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Saw a quote from @PHLCouncil member in the paper saying, “Students are safer in schools than at home.”
I’m not calling out that person. No, I think this under-examined idea undergirds some rationales folks have for opening school buildings. And I want us to reflect on it...
I’m not calling out that person. No, I think this under-examined idea undergirds some rationales folks have for opening school buildings. And I want us to reflect on it...
One thing, at its core, it’s incredibly disrespectful to families. And it likely relies on decades worth of “culture of poverty” policy, academic, and public discourse that blames (Black and Brown) families for poverty.
Google it or see: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/116064/chapters/The-Myth-of-the-Culture-of-Poverty.aspx
Google it or see: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/116064/chapters/The-Myth-of-the-Culture-of-Poverty.aspx
I’m also reflecting on recent news reports about youth suicide and depression. Some folks are only reading headlines and are incorrectly stating that schools being closed is a root cause. But that’s a fundamental misreading of what’s going on...
...For starters, unfortunately schools *aren’t* necessarily places that are psychologically safe for students. Racist curricular, underfunding, dearth of counselors, failures to respond to bullying. The list is long. If you didn’t wanna invest then...so why talk about it now? ...
...Additionally, deeper reading of reports on depression, suicide point out that *American society* is in disarray. The pandemic has been criminally under-addressed by govt leaders. Families are struggling. This affects mental health. Opening school buildings doesn’t solve this.
Third, the “safer in schools” narrative ignores that environmentally, many schools aren’t safe at all. Not from lead or or asbestos or COVID or indoor air pollution. If this is the case—and you don’t have respect for the safety families offer—whew. I mean, do you *really* care??
Fourth, “safer in school than at home” discourse abdicates responsibility for addressing what might make homes more safe. Jobs w/living wages, payments for those who can’t work, universal healthcare, community investments, green spaces, clean air. Schools fix none of this...
...which makes clear that the “safer in schools” narrative is a cousin to the narrative that “schools are the great equalizer”—when we know that’s not really true.
A lot of this has been first-draft thinking (although, that quote has stuck with me for a few days now). Maybe I’ve missed something here. Or maybe I’ve invited some critique, which is welcome. But I couldn’t let this moment pass without going on the record with my thoughts.
Sorry. Let me be clear. The Inquirer article paraphrased a city council person as saying, “school is the safest place for students.” But even that paraphrase is troubling because it dismisses that homes and families often offer the greatest safety.
And my other points still stand. We act like schools are a cure for structural poverty and racism. But we know—looking at the environmental conditions, curricula, funding, practices, what programs get on purchases by the school board—that’s just not true.
