The spread of COVID-19 has been intense these past two years, and now that schools are reopening in the midst of this pandemic, new safety precautions are being practiced. Here at BBCHS, new requirements are being set in place to keep everyone healthy and learning. 

BBCHS requires that all students and staff wear a facial covering over both their mouth and nose. It has also been recently enforced that students stay separated inside of classrooms as well as sit in rows to help prevent the spread. If students have been in close contact with someone who contracted COVID-19, they will have a few options with what to do next, including quarantining in some manner or testing for COVID in the nurse’s office to stay in school. 

The reasoning behind all of these precautionary measures is mainly for safety. BBCHS has seen its share of positive COVID cases since the start of school. The measures that the school is taking this year is to help keep the number of cases low enough to stay in-person for learning and to keep the majority of the staff and students healthy. 

The teachers in the building believe that the school is trying their hardest to keep the building safe and clean. When asked how she felt about the way BBCHS is protecting students and staff from COVID, Mrs. Laneah Ravn responded, “I feel that the school is doing the best that they can given the state mandates for COVID precautions and the fact that we have over 2,000 students in the building.” Ravn then went on to say that she believed the spread would slow if everyone were to follow the guidelines. She would also like to remind students to keep their masks up over their noses to protect those around them. 

BBCHS student Cody Metzger has a somewhat different view of how COVID is being handled. When asked how he felt BBCHS was handling COVID, Metzger responded, “I feel like BBCHS is trying, but they are not doing a great job,” and  went on to state that he feels there are “double standards” when it comes to certain precautions. For example, he stated that “If you are having a football game out on the field, you can get as close as you’d like to one another, but if there is a pep rally in the same place, you have to spread out.”

Furthermore, Metzger believes that, when it comes to the mask mandate in school, teachers are doing more to enforce masks than the administration. When asked to elaborate, he stated that “They [teachers] are sharing stories and helping to keep masks up and worn properly… I have heard multiple teachers telling students to put their masks over their noses, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a school administrator do the same.” Metzger then said that, if he had to give the staff a letter grade based on how they enforce masks, he’d give the teachers an A+ and the administration a C.

Whether those in the school feel it is important to respect the guidelines or not, everyone needs to follow the precautions because you never know how your actions will affect those around you.