In response to the “Santa Barbara Teachers Plead for Remote-Only Classes but Parents Want Schools Reopened“ article, it seems to me that our local health authority should be publicly stating its recommendation for whether school begins in a remote or hybrid format.
I saw that there was a panel of professionals at the board meeting, but I would think that the Public Health Officer, Dr. Henning Ansorg, might be the most appropriate person to make a recommendation and suggest specific criteria for which format school takes place in.
As a parent of school-aged kids, I’m interested to know how other parents feel, and I definitely want teachers to feel safe. But when we’re surveyed about which format we prefer, I’m probably going to base my choice on what our local health authority recommends, given our current COVID-19 conditions.