Navigating back-to-school with high-risk kids
It's ok to have concerns! High risk. Disabilities. Underlying health conditions. Vulnerable family members. COVID cautious. All of these are valid reasons for concern. You are not alone.
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It’s ok to have concerns! High risk. Disabilities. Underlying health conditions. Vulnerable family members. COVID cautious. All of these are valid reasons for concern. You are not alone.
We are sending our three boys back to school in-person for the first time in two years. (Two to WCPSS schools.) In doing so, we expect the schools to do everything reasonable to keep our kids as safe as possible.
WCPSS directs high-risk families to work with their schools for any COVID accommodations through the 504/IEP process. We met with our school this week. We shared our concerns along with doctors’ recommendations. Here’s where we landed:
- Our child will wear a high-quality mask. Teachers cannot police mask-wearing. We worked with our school to come up with options for reminders. We made it clear our child needs to mask at this time and any reminders were coming from us as the parents. For many like us, this is a critical layer of protection. As children, they may need some form of support with masking.
- During lunch our child may not want to remove their mask to eat. Our child will have the option to eat in a safe (not crowded) space. They will still be able to socialize in the cafeteria, with quick eating time afterwards elsewhere.
- All classrooms at our school have HEPA air filtration. This provides an added layer of protection. These were purchased by the school’s PTA - not the district. If you want your child’s classroom to have HEPA air filtration, request that. Expect pushback, but ask and have in writing from your pediatrician/doctor if possible. In a maskless environment, this is proven to reduce viral spread in classrooms. The funding is there.
- We asked for notifications of COVID cases at the school as they are reported. The principal is required to report cases to the district. We will be notified when cases in our grade level are reported. This communication will help us manage specific health needs.
- I know other parents who have been able to have their children seated with other masked students, seated with extra distance between classmates and facilitated outdoor lunch volunteers.
In summary: If you have any request for COVID safety accommodations for your family - ask your school. Bring in your School Board member, if needed. Don’t be afraid of the process. But do be patient if it takes a bit of time. Request a meeting at the start of the year. Nothing will be perfect, but there are accommodations that can reasonably be put in place for our students.
One big caveat: The WCPSS district (to date) has not shared guidelines for high-risk and disability accommodations with schools. This means that your school may not do the same things as our school. This creates inequity and lack of consistency across our district.
Thankfully, our school was absolutely amazing in helping accommodate our family. Where something wasn’t possible, we found a compromise as a team.
It’s my hope that sharing our story will help others. Be your child’s advocate. Trust your school and educators. And along the way, perhaps the WCPSS district will make these accommodations consistent and standard for those who need them.
Remember: You are not alone.
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