Safety

Children are returning to school. How safe is it? What can each of us do to make it safe?

Safety

A topic of concern in our country today is the issue of schools reopening during a COVID pandemic. It is a topic of concern for anyone who has children of school age or is a member of a family group in which there are children of school age. It should be a topic of concern for society at large as children, teachers and families are huge part of our economy and influence health both medically and economically.

The issues surrounding the return of children to in-person school affects not only children, but staff and families alike. Repercussions of living through this reopening experience are truly a matter of life and death. They should not be taken lightly nor should decisions be made on a non-scientific basis.

One of the essential elements of this experience is the question of safety. Safety is the “condition of being protected from danger, risk and injury.” Will the re-opening of in-person education provide safety for students and all concerned? Will it be safe for their immediate and extended families? Can safety be assured for staff and the community at large?

Safety is the responsibility of every person involved to take reasonable care that those affected by acts or omissions (absence of acts) suffer no negative result.

When looking at the issue of children returning to in-person school, we know that we cannot reasonably eliminate all risk. The question is whether we can reduce the element of risk sufficiently to create a safe environment and eliminate preventable death and illness.

Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, lists the feeling of safety as a second in importance only to the need for food, water and shelter. In this context, returning children to in-person school safely becomes a priority.

Without a safe environment, children cannot be expected to benefit from in-person learning in a maximized way. For a school environment to be safe, it must provide order, predictability and control.

Order means there is a freedom from fear.

Predictability means there exists some form of social stability.

Control intimates that there is an element of influence over property (where to live, have class), and health (medical care and testing access if needed).

Not only are these elements important to children, but to society as a whole. Children rely on the adults in their world to evaluate the components of safety and assure them that they will be safe. A consistent adult in their life, an absence of violence and disruption, and a minimum of uncertainty are a prescription for children to be safe in any setting, including school.

When children experience safety in their school setting, are treated with respect in a calm, non-violent manner and experience meaningful play and academic exposure, they are free to develop their cognitive abilities. It is an intricate dance. A misstep throws the experience into chaos and elicits a sense of danger. Learning is not enhanced and may be hindered!

What prescription for learning can parents and administrators apply to encourage safety for children and their families? We know the basic formula for that prescription:

Social distancing

Face coverings

Hand washing and surface cleaning

Limited exposure (cohorts, pods, small groups)

Failure to apply this prescription as recommended leads to a failure of safety for all in the school setting and in society.

Our part in applying this prescription is clear. Children react to and imitate what they see the adults around them exhibiting. You do it, they do it. Is the behavior risky? Theirs may be risky a well.

Attitude is important. Adults set the example. Calm and confident, responsible, proactive behavior is imitate-able.

When considering a prescription for living, consider the elements that Maslow has identified as critical. Physical accommodation of the need for food, water and shelter come first. Then we all need to feel safe. At home, in public and at school.

We may not all be in the same boat during this pandemic, but we are all battling the same storm!

_________________________________________________________________________________ Comments? Suggestions? Input? contact me at Karenmac1999@hotmail.com