Their 14-year-old son contracted Covid-19 at summer camp, even though both he and the camp took precautions, Zack Davies said.
“It’s scary, because the camp, they’ve done all the precautions that they can,” he said. “And now we’re just about to shuttle all of our kids back to school.”
“They’re going to open the floodgates wide open,” Amber Davies said.
“And there’s no way to (contact) trace. Once kids go from one class to the next class, to the next class, they cannot do the tracing.”
Across the US, countless parents are riddled with anxiety — for different reasons.
For the Davies, both their 14-year-old and 8-year-old sons won’t be able to go to school Friday due to the older son’s infection.
“They’re going to have a late start, but they are going to go back once we’re cleared medically,” Amber Davies said.
But both parents are worried about what will happen when their sons return to school.
Amber Davies suffers from lupus disease and is at high risk for severe complications from Covid-19. She’s been trying to quarantine in a different room after her older son’s infection, but her husband is worried about the younger son getting infected at school.
“My biggest concern is he catches something and then brings it back to my wife,” Zack Davies said.
“I feel our children are going to be fine. They’ll bounce back. But somebody with lupus — it’s a tougher fight for her. A common cold for me and you, we’re down maybe two days. Something like that for her, we’re looking at weeks. And it’s scary.”
Across town, Raye Lynn and Pete Fuller also want to keep their two children home.
“We’d love our kids to get back to normal, but right now is not a normal time,” Fuller said.
“And looking around at the data in the area, with the infection rates what they are right now, there’s no way we can see that they can keep not only the kids safe, but all the staff, the adults (safe).”
“Although there are some parents who are concerned, there are many who are excited about their students returning to school,” Superintendent Donna McMullan said.
“I recognize there are feelings of apprehension, considering schools have been closed since March 16, 2020. Regardless of start date, there will be higher levels of anxiety due to the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 situation.”
Raye Lynn Fuller jumped at that chance and plans to keep her kids learning virtually.
“I’m a nurse, and I work with the elderly,” she said. “So I contacted them and said my child is not the one with special circumstances, but I am.”
About 5% of students have chosen virtual learning, the superintendent said.
“For the most part, our community trusts the leaders in Jefferson City Schools to make decisions that are in the best interest of our students and staff,” McMullan said.
“Our school leaders are focused on establishing a culture that promotes the importance of wearing face coverings along with other recommended mitigation strategies, which include social distancing and frequent hand washing.”