Florida students are returning to school with COVID-19 outbreaks still spreading. With kids returning to school, most Florida counties have reported COVID-19 cases to be four times higher than last year.

“I enjoy spending time in school with my friends and overall learning. I probably would have stayed home because at my home environment online school flowed really well,” Sophomore Josiah Farley stated.

Returning to school is a complex event, even in a typical school year. Going back to school can be stressful for any child, especially for kids living through the COVID-19 pandemic and returning to the classroom. A year of remote learning has taken an emotional, mental and developmental toll. Many children have fallen behind in their studies, missed out on big milestones and suffered from a lack of peer interaction that helps develop crucial social skills.

“I feel much better being back in school and I am happy that thing are getting back to what we used to think of as “normal”. Education wise, I think that learning from home creates many difficulties including distractions, inattentiveness and laziness. Being at home and on an electronic, especially a personal one, makes staying on the learning platform almost impossible. From the COVID perspective I know that it is still very dangerous and being at school makes the risk exponentially higher than being at home. This worries me but speaking logically the only thing we can do is take our precautions and remain as careful as we can, and hope for the best,” Sophomore Omar Grini stated.

Children appear less likely than adults to have symptoms and severe illness from COVID-19. Early studies also suggest those under age 10 may be less likely to be infected with and spread the infection. Children should try to stay at least 6 feet from others when in school. Schools will work with local health departments to identify all people who were in close contact with an infected person. All close contacts should get tested according to public health guidelines. Fully vaccinated people do not need to quarantine but should wear masks indoors, both in school and other settings.

“If I balance the pros and cons of going to school, I can say that I would not stay home if I could even if the dangers of Covid are still prevalent, I think the benefits of being in school are more than the drawbacks. All in all, I would not stay home because I would miss out on the educational, social and emotional benefits of being in school,” Sophomore Omar Grini stated.

Public health experts and pediatricians said last fall that the most important factor to consider when deciding whether to start classes in-person was the amount of viral spread in the community at large. With cases so much higher than last year, districts are going against those recommendations by welcoming students to campus and limiting online learning options. Those moves follow instructions from the state government, which also prohibited schools from requiring masks for all children.

“I’m really happy to be back at school, I feel like I’m really motivated learning in person. I wouldn’t really say I would have stay home because it caused me a lot of discouragement, I didn’t socialize or have any friends during online learning,” Sophomore Arianna De Jesus stated.

Now with school starting and many students returning to face to face students must get back into the school grind while also maintaining necessary health precautions against COVID-19. If the students have become accustomed to studying and attending class alone at home, reentering the classroom might come with an overload of distractions. If you have become accustomed to studying and attending class alone at home, reentering the classroom might come with an overload of distractions. The stress of an ongoing crisis manifests differently for everybody. You might be excited by the thought of returning to school, or you may be battling tons of anxiety.

“Coming back to school full time gives me complex emotions it’s just so different to be back to see everyone but to be in the same learning environment I was used to before. Now it’s overwhelming because I don’t feel like I’m fully back and coming back into the school is still very new to me now that these halls are packed and with masks everywhere,” Sophomore Daniel Manrique stated.

Students with runny noses, coughs and fevers are recommended to stay home until they are well. If a student tests positive for COVID-19, school may have to shut down for a period with the hopes of avoiding an outbreak occurring throughout the school. Parents as well as the student body have different opinions on being back at school and the consequences it can have on their education.

“If I had a choice to go back home and do everything from there or stay in school I would rather stay in school because having that human interaction, it’s not just something that a machine can replace, to me being in front of someone and learning, looking and listening to them helps me in many ways to comprehend more and to fully feel that human interaction that I really longed for,” Sophomore Daniel Manrique stated.