Director David Magill’s announcement that U-High students would resume in-person learning in a hybrid format on March 8 came as a shock to me. Only a week prior, the administration stated they had no finalized plans for returning to school and as I read through Dr. Magill’s letter, I realized that the plan was still being developed. Since then, a plan has been developed, but many of my fears about my safety, when I return to campus, have not been assuaged. 

As students prepare for a hybrid learning model, they should work to uphold social distancing guidelines for the health and the safety of their peers.

Students must hold themselves and each other accountable when it comes to abiding by social distancing guidelines. All hybrid students will be expected to attend school within the two weeks following spring break. As it’s likely that students and their families will travel, students should take precautions while traveling and abide by university testing and quarantine guidelines before returning to campus.

Students should feel empowered to tell their peers to follow safety guidelines, since a violation of these guidelines can put the entire U-High community at risk. The ability to have open peer-to-peer communication is essential to creating a sustainable hybrid learning environment.    

Students should utilize the formal incident reporting system, where students can report serious health risks, when necessary; if peer-to-peer communication fails to change a student’s behavior, this system was created to minimize risk to the student body and U-High community as a whole.  

As students prepare to return to in-person learning, they must follow social-distancing guidelines. Students should feel empowered to advocate for their own safety, as well as the safety of their peers.