I recently spoke with Palm Beach County Young Democrats Vice President Alexandria Ayala, candidate for School Board District 2. We spoke about the ongoing pandemic and what it means for children and their families as we try to give them the best quality education in the safest way possible. When asked what makes the school board’s mission meaningful to you, she responded that she’s a big believer in education and providing opportunities to students. She also believes education is the foundation of any good society and she wants to make the county school district the example statewide as well.
When asked her view on fully online schooling for students in the fall, she found that to be a difficult choice, but necessary, given the situation and the number of cases. Reports do show that nearly a third of children tested for COVID in Florida test positive. Since this is a novel virus, the long term effects are, as of yet, impossible to know. Ayala acknowledges that teachers and students indeed want to be in school but the current situation makes that far from feasible. She also believes in supporting teachers and says that quality education begins with the teacher in the classroom.
I also asked how online learning puts certain children at a disadvantage due to a myriad of reasons including, but not limited to, lack of resources, parents who are essential workers and cannot stay home, lack of familiarity with the software, and less interaction with their teachers. Ayala pointed out that distance learning needs a lot of improvement and sadly will delineate the haves and have nots due to the achievement gaps of working-class communities and communities of color who, on the whole, have fewer resources and less funding for education than their upper-class peers. She also mentioned the Palm Beach Economic Council worked together to purchase hotspots to augment the ability of students to access their online learning programs and said, was she on the board, that she would be talking to local educational facilities to find a reliably safe way that some students could come in to socialize and learn with their peers, in whatever form that might take.
We agree that this virus is not political, nor is it partisan. It is up to all of us to take this seriously, listen to our local and national health directors, and put our best efforts forward to beat this virus so students can once again enjoy their traditional in-class learning. One thing is clear, this is uncharted territory for parents, students, and teachers alike.
Sources:
Swisher, Skyler. “Nearly One-Third of Children Tested for COVID in Florida Are Positive. Palm Beach County's Health Director Warns of Risk of Long-Term Damage.” Sun, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 19 July 2020, www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-pbc-health-director-covid-children-20200714-xcdall2tsrd4riim2nwokvmsxm-story.html.
Hou, Chia-Yi. “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning during the Coronavirus Pandemic.” TheHill, 1 July 2020, thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/505452-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-online.