On Health and Wellness
There is almost nothing that unsettles the mind quite so badly as disease. We can generally imagine ways in which to defend ourselves against any number of enemies, but the invisibility of a bacteria, virus, or prion combined with the sense that merely going about our day-to-day lives invariably puts us at risk of contracting something from which we might not recover, can nearly undo us. Adding to these wholly natural worries and anxieties is an untrustworthy news media fear mongering one moment and downplaying concerns the next, making it nearly impossible to discern the truth and what our reactions to an evolving situation ought to be. Therefore, we can be forgiven for vacillating between paranoia and complacency. Where does the balance lie? How can we strike a prudent mean that allows us to be vigilant in a practical way.
The media have presented us with a dilemma about what our response to COVID-19 ought to be. We see schools closing in Europe and Asia, travel restrictions, warnings from our own government about travelling by air. There is a great deal being done and said by governments worldwide to suggest that the situation is serious if not dire. Against this, we observe that seasonal influenza has affected more people than this newest corona virus, to include claiming over 18,000 lives in the United States. Even in chatting casually with parents in our own small community, there are both those who express the highest level of concern and those who believe that the media coverage is overdone and hyperbolic. Whatever our own position, it is certainly not something about which to be cavalier or flippant.
As we try to teach our students, it is always important to try and find out the truth. While we may, for instance, have our doubts about the veracity of the Chinese Communist Party’s reporting regarding this virus, we may nevertheless work to inform ourselves by looking to the communications from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Larimer County Health Department, and the Poudre School District. We should not look to any of these agencies to make decisions for us or our families, but we should consider the value and persuasiveness of the information that each is endeavoring to provide.
In reviewing this information, and in seeking out a practical way in which to be vigilant, there are a number of things that make good sense. Not only do the following actions protect us from illness, they go some ways towards recognizing our character pillars of citizenship and responsibility by protecting others from illness.
Review with children how to practice basic hygiene: wash hands with soap for twenty seconds after using the restroom, blowing their nose, and before eating.
Remind children not to share foods or beverages with other students.
If your child is feverish or exhibiting signs of being sick, please keep them at home.
Discuss with your family how you would handle an extended school closure. Options might include a heavier reliance on the LMS to receive worksheets and other instructions from faculty. I hope that this will not be necessary, but in the event that it should be, I do not want for us to be caught off guard.
Finally, one of the greatest benefits of attending a charter school is its ability to solicit feedback from its members on important matters. In the next day or so, you can expect to receive a one-question survey from us about how you would like to see this matter handled by Ridgeview. While we have no intention at the moment of closing the school in response to this situation, we have observed enough comments from the CDC and other agencies about the importance of ‘telelearning’ and the possible consequences of having to suspend operations for an extended period of time that we are soliciting feedback from our community now about what they feel is an appropriate response to this situation.
I hope that everyone will not only stay healthy, but that each of us will do their utmost to ensure that everyone within our community is able to do so. Be vigilant.
D. Anderson
Principal
