Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CESJDS high school students have been learning remotely for the past eight months. While JDS has created a well-rounded remote learning program, Zoom classes will never match in-person instruction.

Although there are health risks to reopening school, the CDC and Maryland state officials have detailed procedures to open schools safely. Many private schools in Montgomery County have already opened safely without major setbacks.

Though teachers worry students won’t follow social distancing guidelines, JDS is a small private school in which the administration will be able to enforce health guidelines and will provide plexiglass screens and hand sanitizers for use in classrooms. In addition, COVID-19 tests will be administered to students and staff weekly, preventing an outbreak.

Transitioning to in-person instruction will also benefit the community. Many people are feeling lonely and depressed, unable to see friends on a daily basis. Reopening school would provide a safe environment for students to socialize, which is known to increase happiness.

In-person learning would also allow students to participate in art classes, clubs and performances, which they have been deprived of for the past eight months. The sense of community and emotional support JDS students know so well will be formed again during the hard times of the pandemic.

In terms of the education itself, teachers will be able to provide in-person lessons and teaching, which is much easier and more effective than teaching on Zoom. Teachers will also be able to provide more individual support to their students, improving the quality of education across the board.

While the transition back to in-person instruction may seem risky, JDS should be able to adapt to the situation easily.

The recent announcement that the high school division will be reopening in hybrid learning is a relief to the community. Teachers will be able to meet their students for the first time and gauge their learning methods, easing their concerns and allowing them to build relationships. Students can reconnect with friends they have not seen for a while and new students will be introduced to their grade. This transition allows for students to be learning in a safe in-person environment during a pandemic that shows no signs of fading away.

CESJDS’ reopening sends a message to the school community that the coronavirus is no longer as serious as it once was. Since necessary safety guidelines will likely not be followed by younger students, and in-person school is not worth the risk for a mediocre experience, JDS should remain closed.

While younger students may be less likely to spread or get sick from the virus, they are also less likely to listen to social distancing guidelines because of their stage of development. It is very hard for young kids to socially distance all day, especially with masks on. Masks do not always stay on younger kids, and they have less self-awareness on how to properly clean things.

According to The Wall Street Journal, middle and high school students are more capable of spreading the virus than younger students, so the reopening of the middle and high school divisions will do more harm than good.

High school students are already seeing their friends outside of school. Varying levels of adherence to social distancing and mask-wearing in friend groups can also be very anxiety-inducing for many, but especially for those who are immunocompromised or have a medically fragile immediate family member. The reopening of school will make the school responsible if there is an outbreak of the virus within our community.

Many high school students will not be capable of adhering to the social distancing guidelines if school reopens. It is very hard to keep a mask on all day and remain six feet from your friends at lunch, for example, when your mask must be off. Additionally, if the administration puts students in assigned lunch rooms, most students will not even get the chance to interact with their friends socially.

In addition, there will not be a significant improvement in in-person instruction. High school students have become experts at using Zoom. This year, online school very closely replicates the in-person schedule and workload we once had. Many of my peers and I feel that we are learning the same amount we once were.

The recent announcement made by Head of School Rabbi Mitch Malkus detailing the plans to reopen the high school division in the beginning of December is not optimal. Because of the upcoming holidays and election, there will likely be the third wave in COVID-19 cases. Our numbers are now as high as in March. Why does JDS plan on opening when cases are peaking, when they could have opened in September when the numbers were lower, or provided the kids with more social outdoor activities when the weather was warmer?