Sandy Sanchez said there’s no way her children would be safe in school amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lido Beach mother said she doesn’t think she could wear a mask all day, let alone her kids do it. She wants them schooled at home.
“I personally think it’s safer and wiser to not put my kids in harm’s way,” said Sanchez, 50, who has a daughter in middle school and another in high school.
As Long Island parents look toward the start of school — and await final plans from their districts and the state this week — they have different views on whether to send their children back into the brick-and-mortar world of education.
Many say they are aware that children constitute a fraction of reported cases and deaths, but some worry that much remains unknown about the coronavirus, which has surpassed 4.6 million cases in the United States, including more than 150,000 deaths.
Beyond that, they watched their children through the four months of school shutdowns, seeing many struggle with remote learning and become antsy trying to fill the empty hours. They’ve heard their kids’ elation at being away from school transform to increasing calls to see their friends, play sports or act in the school play.
