In a survey sent out to members of the Harker Journalism news staff, 96.9% of the 32 responders indicated that they agreed with the stance of this editorial.

With speculation and rumors spreading faster than the omicron variant itself, tension permeates the campus atmosphere, as empty seats dot classrooms and lunchtime conversations detail the friends who are quarantining in their rooms. In total, 48 students and 16 staff members have tested positive since the start of the school year. 

At the heart of our concerns are two issues: COVID (both omicron and delta variants) and face-to-face school.

Our community remains split 45% to 55% between whether the best course of action during the current surge is remote or in-person school, indicating the fracture in balancing our physical and mental health.

In a survey sent out on Jan. 11, in which 255 out of 808 students and 25 out of 251 faculty and staff members responded, Harker Aquila found that about a third of those responding reported feeling unsafe or very unsafe on campus in light of COVID-19 and variants. 

Compared to the results of the upper school student survey from Dec. 3, in which 97.7% of students indicated feeling safe at school, this difference we’re feeling this month reflects an uncertainty unusual to our on-campus experience, with about 50.0% responding that worries about omicron/COVID are distracting them from learning while they are in class. 

The issue is divisive even among Aquila’s news staff: we’ve had long conversations about which options to propose.

Even though staying on campus carries a risk of COVID, our editorial board currently recommends remaining with in-person learning, in accordance with guidance from Santa Clara County health officials to avoid the mental strains in transitioning back to remote learning. Balancing the concern about the severity of omicron’s spread versus our mental health. 

But maintaining a healthy in-person environment requires commitment to transparency. In order to remain in-person while increasing student and faculty safety, the editorial board also suggests the following steps to restore confidence in our safety at school:

Improve communication directly to students

The Harker COVID-19 Data Dashboard provides one example of transparency regarding testing statistics and the spread of COVID in our community. Harker’s portal of safety protocols and testing procedures should be communicated in each email from administration. Parents receive weekly updates from the administration, yet this information is not always relayed to students, who are the ones coming into contact at school and should be notified of information pertaining to their own safety. 

80.0% of sampled students do not know that the COVID dashboard provides data regarding positive cases at the upper school. The dashboard needs to accurately reflect the number of positive cases across all campuses, and our administration should direct weekly updates about relevant information regarding tests administered and positive cases to students, as well as parents. Frequent emails and Schoology posts directly to students reduce the spread of false information and ensure that students have easy access to pertinent data instead of hypothesizing about infection rates.

Keep our faculty and staff safe

Our faculty and staff have shown tremendous courage during these times, even though they are statistically more likely to face more serious symptoms than younger people. In an email to parents on Jan. 3, Head of School Brian Yager noted that substitute teachers will fill in on behalf of faculty members who contract COVID, and remote learning remains a possibility if classes and programs are short of the staff needed to operate, which has not yet occurred. Students should remain at home if you think you’ve been exposed and are showing symptoms. Our faculty and staff are facing the pandemic’s challenges right alongside us. By doing all we can to protect our staff as we transition to the second semester, we safeguard the adults who shape our daily experience at school. 

Make testing and close contact protocols more accessible to students

Although the administration only informs parents when a close contact of a student tests positive, students should also receive this notification, especially with information pertaining to personal health. Protocols regarding what steps individuals should take if they test positive, come into close contact with an infected individual or detect symptoms should be released to all students. Current COVID-testing protocol is unclear: 24.5% responded that they did not know how to receive a COVID test on campus. Sending defined, accessible instructions to students eliminates uncertainty surrounding what actions students should take if they believe they have interacted with the virus in any way.

On an individual level, refrain from treating the omicron variant, more contagious than the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as a “common cold,” a frequent yet inaccurate comparison heard at school. Researchers and the CDC currently lack sufficient data regarding the severity of omicron compared to other variants, and risk of contraction still depends on vaccination status and health conditions.

By committing to clearing up misunderstandings about health protocols, we feel safer as a whole.

For more on Harker’s COVID protocols, visit the FAQ we’ve created. Please direct any concerns you would like addressed to [email protected] or DM @harkeraquila on Instagram.

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Nicole Tian

In a survey sent out on Jan. 11, in which 255 out of 808 students and 25 out of 251 faculty and staff members responded, Harker Aquila found that half of the sample indicated COVID posed a distraction to learning. Votes on in-person or remote learning show a 55% to 45% split.