It is no secret that this school year has been everything but normal. With school closures and online learning students and staff are struggling to adjust. As the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic changes nearly everyday, government leaders and school districts are trying to figure out if returning schools to their regular size is necessary. 

Lately, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who has been scrutinized by the public for her intense reaction to the pandemic, is now considering sending students back to school at full capacity. This means that the half size classes where students are free to spread out as much as possible, will now be crammed. 

When students attending Utica Community Schools started the hybrid schedule earlier last month, class sizes were divided in half by last name. This ensured that there was ample room for each student to have personal space, following the recommended six feet social distancing rules that have been in place since the start of the pandemic. If all students go back at the same time, they risk having the extra security of staying six feet apart. Not only could this enhance the chances of spreading the virus, it will lead to anxiety and discomfort. No one wants another person they might not know sitting at the same small table as them for over two hours. 

In January 2021, Michigan had an estimated 2,066 confirmed COVID-19 cases per day. Although this isn’t the worst that the state has seen, it still presents reasoning as to why all students returning to school at once is too risky. 

It is important to note that the Governor and UCS school boards are doing their best to return Michigan schools to normal and keep students safe, but it still seems beneficial to wait until the next school year to return to a full classroom setting.