Nonprofit Mississippi News In August, the Greenville Public Schools District chose to go all-virtual because of the coronavirus outbreak in Washington County. Superintendent Debra Dace stated in the district’s return of school plan that the district would “always strive to make decisions that are best for students, staff, and other stakeholders …” However, after numerous instances of being kept in the dark about the status of students who were infected and the recent death of a teacher, at least one educator in Mississippi Today said that her colleagues are not being taken into account. According to the teacher, she discovered that a student in her school had contracted the virus late in summer, just before classes started. The announcement was made on Facebook but it wasn’t directly communicated with the teachers from that building. The teacher explained to Mississippi Today that someone had told him (that the district had announced it) on Facebook. However, he said that he doesn’t use Facebook very often. “So, I didn’t know about it until someone shared with me.” On Nov. 3, a Greenville School District teacher died. One family member posted on Facebook that he had died from COVID-19. Mississippi Today couldn’t confirm his cause of death. The teacher stated that the district did not inform staff about it, but posted the news on Facebook. “That’s all that I heard. The Greenville teacher stated that was it. The Greenville School District declared that all its students would be moving to virtual learning a week later. This is a problem that is affecting all of Mississippi as the number COVID-19 cases has risen for the third consecutive year. Many districts are still using traditional or hybrid learning. Although district officials claim they make decisions with teacher and student safety in mind; educators who spoke to Mississippi Today stated that they feel unsafe because they don’t know if someone has contracted the virus and they need to quarantine them. Mississippi Today spoke to teachers and parents across the state, asking for anonymity in order not to be retaliated by their local school districts. The Greenville Public Schools District, Cleveland Public Schools District and Simpson County School districts were all denied the allegations and stated that they had been following the proper channels of communication. One parent in the Cleveland School District said that they were warned this summer by the band director about their child’s potential loss of their spot if they didn’t attend band camp. Both the child and his parents contracted COVID-19. One parent decided to inform the band director so that she could communicate with other parents, and assist them in quarantining their children. I told her my child was concerned about losing their place. She said that they had some students who were quarantined within the past few weeks and she didn’t need to worry about it. “Why hadn’t this been reported to the parents of this school district?” I asked myself. A different source close to Cleveland School District later stated that teachers were not made aware by administrators when they were exposed. Instead, the leaders only sent lists to teachers for students who were quarantined. A Simpson County School District teacher claims that administrators don’t tell teachers when students have been exposed to coronavirus. Mississippi Today was told by the teacher that some of her students have COVID and that school administrators have not informed anyone except for a few students. “We have older teachers that they haven’t been told, ‘Hey, you’ve been exposed to COVID.’ So they’re just not telling anyone.” The teacher also reached out the Mississippi State Department of Health. However, she was informed that it was up to schools to decide who to inform when someone is infected. This goes against the MSDH guidelines, which require that schools or groups notify affected schools that COVID-19 cases have been reported. According to the Mississippi Department of Education, all school districts must follow the MSDH directives. These guidelines state that anyone coming into contact with a person infected by the coronavirus needs to be tested and kept in quarantine for 14-days, even if it is negative. A teacher or staff member who is considered “essential” but has been infected with the virus can continue to work if they do not show symptoms. The school will also monitor their temperature and symptoms daily, according to MSDH policy. It is also stated in the health department policy that the district must notify any school or group that COVID-19 has been identified. The Simpson County teacher said that if that’s the policy then those who answer the phones at the health office don’t know. Teachers in Clarksdale Municipal Schools District said that they get “gossip,” from students, parents, and co-workers about potential cases within their district, but not principals. There is so much risk, and there’s no discussion about it at all. It’s frightening,” Clarksdale teacher stated. “I feel very lucky that I don’t have any children to which I don’t bring this home. “I know that’s a situation a lot of teachers are in.” Clarksdale teachers also stated they don’t believe the district cares about teachers or staff safety. They claim that the Clarksdale district hasn’t provided personal protective equipment (PPE), since the beginning of school. To ensure that their classroom was clean, the students purchased supplies with their own money or had their parents give them wipes and sanitizers. Another Clarksdale teacher stated that “it makes me feel really uncomfortable, and our administration (says), we are a group, but that teamwork only extends state testing priorities and does not concern teacher health or teacher wellbeing.” Clarksdale superintendent Earl Joe Nelson, Jr., stated that the district has “far from out” PPE and delivers weekly to schools. For guidance from the CDC or MSDH, he advised teachers to contact their principals first. He said that teachers can contact him personally if they have concerns or are not satisfied. He said, “Our goal not to keep them in darkness… We have people who are overly concerned and people who don’t want to (come to work),” in a telephone call to Mississippi Today. “If they have any concerns, I will take full responsibility and address them immediately.” Two schools in the district were closed by Nelson due to the spread of the virus: Clarksdale High School and George H. Oliver Elementary. They were both offering a hybrid learning model, but they are completely virtual. Erica Jones, president of Mississippi Association of Educators, stated that teachers and school administrators can communicate openly to reduce anxiety and fear. Jones stated, “This is a matter if life or death.” “Our educators are entering these buildings every day. “Our educators are going into these buildings every day. For example, in Prentiss County School district, school staff are informed when someone on campus has been diagnosed with COVID-19. They are also told that they will be contacted personally if the person has been exposed. “I agree completely and appreciate how they are handling it. Alison Rausch, a Prentiss County School district teacher, said that you want to know what’s going on around you. The Clinton Public School District also regularly issues press releases when someone contracts the virus. MSDH data shows that at least 7,127 teachers and students have been tested positive for COVID-19 as of Nov. 10. The data is not reliable because it’s self-reported and the number schools reporting varies each week. Teachers also claim that these statistics are incorrect because school administrators don’t accurately report how many students were infected. Teachers who feel that administrators aren’t caring about their well-being in districts where school leaders don’t communicate with them about campus infection claims they have felt. The Greenville Public School teacher said, “It’s frightening because it’s terrifying because I feel like there’s sitting ducks.” “We’re just waiting for this virus to strike.” Make a regular donation to support this important work today.