Student wellbeing, mental health concerns leads Baraboo public schools to reopen sooner than planned
WiscNewsDec 17, 2020
A lengthy and, at times, heated discussion about that decision followed emotional comments by the district's school resource officers,
Sabol, in her second year as
"I hear a lot of people in the public say, 'Well, they have to stay home. It's safer for them to be at home,'" Sabol said. "But a lot of people that are saying that, they didn't come from a home -- and they're so lucky -- that they didn't come from a home where domestic violence is what they see every night when they go home."
"If they're not in school, how do we know they're eating? How do I see their bruises from the night before? Because they're healed," she said. "I've heard people say, 'They can email you, they can email the counselors.' No, they can't. What if their parent reads that message? What if their parent sees that photo? What if their parent hears them talking to a teacher? The punishment's going to be even worse. So, if we don't get to see them and talk to them, we don't know that they're safe, and that worries us."
Sabol said she understands that the coronavirus poses a public health risk but wants to make sure the community pays more attention to children's mental health and remembers
Pichler,
"They sit home and they're basically just shut down. Friends of my own son have chose that option and shut down, and I think these kids need that interaction -- they need that interaction with each other," Pichler said.
Local health officials still recommend schools remain virtual until
During public comment,
Board member
"I think that is a concern, knowing how strongly that the teachers feel that we're risking their health right after a period when we know people are going to congregate in large groups. That's why
She also pointed to issues with virtual students at the high school not receiving the attention they need when teachers have to focus on in-person students at the same time.
Board Treasurer
"I know a lot of people spend a lot of time with the data, and I don't," McNevin said. "I just look at our kids and I look at the opportunity. I've been on the board 10 years and opportunity is the one word that I've taken away... that all kids deserve that opportunity, and for some of them, it's missing when they don't have a chance to be in person."
His motion passed 4-3 with McNevin, Kujak, Peterson and President
Thome emphasized that the district is acting in defiance of local public health officials, who are looking at local case data and hospital capacity, which remains a problem. Kujak noted the decision is, however, consistent with recent advice from
Some board members, even those who supported the measure, expressed concerns about staffing, citing the fact that
"We absolutely, absolutely, absolutely have to get these kids back face-to-face. ... But I want to make sure they stay there," Heilman said, adding that closing and reopening and closing again is too disruptive and stressful for everyone.
"We need to work together, and we need to continue to bring these numbers down to a point when we go back that we are going to go back and we're going to be able to stay back," he said. "Let's stay the course (of reopening
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