Massachusetts students worry coronavirus will spread if they return to school but feel remote learning lacked structure, was difficult for students with disabilities

Rep. Ayanna Pressley listening session

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosted a listening session so students in her district could voice concerns about a possible return to school in a few weeks.

When Cheyenne Brown, a student at Saint John Paul Middle School in Boston, started to get overwhelmed with online assignments as school abruptly went remote in the spring, she would pause and take a deep breath.

The practice helped, Brown recalled Wednesday during a virtual listening session held by U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley over Zoom to offer students in her district a chance to discuss concerns about the upcoming school year.

Students are torn about what feels best for the upcoming year. While remote learning allows students to work more safely from the comfort of their home, not everyone has access to the internet. And, learning online is difficult for students with disabilities.

While being in school provides more structure, it also brings the threat of spreading coronavirus between students, who then will go home and possibly infect other family members.

“I feel as though that it would be scary for going back to school in person because of the interactions and dealing with people who don’t take it as serious as they should and who don’t take all the precautions that they should be taking, that it would be best to stay home even with all of the precautions that the school is providing,” Brown said.

The shift to online learning was difficult, the students told Pressley and others listening in on the session. It’s not yet known what the next academic year will look like, as districts across Massachusetts work to finalize plans for three options: a full return to school buildings, a hybrid in-person and online learning model, or fully remote education.

“It’s all been so unpredictable, so I had to adjust and get used to doing all my school work online and not having my teachers and friends helping me every day,” said Emmanuelly Fernandes, who just graduated from Everett High School.

For Adam Gould, a student at Cambridge Rindge Latin School, the spring was especially difficult. Gould’s grandfather contracted coronavirus and had to move in with his family. He later succumbed to illness from the virus. It was a shock for Gould’s family, he said.

Students said that remote learning allows more flexibility for completing assignments, but that the courses don’t feel as engaging or as challenging as they are in front of a live teacher.

“I would probably say that remote learning is kind of weird,” said Chris Hopkins, a Somerville High School student. “When we do online school, a lot of it is assignments and stuff like that so it’s a lot more of just straight just going through it and doing stuff, which is kind of annoying and it’s really easy to just get bored.”

Faridah Azeez, a student at Blue Hills Regional Vocational High School, said online learning assignments were straightforward. She felt it halted her learning because it was too simple.

Gould said he has ADHD and that it was hard to focus on online courses.

“It’s really hard to stay motivated when you’re not there and having to do it in person,” he said.

Some teachers didn’t realize that many students needed to work or take care of younger siblings, said Jasmine Jovel, a Chelsea High School student.

As districts across Massachusetts prepare to finalize back-to-school plans next week, students feel uneasy about returning to the classroom. On Thursday, Boston released its preliminary plans and said a full return to school is not possible considering social distance guidelines.

Jovel said she knows people who got sick with coronavirus despite being careful about washing their hands and taking safety precautions.

“I think that’s terrifying to me, going back to a classroom with my peers and were all just trying to get through the year but with that ongoing fear that no matter how safe you’re trying to be, that there’s still that chance that we could get the virus,” Jovel said. “People go home and they go to work and they interact with so many other people that we’re not aware of.”

Azeez said she worried about what parents who are essential workers would do if school is remote, as daycare is costly and not in the budget for all families.

“A hybrid program might work but I think it should be up to the student’s choice, and their family, if they want to go back to school fully or do a hybrid program because their family can keep them at home,” Azeez said.

If schools stick with online learning, Gould said he’s really concerned about how districts will make sure children with disabilities don’t fall behind and that students without laptops or internet access can get online to learn.

Fernandes told Pressley she’d like to see schools offering hot spots to students who need internet access and for schools to release information in a wider array of languages.

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