To the editor:

I am a parent of two children at Benjamin Cosor Elementary School. This week the school was notified of two students who tested positive. In response the school closed in entirety from Tuesday to Friday in order to sort through the contact tracing.

How is it possible that two students are able to directly expose almost one hundred individuals at school?

We understand the complexity of busing and scenarios that cannot be avoided. However, both of my children told me they were in a physical education class with three other classes.

Why are all classrooms not in separate pods? Why are classes not eating lunch in there pod classroom? 

It is the responsibility of the school to keep our kids in school. Exposures will happen, however, instead of closing two classrooms for a quarantine time, the entire school is closed for a whole week while they sort through a mess determining who needs to quarantine.

Are we waiting to ask these questions only after we lose one of our community members due to an exposure at school, or worse one of our children?

The school has been and continues to do the very least to just comply with any guidelines instead of examining what works, what can keep our kids in school, and how to support this community safely and intelligently.

Shame on them.

Brett Budde

Mountaindale