The Educational Crisis Created by COVID

How likely is that to happen to Orthodox Jews in New York - in light of evidence showing that in many Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods that early on had a very high infection and death rate - now no longer seem to have any? If that is indeed the case, I can’t really answer the question. I don’t know that anyone can.

Consider this though. New information released yesterday is that the actual COVID infection rate may be more than triple of what is being reported. A lot of people that might have tested positive never got tested because they did not have symptoms. And yet were nevertheless highly contagious and spreading the disease.

The question arises that if there are so many asymptomatic carriers and so few cases (if any) being reported in those communities, then perhaps COVID-19 is not as deadly as we are being led to believe? 

That is of course a major mistake. Clearly people have died and are still dying. The elderly and those with underlying health conditions are still highly vulnerable to getting very sick and dying. This is an insidious disease which seems to be defying all attempts to bring it under control. The more asymptomiatic a contagious disease is, the greater the danger it becomes to the vulnerable. If care is not taken by all to follow the guidelines, there is no way of preventing a vulnerable individual from contracting it from someone unknowingly infected. And the disease may be spread exponentially that way since asymptomatic people will give it to other people that will be asymptomatic. Contact tracing will be virtually impossible to do.

So that no community is really safe. Even though they might think they are for lack of seeing anyone displaying any symptoms. 

All that being said, I wish there were no contravening issues. Strange as that might be for someone like me that believes we must protect ourselves at all cost, I nevertheless know that things are never that black and white. The world we all once knew before the pandemic will probably never return. This doesn’t mean that we will not eventually get back to normal. We will. But ‘normal’ will not look the same for a variety of reasons that are beyond the  scope of this post.

However, for those of us that worry about Jewish continuity, there is one issue that warrants our attention: Educating our young. I don’t believe it is arguable that without the day school and Yeshiva high school system that has developed,  the state of Orthodox Judaism would not be much better off than  Conservative and Reform. Without an intensive and sustained Jewish education it’s highly unlikely that you will follow its beliefs and tenets. In a land as free as ours, it would only be a matter of time before Orthodoxy would go the way of other denominations. They are on the precipice of extinction.

Most Orthodox Jews realize this and therefore send their children to religious schools at least through high school. Even though the cost of doing so involves great financial sacrifice in a majority of cases. True, there have been some murmurings about home schooling and other such alternatives by a few parents that felt they could not handle the overburdening nature of educating their children. But most Orthodox parents bite the bullet and send their kids to religious schools.

However, after months of being away from the classroom and seeing that one can be educated without personal contact, I am worried that what is happening online now might continue to be a financially attractive option for some parents. But any educator will tell you online education is no substitute for in class personal participation. 

Once you are at home and not in a classroom environment there will be distractions. Who is going to monitor their children to assure they ‘attend’ those online classes – and not play video games instead? Most households have both parents working these days. Even one parent stays home, they surely cannot be expected to be on top of all of their children every day for hours at a time. And yet with tuition being so high, it wouldn’t surprise me that having experienced it they will consider this option – assuming the cost would be a fraction of what tuition usually is.

The other side of the coin is that with less tuition money coming in after the pandemic , I don’t see how any schools can afford to retain the standards they had before it.

Which is why an argument can be made for re-opening schools for the fall. The longer they stay closed, the less likely the educational paradigm we are all used to will remain the same.

The problem of course is how do do so with the dangers of the pandemic lurking around us. How does a school open up when putting so many children in a room together daily for hours at a time? Is there no concern for the fact children are the most likely to not be symptomatic and yet become contagious? 

And what about the teachers and other staff that come into contact with the children? How can the spread of disease be controlled when these conditions exist? 

The desire to open up the schools is not only an issue for Orthodox Jews. Public schools across the country are struggling with this issues. Parents want schools open in the fall. Teahchers want them closed for fear of getting infected. 

Heath officials have said schools can  re-open  if all the health precautions are adhered to. The question is whether they will be. How realistic is it to make sure every student wears a mask every moment while in school and stay socially distant from everyone the entire school day?

If I were a parent, I would be reluctant to send my kids into a precarious situation like that. The chance of getting the disease and remaining asymptomatic is too great. On the other hand, how would it be possible to keep my children home all day and to make sure they are fully engaged with an online class?

I think parents are divided over this. I see both sides of the issue and I have no answer.