Why would we want to go to school half of the week just to see half of our friends? The main reasons that students want to go back is because they learn better in person and want to see everyone again. Overall COVID-19 has definitely changed the way school will work, and I am personally not in favor of the current back-to-school plan.

     The plan should have everyone in school at the same time like it used to be. We just need the COVID cases to drop and then it should be able to happen.

     Only having half the students on campus means that students likely will be split from some, or possibly even all, of their friends. Getting a class with a friend is already hard enough, but now the classes are split in two, which makes it so much more annoying.

     Having little to no social interaction with those you associate yourself with can cause students who do decide to go back to have even more anxiety packed onto them than there already is with COVID-19. Even for those who do manage to get a class with a friend, it will be hard to interact with them because they will be at least six feet away.

     Students need and want to be with their friends. Friends make everyone feel more comfortable in environments they are not used to, like the newly designed classroom layouts/regulations for COVID-19. 

     Along with this, having a mask on can make it hard to understand people, especially when they are standing at least six feet away, meaning the school will likely see less verbal interaction within classrooms.

     What about freshmen going to our campus for the first time? They have not yet been able to get on campus and make their new freshmen friend group. This is a big deal because now if we go back with all the COVID-19 regulations, these freshmen will be placed in a way more awkward situation than being a freshman already is.