LETTER: ‘If your teacher is dead, you won’t have class this week’

To Ozaukee Press:

I am very concerned about the misinformation the Mequon-Thiensville recall group is distributing. A quote from the recall website: “While other districts are adjusting to a post-pandemic world, children in the MTSD are still trapped under outdated Covid-19 restrictions.”

Post-pandemic world? Truth: We are still in this pandemic and if we don’t work together, we will be wasting more lives, resources and money. The science tells us that this is a novel, highly contagious, evolving virus, and children are part of the transmission system whether they are symptomatic or not. Truth: Children can transmit Covid-19.

The recall group doesn’t seem to think the School Board should be involved in their children’s safety. Guess what, if your teacher is dead, you won’t have class this week. This is not just about children getting Covid-19; it is about reducing the transmission of the virus, which in turn will minimize its ability to mutate and do more harm.

Current CDC recommendations say that schools should consider levels of community transmission as they assess the risk.  This is exactly what the School Board has done when making decisions about mitigation.

Remember that in the fall of 2020, there were realistically no treatments, no vaccine, little knowledge and validation of protection. Ozaukee county cases were spiking. Minimal guidance was given to school districts at that time. What would have happened if our schools had not had a delayed in-person classes (by two weeks) in fall of 2020?

We should be thanking School Board members instead of criticizing them.
Mequon-Thiensville schools were among the minority of schools in 2020 that were actually able to offer five-day, in-person class instruction. Following the health department’s recommendations allowed them to provide that.  

I get it. Wearing a mask all day is a challenge. But instead of telling your child that he or she is a victim of an evil school board, empower them with the knowledge that they are part of the solution to getting this virus under control. Remind them they are keeping themselves as well the school staff and their families safe.  

Vickie Silver
Mequon