Covid Tests are the only tests we should be focusing on this year

Schools need to delay opening until the proper testing is in place

Is it possible to take blood from a stone? That’s how I feel like a New York City public school teacher navigating working during a pandemic. But now, more than ever I feel my life, my well-being is completely expendable.

With a new mayor and a new variant entering the city at the same time there is little that I can do to offer safety and assurance to my students, my colleagues, and yes myself.

Every single article I read about this situation simply states that kids need to be in school. And no one is arguing that point. Many kids learn better in school. However, when a deadly virus rips through a city sometimes modifications need to be made. Adaptation is at the core of survivalism.

I am not contesting the loss to students these past years due to the pandemic- I know this firsthand. They have lost social skills and routines, and many can’t sit still. It is a year of fighting and frustration and suicide in teens is at an all-time high. And yet, I still think schools should delay opening until they are able to contain the epidemic.

Starting school in an organized manner during rising fear and record numbers of cases is what…