ST. LOUIS — School districts across St. Louis are rolling back their plans for the start of the year – many choosing to go all-online – but that's not the case for many private, religious schools.
Earlier this week, 5 On Your Side reported some of those schools are seeing increased enrollment because they're opening their classrooms, but teachers are worried about returning.
“It's like my heart wants to go back. My brain is saying this is the craziest thing ever, and we just can’t stay safe in the environment,” one teacher said.
Four teachers spoke to 5 On Your Side, asking not to share their names because they're afraid to lose the jobs they love – the same jobs they're afraid to go back to.
One teacher said her biggest concern is the elderly relative she lives with, saying she would never forgive herself if she brought the virus home and the family member got sick or died.
Another said she fears the risk of exposing children to a virus for which the long-term impacts remain a mystery.
“I don't know how, as a parochial school and a Catholic school, that we care about pro-life, that we're making an exception in this case,” the first teacher said. “You know, ‘So what if we lose a teacher or a student? It's worth us opening up.’”
At their school, they claim the safety plan isn't fleshed out yet. Even with required masks and social distancing, necessary equipment hasn’t been delivered and the workload seems too great for the small staff.
“You know, they'll clean as much as they can, but we have one cleaner in our school,” the first teacher said.
Across the Archdiocese of St. Louis, there isn't a one-size-fits-all plan for parishes because the guidelines are different in each county, and each school is different, spokesman Peter Frangie said.
The archdiocese said it takes seriously the recommendations of health officials, and in St. Louis, it's working with those officials to get teachers tested. But not all will be able to before their schools reopen, Frangie said.
The teachers who spoke to 5 On Your Side are calling on St. Louis County, where their school is located, to require schools to be all-virtual. Right now, it’s just a recommendation.
But “a school outbreak or imminent public health threat may require additional closures in order to protect residents,” St. Louis County spokesman Doug Moore said.
By then, the teachers say it would be too late.
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