NW Houston News

An anonymous teacher with Magnolia ISD believes schools should be fully reopened and virtual learning should be done away with.

"Our school is sending students home sick who show two or more symptoms of COVID, which could also be symptoms of the flu...or allergies," the anonymous source said in an interview with NW Houston News. "Runny nose, cough, congestion etc."

The teacher said they had several students sent home for a runny nose and sore throat and they had to miss work for several days due to a sinus infection.

"We all need to get back in the classroom," the teacher said. "Little ones are resilient and will bounce back. They need socialization."

The teacher said online learning wasn't working — that students weren't engaged or completing their work, no matter how hard the teacher tried to make things fun and engaging.

"It was a headache for everyone," the source said. "The kids, parents and teachers. (The) administration has asked way too much of teachers."

The teacher said doing both virtual and in-person was even worse. The teacher said that if the union doesn’t want schools back open, it needs to educate itself regarding the facts involving COVID-19 that the source claims were lied about and covered up.

"No, they shouldn’t be refunded if teachers are still working," the teacher said. "My students are doing OK."

The teacher said that younger students don't understand social distancing and they want to hug their friends and it is difficult for them.

"It’s taking a toll on their learning," the teacher said. "They need that peer interaction and to be able to collaborate which is nearly impossible with the guidelines we have to follow. They are falling behind in their academics without a doubt."

The teacher said the bottom line is that everyone needs to be back in school.

An Australian study in May found that the transmission rate of the coronavirus in schools was 0.23%, according to Business Insider. That study found that out of 863 students and teachers, only two COVID-19 cases were found to have likely transmitted in the school.

Another study in France found that out of 1,340 people in Crepy en-Valois, there were only three probable cases linked to schools, Bloomberg reported.