On the question of opening the school, this is a situation like ‘to be or not to be’.  Pupils are skeptical of this question and they don’t have any clear perception of what should be their choice.  

Saara Ahmed, an 8th grader from Queens, NY is preparing to go back to school amid the yet onslaught of coronavirus pandemic provided she gets the assurance of the safety of her and her classmates. Though she fears that many in school may not follow the safety guidelines. Samanya Jannat, a sixth-grader student from Jamaica who recently just moved to the United States feels isolated and thinks that education in person will be good for her, as someone who hasn’t had the opportunity  to fully grasp the education process in the USA. So, she thinks that school (in person) should be carried out with caution.

More than one million students from 1,800 schools in New York City are eager to return to school. However, they (such as the students above) agree that remote learning is the safest plan for now due to the danger of COVID-19.

New York City public schools originally closed on March 16 to slow the spread of Coronavirus. Even so, several other schools were shut down earlier because of the fact that few students tested positive. Mid-April it was announced that schools in New York would remain closed for the rest of the academic year. By March 23, the city’s students started remote learning.

Students were ecstatic at the idea of school from home at first but were quickly learned that remote learning had a lot less to offer than going to school in person. For example, students lost the advantage of asking their teacher crucial questions in person and having it demonstrated to them. They also lost the privilege of interacting with their peers in the classroom.

Parents, of course, understood that their kids were not getting the same level of teaching, yet they were happy with the fact that their kids stayed safe. They too refused to send their kids to school until the pandemic is cleared and a vaccine has arrived, signaling the green light for everyone.

Saara, Jannat, and several other students and their parents spoke to The New York Mail about how they feel about hands-on learning and reopening schools this fall.

“If authority thought of a new way to open up schools, given that it would keep students safe, I would be for it as students are struggling in remote learning. For example, people in less fortunate situations can’t stay at home as the parents need to work,” Saara Ahmed said to The New York Mail.  “If schools opened interactions with other students would be more affectionate as it would have been a while since people have seen their friends in person. This would affect my education as kids would communicate during class at moments they shouldn’t.”

How do you feel about going to school if COVID-19 is still a threat, regardless of social distancing in schools and other guidelines? She answered, “I personally feel that I will not go to school if it is still a threat. Since there are many kids in such a situation, I will be very hesitant going back if COVID-19 is still a threat,” Saara added.

Maria Patino, a student of IS141 The Steinway in Astoria, says- “it’s not the best decision to reopen schools. There are still many cases of coronavirus, and we need to be cautious for the future in case it gets worse. My interactions will definitely change with my classmates because we mostly communicate in person. So, online communicating with each other will be a bit difficult to get used to.” Maria also said, “Going to school while COVID-19 is still a threat regardless of social distancing and other guidelines would still make me quite uncomfortable but also glad that everyone is doing their best to keep us safe.”

Samarah Ahmed (13) an eighth-grade student said to The New York Mail, “I don’t think it would be a good idea to go through with the reopening. Even after taking all those measures, COVID can still spread since students from different areas are going to school.”

“Regardless of the measures to make sure everyone is safe. Reopening makes me feel unsafe because if you catch it and bring it home, people that live in your house/apartment can get infected too,” She added.

                                   Sammanya Jannat on remote learning-file photo

Janice Meneses, a seventh-grade student at IS-141 The Steinway answered, “Since there is still a pandemic, I think alternating between remote learning and going to school would be the best decision. We would maintain social distancing in order to prevent students from getting the virus. It will definitely affect my education and how I interact with classmates and others since we would probably have to social distance, and everyone may have to communicate in a different way.”

“The cases are decreasing so I don’t think it would be a big deal to do online school as well since we’re still trying to prevent the virus.,” She said. 

Sammanya Jannat, a student of George J Rayan middle school said, “Real-time (in person) education will be good for me and my classmates.” She also added that she is confused and overwhelmed about COVID-19, “If students don’t respect social distancing and other guidelines in schools, it will turn very bad for us.”

Mr. Firoz Kabir, father of Samanya Jannat refuses to send his daughter to school while the virus is still a threat. If the numbers rise around the time of school openings, his decision will still stand since he believes it is a risk.

He also shares his opinions on remote learning, which has been used by students all across the country. “It worked for some students, but it is not the best way of learning.” In fact, Mr. Kabir rates his experience and his daughter’s less than 25 out of 100. He believes that although it may have worked for students older, in-person learning is important for younger kids.

“If you have the virus under control, reopen. If you failed to control the virus, then you shouldn’t reopen schools”.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo refuses to put the children in a place where their health, and others is in danger. “We’re not going to use our children as guinea pigs.”, he stated. Cuomo also announced the state guidelines that will need to be met before any school reopens.