By Ashlee Sargeant on Thursday, 3 March, 2022 at 02:21 PM

Parents of some of the students who attend The St. Michael School are still sceptical about the initiatives taken by its principal, Tanya Harding, to protect the students from the COVID-19 virus.

Upon hearing that schools would be re-opening on February 21st, many parents feared for the safety of their children due to the recent rise in cases. Astra Reid, a parent of a sixth-form student at the St. Michael School said her hesitation to the re-opening stemmed from her observations of many adolescents during the Christmas holiday.

Reid recalled seeing many of her sons’ friends without masks while at small parties and get-togethers. She was almost certain that many other students would have gone to events without wearing their masks and the lack of COVID testing after these events made the parent believe that there would be an outbreak at not only St. Michael School but other schools across the island.

Another parent, Alicea Beckles, added that she was afraid the excitement of new students being back at school would distract the school’s staff from ensuring all students wore their masks and engaged in social distancing. She knew how irresponsible and reckless young children could be when they get around a new environment and friends.

“Having the first-formers back on site would mean the teachers would be allowed to immerse themselves in a more interactive teaching environment and get to know all the students’ personalities better. This is great but I wasn’t sure how the teachers were going to ensure every student wore their mask while at school since they didn’t have that responsibility for almost a year,” said Beckles.

Tanya Harding, Principal of the St. Michael School understood these concerns and ensured that before the new term started the school’s campus had various hand sanitisation stations, signage of the COVID-19 protocols, and soap dispensers in every bathroom.

Additionally, the principal and her staff decided to have a rotating week system where each form had a specific week to come to the school for physical classes.

“As teachers, we are monitoring student behaviour very closely. If we see someone not wearing their mask, we will tell them to pull up their mask. Traditionally parents still send students to school sick, and we have to call parents to collect them. Yes, there is still the common cold, but we need to ensure no germs are spread,” said Harding.

Geraldine King, a parent of a first-form child, appreciated these efforts. She said that these decisions are the best for her as it has allowed her to create a better routine and has positively impacted her mental health and finances.