the COVID-19 virus, but not to the point where he believes schools should be temporarily closed.
When McKenna discovered that Nova Scotia schools would not switch to learning at home, her reaction was immediate.
“I was fine with that,” McKenna said. “They are working very hard to make sure everything is safe. I know that, with myself and my son going in there, they are not going to send him to an area that is purposely unsafe. “
When she weighs the positives against the negatives, McKenna wants her son in school.
“I think being there with your friends, learning is good for your mental health,” McKenna said.
Stacey Rudderham is the Co-Chair of Nova Scotia Public Education Parents. Rudderham, who has two school-age children, is calling on the provincial government to take a closer look at the issue before schools reopen next week.
“The main concern we have from our parent group is that it appears that the information has been taken from us,” Rudderham said.
According to Rudderham, parents no longer receive complete information about contact tracing.
“They are concerned about cases in schools and are not being informed about them,” Rudderham said, adding that it all comes down to fears that schools are unsafe environments.
“We are concerned that the children may be socially distancing themselves, that the ventilation problems have not been fixed,” Rudderham said.
Psychologist Simon Sherry said the back-to-school debate is causing heightened anxiety at a time when the pandemic has already had a major impact on mental health.
“And health is much more than just avoiding disease,” Sherry said.
Sherry has a son at school and said she understands the concerns of many parents. But he also cautions that staying at home, indoors, is not an ideal situation. Sherry says that isolation and avoidance can lead to depression, anxiety, and stress.
“I think it’s time for both parents and children to recognize that there are some tolerable risks around COVID-19,” Sherry said.
Rudderham said there is another important factor to consider.
“There are a lot of kids who can’t go back to school,” Rudderham said. “They have immune problems and they have anxiety.”
Rudderham said that many children are dealing with a variety of medical and mental health problems that make school not the ideal situation for them right now.
Reference-atlantic.ctvnews.ca