Close Wichita Public School Buildings, Save Lives

Dr. Alicia Thompson (WPS superintendent) and WPS Board of Education members: Sheril Logan, Ben Blankley, Julie Hedrick, Ernestine Krehbiel, Stan Reeser, Mike Rodee, and Ron Rosales

It is unsafe for anybody to return to Wichita Public School buildings. We ask that you not only keep students out of the buildings, but also building administrators, teachers and staff members. This is a community issue, as the district employs 5,500 people, and these people are our neighbors, friends, family, and children’s teachers.

We recognize that some educators and students are more susceptible to dramatic health impacts of infection from the novel coronavirus, but we also know that all people can experience severe health complications from COVID-19. The immediate and long-term health consequences can include acute respiratory failure, lung scarring, diminished lung capacity, acute liver injury, kidney failure, heart arrhythmia, sepsis, multiple organ failure, blood clotting, stroke, and/or death.

Long-term hospitalization can have lasting impacts on mental and physical health which can include depression, PTSD, anxiety, muscle atrophy, and a decrease of life expectancy directly correlated with the duration of hospitalization. The recovery from a hospitalization can be long, arduous and expensive and can impact a teacher’s ability to teach in-person beyond the 2020-2021 school year.

The spread of the novel coronavirus in Wichita is too prevalent for a safe return. We know that our schools lack the necessary resources and infrastructure to adequately protect students and teachers. That has already been proven.

Therefore, we call for our school buildings to remain closed and for full remote learning to be implemented at all levels until:

* Safety conditions have been agreed upon and met.

* Safety and working conditions have been bargained publicly to ensure safety for all and with clear, scientific parameters for when and how much to reopen schools for staff and student attendance.


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Wichita, Kansas

To: Dr. Alicia Thompson (WPS superintendent) and WPS Board of Education members: Sheril Logan, Ben Blankley, Julie Hedrick, Ernestine Krehbiel, Stan Reeser, Mike Rodee, and Ron Rosales
From: [Your Name]

It is unsafe for anybody to return to Wichita Public School buildings. We ask that you not only keep students out of the buildings, but also building administrators, teachers and staff members. This is a community issue, as the district employs 5,500 people, and these people are our neighbors, friends, family, and children’s teachers.

We recognize that some educators and students are more susceptible to dramatic health impacts of infection from the novel coronavirus, but we also know that all people can experience severe health complications from COVID-19. The immediate and long-term health consequences can include acute respiratory failure, lung scarring, diminished lung capacity, acute liver injury, kidney failure, heart arrhythmia, sepsis, multiple organ failure, blood clotting, stroke, and/or death.

Long-term hospitalization can have lasting impacts on mental and physical health which can include depression, PTSD, anxiety, muscle atrophy, and a decrease of life expectancy directly correlated with the duration of hospitalization. The recovery from a hospitalization can be long, arduous and expensive and can impact a teacher’s ability to teach in-person beyond the 2020-2021 school year.

The spread of the novel coronavirus in Wichita is too prevalent for a safe return. We know that our schools lack the necessary resources and infrastructure to adequately protect students and teachers. That has already been proven.
Therefore, we call for our school buildings to remain closed and for full remote learning to be implemented at all levels until:
* Safety conditions have been agreed upon and met.
* Safety and working conditions have been bargained publicly to ensure safety for all and with clear, scientific parameters for when and how much to reopen schools for staff and student attendance.