Letters to the Editor: This is California. Let's have school in outdoor classrooms
To the editor: Who says education at school must occur inside a classroom? Let's get creative and go low-tech. ("School classrooms in most California counties won't open due to coronavirus surge," July 17)
We live in California, where the weather in the fall is mild. Delay the opening of school to mid-September or October. Purchase tents and blackboards, bring the desks outside and hold school in outdoor classrooms.
Reduce class size by 50%, with students alternating attendance days. Fridays could be online teacher-student conference days with no in-person classes. Students could complete homework and projects on their at-home days.
Remote learning via computer is not the only solution. We can do this if we think outside the box.
Wendy Prober, Tarzana
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To the editor: According to the California Department of Public Health's official website, the number of COVID-19 deaths for Californians under 18 years old thus far is zero.
Not "fewer than the flu," not "fewer than deaths from riding a bike," but zero.
And, studies from other countries that have their infections under control and opened schools have shown that students are not major spreaders of the disease.
Still, Gov. Gavin Newsom has closed down most schools in California. He has greatly diminished learning throughout the state, with the hardest impact on low-income and minority communities.
This is the most shameful act of political cowardice in my lifetime.
Christopher Seiber, Newport Beach
