As COVID-19 cases are increasing, our district thinks it is a good idea to increase our interactions and vulnerability, for second semester. 

Well, COVID-19 does not just stop when the new semester rolls around. The hybrid schedule has just started to feel normal and students are finally starting to feel less scared to go to school, why throw a new curveball of going back five days a week?

When the school year began, like many others, I was terrified to go back. Remote learning was not an option with many of my classes, but I was willing to take an undesirable schedule if it meant I was not going to be at risk. When they announced it would only be two days a week, I felt relieved and not as scared to go back. 

It took a while to adjust, but the hybrid schedule has been the best option. It is the perfect balance of being able to get help from teachers and also allows for social distancing. 

However, due to angry parents, we will be returning five days a week if a student wants to continue with in-person learning.

This is ludicrous. There will always be irrational parents who do not understand that in our unique circumstance, the usual education system is just not possible. 

Sophomore Chloe Koons feels the same way.

“I think we shouldn’t be rushing kids to go back to school during this pandemic,” Koons said. “Throughout this whole situation, we have been progressing in slow but steady stages, and should continue that with EHS.”

In a perfect world, we would all return five days a week and everything would go back to normal, but we are in the middle of a pandemic. As hard as it is to believe, when there is a pandemic, sometimes there are more important things like students’ health rather than parents feeling like their child is not getting enough homework.

What parents and the district fail to realize is that there are students who do not bother to follow social distance guidelines, based on the numerous Halloween parties alone. Students who think we should go back are delusional and seem to think that our school is immune to the virus.

Students who live with high-risk people or are high risk and also want a somewhat normal high school experience. It is not fair to make them choose.

With 20 new cases in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon on Nov. 3 alone according to the Madison County Health Department, it is safe to say that the numbers are getting worse. 

The district should be listening to the statistics, not ballistic parents.