By Anton Dedvukaj
Another school year has nearly come and gone, and, well, that certainly was a year.
Even more so than last year, I’d argue this was the year that was most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, it was at its height, but it was only for three months. This was a hybridized version of distance learning, but it lasted all year. However, this isn’t meant to be about my opinion on the school year and how COVID-19 affected it, it’s meant to be a review of what, in my opinion, Irvington UFSD did right and wrong with its handling of the pandemic.
Here’s the thing: I’d actually argue that Irvington did a lot right.
The hybrid schedule certainly could have been a lot worse than it was. At least it allowed us to go into school and have some semblance of the social interaction we usually get from school if we chose to go in, while also acknowledging the fears of others and letting them stay at home if they wished. We were also able to keep school open for a very long time, only missing nearly a week in January.
Also, the COVID-19 survey was a solid way of keeping people accountable for going to school and ensuring people’s safety. It is far from a perfect system, but given the circumstances, it’s probably as good as you could get. Mask breaks were also a good idea, giving kids time to socialize while also giving them a break from those annoying and potentially uncomfortable things we kept on our faces the majority of the time.
Now, even with that, I would argue that there were some tactics that I didn’t really care for. For starters, the barriers. You don’t need me to tell you that these weren’t a great idea. They blocked the board in some classes, made it harder to have discussions in class, made trying to pay attention while sitting in the back of the class a nightmare, and generally didn’t seem to do much.
Also, you could make the argument that social distancing could have been enforced better, but in a district with 100s of students, I’m willing to cut the administration a little bit of slack there. Being able to enforce any regulations must have been a challenge.
All in all, Irvington honestly handled this situation pretty well in my opinion. With the 2021-22 school year on the horizon, here’s to hoping the end of the pandemic, and thus the need for any sort of regulations in school, is in sight.
- For more on the lessons of 2020-21, read “Lose the Barriers, Keep the Breaks” by Olivia Yin.
