With the growth of case numbers comes a growth of concern for students’ health. While the first semester of the school year was semi-effective in reintroducing in-person schooling, the safety of students and staff should be the priority in 2022.

Over winter break many students stayed home during holidays trying to protect themselves or others. “I didn’t get to leave the house the entire break. I was exposed to Covid and didn’t want to put others at risk even though I tested negative,” explained Freshman student Galina Arakelian. 

Universities such as UCLA and USC require vaccinations, and yet, these universities with fully vaccinated campuses had decided to have remote learning the first two weeks of the new semester due to similar issues and fears experienced by students at GUSD. 

GUSD would be one step behind as many students choose or simply are not allowed to be vaccinated due to parents or health issues. “I have been trying to convince my mom to let me get the vaccine for so long, but she is worried for my safety,” explained Junior student Lilia Hacoupian. 

The vaccine has its faults as well. Though vaccines are very important as our main layer of protection, they are not all-powerful, and fully vaccinated individuals may still fall ill and transmit the illness to others. 

This is important when considering the future of schools, as it is also important to understand that the vaccine has its limitations. “My entire family was vaccinated yet we got covid during the break, it was a wake-up call for many of us,” explained Freshman Tania Manoukian. 

Returning to in-person schooling also has downsides. Students who are forced to be quarantined due to being exposed to Covid face a significant disadvantage in learning as teachers struggle to teach both through zoom, to quarantined students, and also to the ones in person. 

“I fell two weeks behind last semester and it really took a toll on my grades even with me trying my best to prevent it,” said Junior student Sophia Galstyan. As cases increase so will the number of students who are exposed to covid and will therefore have to quarantine. Equality of quality education is a must in a public school, something that is not being acquired during in-person schooling thus far. 

For many students and teachers coming back in person was refreshing and sparked the start of the return to normalcy. However, recovering from a global pandemic is something that should not be rushed, especially when it puts others at risk of falling sick and falling behind in school.