Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 9-17-21

Feature
Mothers Of School-Aged Children Talk About Navigating COVID
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
The unvaccinated, no masks mandates, and no protocols are the leading reasons the newest variant (Delta) of the coronavirus is hospitalizing and killing people old and young at alarming rates throughout the nation and here in Tampa. So much so, that local cemeteries have had to delay laying the deceased to rest because they cannot keep up.
School is back in session and children under the age of 12 are not eligible to re- ceive the vaccine. The biggest challenge the com- munity is facing is keeping school-aged children safe. As Black mothers in Tampa weigh how to keep their ba- bies from being compro- mised or catching the virus, they also must measure the cost of home schooling vs. remaining in the classroom. Statistically, Black children are at risk because of the Digital Divide where there is no Wi-Fi in the home. An-
other issue is moms must work and cannot keep their children at home.
Several local moms shared how they are dealing with COVID and schooling their youngsters:
Kiara Irvin
“I am concerned about my children. I have a nine-year- old and a toddler. We can handle things that they can- not. We missed the first week of school because we had to quarantine because we unknowingly were ex-
posed to a little girl with COVID. My son got an ex- tremely high fever and we had to take him to the hospi- tal to get him tested. We all ended up with COVID. My daughter could only go back to school after a negative test. It was hard because I had to get back to work.”
“The second week, we got a notice saying that another student had tested positive, then the third week, we got another message about a student. Luckily my daugh- ter was not exposed, because I must work.”
Erin Marie Waller
“As a mother with two children attending classes daily, early on I chose to protect them by understand- ing how the vaccine works and facilitating vaccinations for them and my entire fam- ily. The Delta variant is sig- nificantly more infectious, and as someone who has ex- perienced "breakthrough COVID" (a diagnosis of COVID after having the vac- cine) I wouldn't want any- one to go through what I did. I know it would've been much worse without the vaccine. We must educate ourselves and prepare our children by teaching them to take proper precautions at all times.”
Joselynne Forde
“I am handling the issue very vigilantly...I have one child that is back in school and face to face. I am pleased with the direction
her headmaster has taken requiring all students, teachers, and staff (vacci- nated or not) to wear masks. My other child is still being home schooled.”
Bianca Taylor-Heard
“Being the mother of an 11-year-old daughter during COVID-19 is unsettling and frustrating. Living in Florida makes it even more of a nightmare. I send my daughter equipped with multiple masks, antibacter- ial wipes, and plenty of hand sanitizers, but these things alone cannot relieve me of the stress of trying to keep her safe. Masks are optional at her school, so there are many times she is in a class- room where 75% of the kids are unmasked. She is ex- posed to the virus every day. I am thankful for a sensible child that can put our fam- ily’s health first.”
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