‘So scared.’ Tacoma students share fears of soon returning to in-person learning
Returning to in-person learning at Foss High School in Tacoma has Makesha Conzuelo concerned.
Conzuelo lives with her mom and dad, and she worries about potentially getting them sick with COVID-19, especially because her father has had cancer twice.
“That’s my own concern with him, because I would be the transmitter in that situation,” said Conzuelo, a senior.
Rowan Ali, also a senior at Foss, lives in a multigenerational household and knows other students who do as well, including some families who have moved in together because they couldn’t afford to stay at separate homes. She says it highlights a major inequity issue.
“To bring an external threat inside, just because we went back to school, is going to be really difficult, and that’s something that isn’t taken into account,” said Ali during public comment at a recent Tacoma School Board meeting. “That’s why we are here to stand up and speak (for) those people, where equity isn’t fully fulfilled all over the board.”
Tacoma Public Schools officials say they are addressing concerns from students, staff and parents and want to reopen schools safely. State health guidelines allow districts in Pierce County to bring back in-person learning safely starting with its youngest students.
“We want to hear from you, and please know that the work we’re trying to do — we’re trying to think in terms of your best interest. And hearing from you helps us be clear about what that is,” said board president Andrea Cobb at the Feb. 25 board meeting.
Conzuelo and Ali aren’t the only students concerned with heading back to school, which middle and high school students are expected to do two days a week later this month in a hybrid model.
A student-led group, Voices of the Future Tacoma, was recently created to help bolster student voices in the conversation of returning to in-person learning. The group has voiced multiple concerns, ranging from mental health, physical health, communication from the district and heightened risks to communities of color.
“We’re concerned about the safety overall,” said Tyonna Moore, a junior at Foss. “...This isn’t the first time where (the district) didn’t consider student voices, and we want our voices to be heard.”
The group issued a survey Feb. 20 asking students how they felt about returning to in-person learning. The survey is open through March 8. About 300 responses have been received so far.
Students shared the preliminary results at a school board meeting on Feb. 25. Of roughly 200 students representing 16 Tacoma high schools and middle schools, 78 percent said they were concerned about returning to school.
Ky Truong, executive ASB president at Foss, shared testimony from other students who lived with at-risk relatives or who were homeless.
“There is a population of students who do not have the privilege to be unaffected by the consequences of returning to in-person learning. Some of us have already experienced the pain of losing one to this pandemic,” she said.
The concerns
Students recently spoke out to the Tacoma Public Schools Board of Directors to make their voices heard.
Among their concerns: vaccination availability for people returning to school, strict mask mandates and lack of mental health resources both in school and online.
Kelsey Monaghan-Bergson, a senior at Wilson High School, said the district must enforce strict mask requirements and consequences to ensure the safety of students and staff.
“If the school can send home a student for violating the dress code, they can certainly do the same for a student who refuses to wear a mask properly,” she said.
Tacoma Public Schools states on its website that if a staff member or student refuses to wear a mask, the school’s COVID-19 supervisor will be alerted. Each school has its own plan, but some students feel those plans either aren’t clear enough or are hard to access.
Students also highlighted risks to students belonging to communities of color, who have been hit the hardest by COVID-19.
“Please reconsider your decision and take into accounts all the voices that are being unheard right now,” Conzuelo said.
The students asked the district to implement a third option that would allow for those who wished to remain remote to do so, rather than choose between Tacoma Online or return to school.
The district offers Tacoma Online, an all-online platform for students and recently opened its registration for next year. Students say the program is capped and that some classes are not available, including International Baccalaureate (IB) classes, similar to Advanced Placement (AP) classes that allow students to take college-level courses.
At Foss High School, many students are enrolled in the IB program. A majority of students there — nearly 70 percent — are non-white, with roughly 22 percent Black and 20 percent Hispanic, according to OSPI.
“You’re telling myself and my low-income friends of color that we are not worth your consideration and that our families are not worth protecting,” said Tara Ryan, a Foss High School sophomore.
Please consider giving us the choice to stay remote,” said Foss student Unyque Etters.
Ryan told the board that she knows the value of going to school in-person with teachers and peers but worries whether safety protocols can be followed thoroughly.
“I know I am not alone in my risks and fears and I need you to know how many students in our community like me are so scared,” Ryan said.
Nathan Essman, a senior at Wilson High School and a school board student representative, applauded students for speaking their minds, but added he wanted to make sure all student voices were represented.
“I also want to say that there a lot of kids who are excited about going back, kids who think it will be better learning in person,” he said. “... For some of my senior friends and seniors that I know in my classes, they’re excited to be able to have those last few memories, but I do understand the concerns and I’m glad to see the district and the board are taking those into account.”
Wilson student and board rep Indigo Hill echoed that the district should ensure that COVID-19 safety plans are accessible to the public.
“I know we are taking precautions — make those public to our youth and our students and our community just to make sure everyone feels safe going back,” said Hill.
District response
Tacoma School Board members thanked students for coming forward.
“Thank you for all the students coming forward … They are valid concerns,” said board director Enrique Leon.
Leon asked Superintendent Carla Santorno for ways to ensure each school’s plan is easily accessible to the public.
“Let’s please make that more accessible — that was a very important point that a student brought up,” he said.
Leon added that from visiting schools, safety protocols implemented by the district look like they are being followed.
“I was at Jefferson Elementary last week doing a tour, and watched Pre-K to second graders just be stellar at mask wear,” he said.
Leon acknowledged other districts have said older students sometimes do not follow instructions as well, but saw students at a recent Lincoln High School football game wear masks appropriately.
Leon, who is a family physician with MultiCare, also argued that mental health of students will improve when returning to school.
“Kids are able to socialize with their masks on but still be safe,” he said. “So we’re going to see that improvement in the mental health burden, the depression, the suicidality…”
Some students feel adequate mental health services are still needed on campuses.
“Going back to school shouldn’t be a band aid solution to mental health,” Conzuelo said. “They should be focusing on resources to provide students with mental health resources, such as counselors or even outside programs that are free to use.”
District officials also said there are ways to complete an IB diploma remotely but acknowledged that Tacoma Online did not offer IB classes.
“We’ve tried to be as transparent as possible ... that there are some limitations of certain classes that can’t happen in (Tacoma Online),” said deputy superintendent Josh Garcia.
When asked what the consequences are for students who refuse to wear a mask, TPS officials directed The News Tribune to temporary modifications to the district’s policies.
“As a last resort, schools may exclude a non-exempt student for refusing to wear a face covering. If a student is excluded, the school must provide the student with an opportunity to receive educational services during the exclusion and then return the student to their regular educational setting when the exclusion ends,” according to the policy.
Pierce County currently sits at a COVID-19 case rate of 187.8 cases per 100,000 people over a two-year period, with a 6-day data lag for accuracy. Tacoma Public Schools follows state guidance for returning for in-person learning that recommends phasing in of in-person learning starting with elementary students to secondary students.
Still, students remain nervous.
“I’m eager to shift into the hybrid environment, but not at the expense of the health of staff and students and their families,” Monaghan-Bergson said.
