Although many schools are touting the safety of full-time in-person learning, some students at Northwest Academy fear that despite the school’s precautions, the format won’t be around for long.
A senior at Northwest Academy thinks that the real threat to Covid safety at school is more about what students do outside of school, rather than on campus.
“I think the school’s done pretty well with the Covid safety stuff, but I think it’s more likely for someone to get it while hanging out with people without masks, and then bring it to school from there,” the senior said. “Because people need social interaction now more than ever, I think keeping 100% Covid safety at school just isn’t possible.”
Covid safety hasn’t been entirely effective at other schools in the Portland area. Portland area high schools have been seeing a number of positive Covid tests, nine at Sunset High and 14 at Lincoln High, with more students in quarantine for possible exposure.
“I don’t know the exact number, but there are blocks of kids missing in some of my classes, and I even know a couple of friends who have tested positive,” a junior at Sunset High said. “We all wear masks and everything, but people are still getting it.”
A sophomore at Lincoln High said he’s seen similar patterns at his school.
“There’s definitely people getting it, there are like blocks of two by two seats empty in a couple of my classes,” the sophomore said. “I think people act like Covid is over just because we’re back in school, and forget that there’s still risk out there.”
However, Northwest Academy is a smaller school, with a much higher vaccination rate than many public schools.
“All of the staff are vaccinated, they’re required to be actually, and I’m pretty sure that the student vaccination rate is above 90% for the high school,” Sharon Weir, the Covid Coordinator at Northwest Academy, said.
Along with a high vaccination rate, Northwest Academy has also implemented many Covid safety procedures for students to follow in order to reduce the risk of transmission. Examples include three foot social distancing at all times, restrictions on indoor dining and limited capacity for bathrooms.
A senior at Northwest Academy thinks that while some of the school’s Covid policies are strict, they’re still understandable.
“I think some of the rules are kind of dumb, like the ‘no eating inside restaurants,’ especially going into winter, but at the same time I understand the school’s caution when it comes to Covid stuff,” the senior said. “Better safe than sorry, and all that.”
Unfortunately, 100% Covid safety isn’t realistic among the Northwest Academy students and faculty. Since the start of in-person learning, there have been three reported cases of Covid, one high school student, one high school staff member and one middle school student.
Despite these cases, there remains to be no known transmission of the virus at school. Chris Schuck, the Head of Northwest Academy, says that the precautions in place make transmission unlikely.
“With help from our Covid coordinator and the Multnomah County public health agency, we’ve found both cases to be considered what they’re calling ‘unlikely exposure,’” Schuck said. “Basically, there’s very little risk of transmission, so there isn’t a need for a large shutdown or anything like that.”
Weir says that the Covid team has put several policies into place in case of positive cases.
“The first thing we do when someone tests positive is to look up the seating charts in their classes and contact students that were in close proximity to them, and ask them to wait 48 hours before getting tested,” Weir said. “It’s the most secure way of stopping the spread while also allowing the class to continue, rather than putting everything on hold. If we start to see multiple cases arise across different classes with little correlation, then we’ll start thinking about other options, such as potentially returning to a hybrid format.”
Despite the words of reassurance from the school, some students are still skeptical about how long in-person learning will go on.
“I agree that the risk of transmission while we’re actually at school is relatively low, but that doesn’t mean we’re not at risk,” a junior at Northwest Academy said. “People are going to be hanging out outside of school, there’s nothing the school can do to stop that, and that’s the real risk. If someone comes to school with the virus, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets it from them.”
Since social interaction outside of school is something that quarantine cut down on, students are eager to start hanging out with each other, despite the risk of transmitting the virus.
Another anonymous senior feels that while it is a risk to the school’s Covid safety, it’s a risk worth taking.
“Seeing people and hanging out is such an important part of our lives, especially right after the pandemic,” a senior said. “I think it’s really important to the mental health of students and helps us grow into better people, and I think that’s more valuable than a slight risk of Covid.”
A junior at Northwest Academy feels the same way, thinking that the value of social interaction is worth more than a risk of transmission.
“I get that it’s a risk and all, but I haven’t seen my friends in like a year and a half, and now that we’re back in school you expect me not to hang out with them?” the junior said. “I think for a social person like me, spending time with people is really good for me, I don’t think my mental health is worth a small risk of Covid.”
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