I wrote the following letter to Kate Brown, the Governor of Oregon, because I can’t just sit here and do nothing when I know there’s an iceberg in the path of our ship.
July 15, 2020
Dear Governor Brown,
I am writing this letter to urgently beg you to move Oregon schools to online only education for at least the remainder of 2020.
As I write this, teachers and administrators are scrambling to do the impossible – to continue giving our children an in-person education amidst a global pandemic. It’s impossible to ensure the health and safety of our students, teachers, and staff, and ultimately the families and community members all of those people go home to each day.
Please, don’t make the mistake of waiting until our classrooms are overrun with positive cases and people start getting hospitalized and die. Please don’t wait.
Cases in Oregon, like the majority of the country, are spiking. If businesses and institutions continue to open, there’s only one direction in which we’re all headed. If indoor gatherings are capped at 10 (ten!), as per your current guidelines, then schools should be no exception.
Opening schools is not worth the risk. It’s not worth losing lives.
Be brave. Do the right thing and save lives by taking preventative measures.
We’re all in this together, and your policies should reflect that.
Urgently,
Melissa Lastname
Community member and mother of two
If you’re so inclined, write a letter to your representatives.
Here’s the link for Oregon, and here’s one for California, or search for your home state.
Be well.
Psychobabble 