Sophomore Carys Hardy thinks that giving students the option to learn through distance is enough precaution at the moment. This way students who get the virus won’t have to miss school. “I think there should be a distanced learning option, however, if people take the right protocols like wearing a KN95 mask, we should be able to continue school as normal for as long as possible, Hardy said.”

In this situation, it is not only important to monitor students’ and faculties’ physical health, but also their mental health. According to the web of conferences, “the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 29.97% during full-time education, versus 51.3% during distanced learning. “I know that in distance learning last year, many people had severe mental health issues. If we could avoid that for as long as possible, that would be optimal,” Hardy said.

Mental health is something that needs to be accounted for when the administration decides whether the return to virtual classrooms is the right decision.

At the moment, it seems the right decision is to provide distance learning as an option, however, a full move back to virtual classrooms is not necessary considering stricter protocols and the risk of mental health issues.