Are these restrictions and regulations realistic when reopening schools?

Me

My best friend is an elementary teacher in a relatively large school district. The school board along with health officials and government officials have been having meetings about restrictions and safety measures when reopening the school district in August.

These are some of the regulations they are proposing to enact come August:

1. Half of the student body attends school from 7am-2pm 4 days a week, the other half attends 11am-6pm 4 days a week, with rotating Fridays off.

2. Recess and other group activities are banned; PE and other physical activities would be done alone, students spaced 6ft apart.

3. All desks are to be spaced 6ft apart. In the case of a small overcrowded classroom, “mass classrooms” would be held in the gymnasium.

4. Teachers are to wear masks the entire time they are teaching or interacting with the students.

5. Teachers are not to touch or interact with the students closely.

6. Students are to eat lunch at their spaced out desks; no cafeteria gatherings.

7. No sports/clubs.

A lot of teachers are protesting these measures, saying they are cruel and unusual for younger students who thrive on friend and teacher interactions, and that these measures would be so isolating that they don’t believe the students would be in healthy head spaces to even learn. Some even called the measures “prison-like” for the children, and that it would not be realistic to keep younger children in school until 6pm, when a lot of kids that young start getting ready for bed by 7pm. The limit on the regulations would be undetermined/indefinitely until a vaccine is widely available.

What do you think of these measures? Are they necessary to keep everyone safe or are they over the top and unfair for the students?

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