North Omaha High School Students Publish Unifying Open Letter Advocating for Virtual School

For the full letter visit https://safeschoolsomaha.com/ .

BY EMILY CHEN-NEWTON

With the school reopening plan plowing ahead despite rising COVID-19 cases in Omaha and a city mask mandate bouncing back and forth across an increasingly political court, a group of North Omaha high -schoolers have had enough. An open letter written by North High students, signed by students and families across the city, urges Omaha Public School officials to consider a purely virtual approach to learning until the virus is more in control in the city.

The letter begins with a harsh realization from rising senior Micah Gilbert, “Teachers will die.” But their letter goes beyond the fears of students, carefully outlining the facts that underpin their concerns.  Including even students have “mild cases are still at risk of lingering bodily harm “. The letter cites advice from local experts like Dr. Ali Kahn, as well as information that has been confirmed in peer-reviewed scientific journals. With a precision and level of awareness that just might give hope in these unprecedented times, the students have spoken.

The letter and petition can be found on safeschoolsomaha.com.

For more information on the status of the city’s mask mandate check our previous article, “Do Masks Matter?”.