How Many Times?

Honestly, what's it going to take before some of you realize "President" Trump was a Bad Idea? That actual murder on 5th Avenue he claimed? Because nothing else seems to be registering.

Take going back to school in the fall. Which is something Himself wants us to do, he says for the economy (by which I presume (educated guess) he means his money and that of his cronies). He even bullied some of the scientists at the CDC into saying it was fine. And DeVos, well... I'm not sure what she wants unless it's solely to divert public school funds to her buddies in the private education industry. Which it may well be.

Me? I want kids in school for a) their mental health, b) their educational health (I have Abby, a rising senior in the arts and Lizzy, a rising SpEd 7th-grader), c) my mental health, d) my job - I drive a van for my school district, and e) “the economy” although that’s specious; dead people can’t buy stuff.

But I’m not willing to risk people’s physical health to make that happen.

And today a friend of mine who is not a parent posed the question online - what do the kids want?

I mean, they're not stupid. And anyone who thinks they're going to automatically say they don't want to be in school simply because ugh-it's-school? They haven't been listening.

So I asked my two.

Abby wants to be in school but doesn’t think it’ll be safe because of 1700 kids in her school, not enough room for distancing, and they can’t all be trusted to wear masks and whatever else. Probably the geeky fans of various fandoms would wear masks because they have examples in their media, and many others would, but not all of them, especially as our county sheriff is an anti-masker, so he's not enforcing the rules for these kids or their parents.

Lizzy wants to go to school for the sensory input and social benefits; she does not do well when things don’t smell/feel/sound right. I have no way of making our living room or her bedroom sound like a middle school HVAC system with whispering in the back of the class and people's soles scuffing the floor, making it smell like floor wax and adolescents, or installing floors that "feel right." She also recognizes how dangerous it could be, and as a child with sensory needs, understands how that can be an issue as well... especially for kids who chew on things to aid in concentration.

Neither likes distance schooling.

I suggested pods - still distance schooling but in small groups of people of four to six kids - in the same classes, in their own homes or yards or what-have-you. That way if someone gets sick, there’s a limited scope of transmission. There was some interest from Lizzy and a lot of objections (what if they don't get to pick their pod? What if they don't like their pod? What if...?) but guarded interest from Abby.

And, my own situation notwithstanding, we live in a fairly well-off school district.

But not well-off enough for the likes of "President" 45 or Betsy DeVos, apparently.

Imagine what it must be like for parents who don't have the same options. Guess their kids get to die, so 45 and DeVos and Company don't lose any cash money. Too bad for them.