Hugging You In My Heart
Hugging You In My Heart by Sarah M. White
Dear Students,
Mourning
This poem already feels like a relic. On Friday 8/21/20, Public Health Madison Dane County announced that only grades PreK-2 can open in person. They released new metrics for school openings tied to the 14 day average of new cases.
I am sad that this metric was not released until 5 pm on the last Friday before our Tuesday start of school, the same day students brought their supplies to school and set up their lockers. I feel so bad for our teachers who spent the week preparing for students and the administration who has been arranging classrooms all summer, measuring desks, and waiting, waiting, waiting, for someone to pass a rule. I am upset at our government's handling of this crisis and the continuous passing the buck down the next rung for someone to make a decision. I am upset that when Gov. Evers tried to take control of the situation in our state, his power was stripped away by the state supreme court.
The purpose of this post is not to persuade anyone that opening schools in WI is the best thing to do, because honestly that depends on the preparedness of the school, the case numbers in the region, the teachers and families, and other factors. I believe our particular school was prepared to open safely, and this is a mourning post. Mourning for how this decision was handled, how the responsibility has been passed down the line until the very last day and, how our teachers, administrators, families, and students have been caught in the middle of it all. I am so sad, but I'm not giving up.
*This post represents my own personal and political views and does not represent the views of my school, administration, or co-workers.*
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