Upon returning to in-person learning and in midst of the pandemic, there were several safety protocols and rules placed in order to enter the school. For instance, wearing a mask and social distancing from other people was crucial, or else administrators would remind students to do so. However, Covid-19 cases continue to rise at Patriot and will continue to get harder to control, thus similar and stricter protocols are necessary.

“The students [are] just shoving themselves all together at places like lunch, where masks aren’t really enforced, people just walk all around without [them], including teachers,” junior Rebecca Violett said.

Violett, a high-risk student who opted to return to in-person learning, assumed that Patriot and its students would follow and respect Covid-19 safety procedures. However, she was proven wrong. Early on into the school year, she caught Covid-19 and consequently had to stay home to quarantine before returning to school. 

Her quarantine caused her to miss out and fall behind on schoolwork and tests, leaving her stressed about her grades for the quarter. Violett isn’t the only student that had a hard time because of this, many other kids have dealt with the same issue because of Patriot High School relaxing safety precautions for Covid-19.

Since the beginning of the new school year, Patriot has evolved with their protocols such as notifying the student and their families as well as finding their close contacts in school. Not only that, but different correspondents are sent depending on their vaccination status.

“When we receive a notification from the student or a parent that they have been diagnosed with Covid-19, we immediately reach out with questions regarding onset of symptoms and whether those occurred and the last time the student was in the building,” Assistant Principal Carla Drew said, “ Once that point is reached, close contacts are identified as well as their vaccination status is verified. We would send different correspondences to each individual depending on their vaccination status because the quarantine rules prior to two weeks ago were different.”

Although Patriot is taking action to prevent further spread of Covid-19 by sending students home to quarantine and checking for who was in close contact with that individual, safety protocols are increasingly being dismissed by students and staff members.

Improperly wearing or not wearing masks at all, is a big reason why Covid-19 cases are spiking within Patriot. In classrooms, many seats are vacant. Since students tend to walk around the hallways in big groups and close proximity with their masks placed on their chins or not on at all, transmission of the Coronavirus is easier.

Even teachers, some of the most influential members within the school, sometimes talk or address the class without their masks on. This only continues the spread of the virus within schools and sets the precedent that it is acceptable to get close to other people without wearing your mask properly. Furthermore, this only encourages students to also disregard CDC guidelines and remove their own masks to speak.

Although Gov. Youngkin lifted the mask mandate in schools on January 24, 2022, allowing students to remove their masks and go about their school lives normally, not every child that attends school is vaccinated and is still at risk for catching and facing symptoms of the virus.

“There would be whole groups of kids not even eating or drinking,” junior Shane Jewett stated. “[They] would casually have their masks off completely or wear it on their chin. They would be sharing school supplies and touching them, and I feel like that just helps spread the virus.”

According to the Virginia Department of Health, it is still recommended and highly encouraged to wear a mask when in areas substantial to high transmission, like schools, in order to protect the health of students.

Many students and staff members have received the Covid-19 vaccine throughout this year, and while it does provide benefits like preventing a serious reaction to the virus, hospitalization, and even death, it does not protect people from catching the virus and spreading it to more vulnerable students at Patriot.

Students tend to believe that having the vaccine provides them with a shield that allows them to do whatever they want, whether it’s safe or not, when in reality, that isn’t necessarily the case.

The vaccine doesn’t stop Covid-19 from entering your body. According to John Hopkins Medicine, it reduces the symptoms like lung infections and body aches. Students who are at high risk or haven’t received the vaccine can still get sick and even be hospitalized if symptoms get worse, all because vaccinated people aren’t thinking of others through their choices.

“The vaccine has changed how people act about the virus. They’re like, ‘Oh I’m vaccinated, so I can’t get Covid,’ even though that is not true and you can still get Covid, [catching the virus] is just lower risk,” Violett said.

Rather than ripping off our masks and talking with one another right away, we should continue to remain wary and social distance, and Patriot should play a part in mitigating Covid-19 cases within our school.