Nearly a year after students left school for the last time, thinking they would return in merely weeks, U-High students will return to campus beginning March 8 for  hybrid learning, after an administrative decision motivated by a concern for students’ well-being.

If the return to hybrid learning is motivated by the concern for the emotional well-being of students, then we shouldn’t be returning until students can safely experience a regular five-day school week, as the drain on student mental health will outweigh the benefits of a semblance of community.

The transition to hybrid learning will disrupt the daily routines of students, which some rely on for emotional stability, forcing them to shuffle extracurricular activities and homework around commutes. 

No matter how many precautionary measures are taken, the stress of avoiding contracting or spreading the coronavirus will hang over students returning to in-person classes.

If hybrid learning was deemed safe, then surely smaller in-person school events can also provide Lab students with a sense of community without adding additional stress to their lives. The students who return wouldn’t be spending much time in school anyways based on the current schedule, and will be limited to  interacting with only some of their classmates. 

Students are definitely anxious for life to return to “normal,” but the emotionally draining proposed hybrid schedule won’t bring back what we miss about our community. Lab should instead delay the return to campus until school can run five days a week, and bring back a sense of community with planned social events.