COVID Canary in the Coal Mine: Back to Work...School

       "I triple dog dare you!" (translated: "You go first, sucker!"). If it were any situation other than what we are currently facing, it might be experienced like the scene from the 1983 "A Christmas Story" (depicting a boy compelled by a 'triple dog dare' to place his tongue on a frozen flag pole, not an unfamiliar story of my own childhood). But the scene we currently find ourselves in locally and throughout the world, and what we anticipate in the fall on behalf of children of all ages, is far more serious. With potentially lethal implications, many fear.

       A few months into the ongoing pandemic, in an understandable attempt to reinvigorate a stalled economy, some factories and offices (more the former) started calling workers back, reassuring them that the workplace had been sanitized and safety measures installed. Many a grown adult expressed apprehension and skepticism in response (e.g., "I'm going by work to see how the first shift looks before reporting", one auto worker shared with me as his response about two months ago). In a similar attempt to stop the financial hemorrhage and infuse lifeblood into the economy, many municipalities and states began 'opening up' a month or so ago, after which most if not all have had to pull the reins in a bit, discovering that the 'house is not yet clean' (see 6/27 post here).

       Across the country and throughout the world colleges have begun to share their "unofficial" plans for bringing students back. "Unofficial" as a tacit acknowledgement of the number of viral vagaries yet unaccounted for between now and Labor Day. These range from having students do one week of  'on campus' learning followed by two weeks of Online (aka 'quarantine'?) weeks, to having students come to campus until Thanksgiving, after which...is anyone's guess, at this point. Ostensibly, these arrangements are based on 'safety first' considerations, but it does not take a complete cynic to detect the economic implications behind having students (well, actually their parents) commit to tuition and housing contracts. Personally, I don't think colleges should be apologetic about the economic welfare of their respective institutions and would be better served in the long run by being more transparent with the students and parents (rather than the now ubiquitous "We're here for you"..."We are just trying  keep you safe..."). Most of us, I believe, understand both the immensity and complexity of the challenges facing college, government, and industry leaders.

       Then, of course, there's the millions of younger students, whose school administrators are wracking their brains as their parents wring their hands, waiting to see what rolls out for the fall in their respective school districts, short of an overnight and full scale vaccination. It is now a daily experience in my professional practice that parents are sharing their apprehension first and their assertion second, that they will wait to see what other students and parents experience before sending their child back to school. This, even in the presence of their misgivings regarding the prospects of serving as surrogate teachers again this fall. "See Ya round campus!", at some point.