Recently, an image from a Georgia school that showed a crowded hallway, shortly after reopening, went viral. The image showed students crammed together, and there were few visible masks. It quickly went viral, drumming up worry and criticism about how schools are going about reopening and whether the plans in place are enough to keep students and teachers safe. Now we're finding out that the student who posted the picture has been suspended from school.
Hannah Watters is a student at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia. After a photo of the packed hallways on the first day of school went viral, Hannah says nothing has really changed. So she took a subsequent photo to show people what was really going on. She told CNN, "I was concerned for the safety of everyone in that building and everyone in the county because precautions that the CDC and guidelines that the CDC has been telling us for months now, weren't being followed."
Posting a picture of your school hallway to social media doesn't seem like bad behavior. But Hannah says she was suspended from school as a result of taking the image and sharing it online. Some say it's a pretty harsh penalty for raising awareness about the health and safety of those heading into the school building each day, as well as their families at home.
On top of that, people have a right to know what is going on in schools. There have been major debates around the country as schools get ready to reopen. States have to make difficult decisions about what the new school year will look like. While many are reopening with some precautions in place, others are going virtual. In many cases, those heading back to the classroom don't feel all that safe.
Still, Superintendent Brian Otott said the photo was taken out of context, writing: "Class changes at the high school level are a challenge when maintaining a specific schedule. It is an area we are continuing to work on in this new environment to find practicable ways to further limit students from congregating."
He continued, "Students are in this hallway environment for just a brief period as they move to their next class. … There is no question that the photo does not look good. … Wearing a mask is a personal choice, and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them."
Hannah revealed that the school said she violated three conduct policies: using her phone during instruction time, using her phone during school hours for social media, and filming students and posting on a social media platform. But students in grades 9 through 12 are exempt from the phone ban, and she didn't post the photo until school was over. She does admit she broke the policy on posting images of students to social media.
Even though she broke a rule, Hannah stands behind her decision to post the picture. "I'd like to say this is some good and necessary trouble," she said. "My biggest concern is not only about me being safe, it's about everyone being safe because behind every teacher, student and staff member there is a family, there are friends, and I would just want to keep everyone safe."
Thankfully, there was enough outrage of Hannah's suspension that as of this morning, the school staff called her to let her know they were reversing it. She will be allowed to come back to school next week.
School district staff say they are going to continue making adjustments to ensure that everyone feels safe while at school. They have already made Thursday and Friday virtual learning days. But in a school that is packed with kids going from class to class, many still feel it's a recipe for disaster. And plenty of schools and camps that have opened up across the US have already seen high numbers of COVID-19 cases.
It's an incredibly uncertain time, and for many, no amount of precautions are going to make them feel safe about going back to school. A group of Ohio teachers recently wrote their own obituaries to protest the lack of precautions being put in place in their state as schools get ready to reopen. We're likely to see a lot more people speaking out about what is going on behind the scenes as more kids and teachers head back to class.
There are definitely mixed feelings across the board. Dr. Anthony Fauci has said he supports students going back to school with precautions. But with varying rates of infections, classroom size, and more, there are just so many things to think about and little time to do it.
Many schools have already opened their doors, and with fall fast approaching, more will be following suit. Meanwhile, in many states, hospitalizations are still rising. Schools will have to be flexible and listen to experts as well as community members in order to keep their staff and students safe and protected.
It's a huge burden, and no one knows exactly how to approach reopening in these uncertain times. That being said, we should all welcome seeing feedback from students about whether or not they feel safe, not penalize them for sharing their concerns.
