To the editor:

Hearing about the plan for elementary students to return to school defies the science of what we know and do not know about Covid-19, its transmission which is airborne, the need for masking and social distancing, and the long term effects this dreadful illness may cause. The plan for K-6 grade takes none of this into consideration.

A minimum of six feet distance between children and required mask-wearing should be the norm.

Firsthand, I have visited classrooms at Sowams and Hampden Meadows Schools that are at capacity with little extra room.

Children, their families, teachers and staff will be put at enormous risk in the present school environment. And temperature checks before arriving at school do little in helping us know who is infected.

Please reconsider your reopening for K-6 students. Academics are important, but health must take priority in these times.

This situation is not going to last forever. Hopefully, a year from now we'll be back where we should be.

Sincerely,

Victoria Hosford RN, MSN,

Bristol

Ms. Hosford is a certified school nurse/teacher and clinical nursing instructor at the University of Rhode Island.