Are our children being used as Guinea Pigs?

[Emcont]

I have two primary aged children, who have both gone back to school.

I sent them back because we were told it was safe. We also have a low infection rate in our area.

Though for the last few days I've read multiple posts and a few articles stating that these particular people aren't sending their children back yet (as it isn't safe enough) and that our children are being used as Guinea Pigs to see what happens before the rest of the school years go back.

I'm now wondering if I have made the wrong decision in sending my children back.

What's your opinion?

[Howyahun]

Of course they are!

[Emcont]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not?

[contrmary]

Well they're the least likely age group to die from coronavirus. They catch it less often and the symptoms are milder if they do. Assuming we don't keep all children off school until there is a vaccine available, what alternative is there to testing the water with a particular group of children?

[CountFosco]

My Y6 is back at school. But only for 2 weeks then she's home again until secondary school.

[Hingeandbracket]

DD has 2 Guinea Pigs - what are they being used for?

[WhatWouldDominicDo]

Have any/many school age children with no underlying conditions died? I don't think so.

Just what would re-assure you it's safe OP, if the government and the data can't?

[Fedup21]

The government are sending groups of children back to watch and see what happens with transmission rates and infection.

Call it what you like, but, yes.

[Nihiloxica]

Every child who has been out of school for 3 months is a guinea pig.

The impacts on mental health, physical health, educational attainment are largely unknown, but everything we know about children suggests they will be damaging and potentially long lasting.

At least yours have been removed from the unethical experiment currently going on. You should be relieved.

[Ouchy]

I think you are lucky that your children are back. I wish mine were but they aren’t in the priority year groups of reception, year 1 or year 6. Going back would do wonders for their wellbeing. Schools can’t just stay closed forever.

[EatDessertFirst]

No. Thats just a stupid phrase the frothers use to terrify other parents who don't think the same way they do. You'll probably find they are the same parents who snootily judge those who send their DC back to school.

Children in general are one of the lowest risk groups. Its time they were all back in education. They have suffered enough educationally and emotionally. My Yr6 DD is finally going back on Monday. My Yr4 DS will not be back till September which is galling.

[ohoneohtwo]

Realistically we are all guinea pigs

[purpleme12]

Well whether they are or not, having seen the effects on my DD, I agree that the effect mentally emotionally and educationally is going to be bad for them of not going to school and not leading a normal life. I am so glad that my daughter was in one of the years to go back

[GinDrinker00]

Yes they are... but hey got to start somewhere right?

[myself2020]

Thing is, we are all guinea pugs right now. Either for prolonged isolation (which definitely has negative effects), or for going back out (which can have devastating effects for vulnerable people, but is very low risk for healthy children).
You need to choose what you prefer.

[myself2020]

pigs, not pugs ;)

[vanillandhoney]

Well, yes, they are.

But the good thing is that young children with no underlying conditions are incredibly unlikely to have any complications (or even symptoms), so the risk towards them is minimal.

The risk to the adults caring for them is a different thing, though, and some schools have already had to close again due to staff testing positive:

www.burnleyexpress.net/education/burnley-primary-school-closed-after-positive-coronavirus-test-2886779

www.standard.co.uk/news/education/epsom-primary-school-surrey-closed-coronavirus-a4472611.html

www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/coronavirus-school-closed-lincolnshire-covid-4236942

Just off the front page of Google from the past 24 hours.

[Clearyweary]

My DD is in year 2. If I had the choice to send her back, she would be first in line. We have to get the kids back to school. The current situation is untenable.

[sahbear]

My y6 is over the moon to be back at school. I hope they keep them till the end of term. I think he is safe at school. I think the risks to their education and mental health by not going to school is much greater.
Guinea pigs? They are children being educated and at the moment he feels very fortunate to have that opportunity.

[EithneBlue]

As a teacher my bigger worry is not the risk to students or teachers: most of us are not in the high risk groups and the kids themselves are unlikely to suffer badly from the effects of the virus. The thing that I do worry about is students carrying the virus onto public transport or into shops or into their apartment buildings - schools do not just exist to teach kids to read and count and recite facts: we serve communities and are a part of that community. I do not want to see the community that I work in destroyed by an outbreak. I do not want to see kids coming to school bereaved because their family members have died as a result of an outbreak, or kids returned to their tower-blocks in hard lockdown because of a fresh outbreak. But I also want to be back at school, and I want to see the kids back in school. It seems like a catch 22 because the government are right to say that deprived students will be worse affected: but it's also the deprived communities that have been more affected by outbreaks of the virus so if we return and it creates a spike, it's still the most deprived students who suffer the most.
There's no way to win in this situation. There isn't a right answer. It's just crap and what it shows in every direction is that what we ought to have done is had policies in place that address the issues of poverty and deprivation for kids from birth.

[aintnothinbutagstring]

My child is in y4 and he is going back next week, I don't think he is a guinea pig, he can't wait to see his friends and teachers. As he is y4, the school doesn't have to welcome them back, so I'm guessing they've done it for the benefit of the children's social, emotional and academic wellbeing not to use them as an experiment. If you think it is a huge risk then don't send them, there are no financial or legal repercussions at this time, so it's up to you to make that decision.
I'm a liberal, I don't like this government, but as I see it, we were the last to lockdown therefore we will be last to get all children back to school, most of Europe are already ahead of where we are, schools wise, because they were sensible to lock down earlier.
The government are starting with the years they consider a priority, it is well known in child development research that, particularly for low income families, the first few years matter most for child development, if they fall behind now, some may never catch up. Yes I know some some will cry scandinavian model, don't start school til 7, those countries actually have comprehensive preschool and kindergarten provisions (many full time) so children are not at home til age 7. Yr 6 is a transition year, yrs 10 and 12 are exam years.

[FromMarch2020]

They are not being used as guinea pigs.

The KW's children have been going to school throughout - are they guinea pigs - NO

Gradually things need to start moving again - they had to do a few classes at a time to meet government guidelines and some schools have done Y6 Y1 YR others just Y6 etc...

[namechangenumber2]

I dislike the term guinea pigs, my DS could have gone back as he's year 6, but there wasn't any space for him which was disappointing. I felt the risks to him from COVID were far lower than the risks of his mental health from feeling isolated from his peers etc.

I do agree that it is a worry about teachers, I'd like more research into that. The news articles posted above are frustrating though, posted in a way to interpret that teachers are at risk - in each one, there was one case , surely that person could have picked it up anywhere?

[Poetryinaction]

No.
They are being forgotten and put last. They would be safe to return to school.

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

No.

[letmethinkaboutitfornow]

Yes, they are part of the pilot phase.
So what’s your AIBU?