Houston Republic

Tyra Hodges, a teacher and a mom in Houston, Texas, wants public officials to stop playing politics with kids over whether they return to school in the classroom.

“This is a game about them battling to see who can win or who can lose. And I'm tired of it,” she told the Houston Republic.

Hodges said she understands the pandemic and that it’s a dangerous disease that proved fatal to many people.

“But the statistics show that for children, that [it] is not as dangerous,” she said.

More children died from the flu than from the coronavirus, Hodges added.

Texas parents will have an easier time deciding if going back to school in person was the right choice. The state will release COVID-19 case information among students and staff at public schools, the Texas Tribune reported.

Adults may suffer more severe symptoms, but children can get sick enough to end up in an intensive care unit, especially those with preexisting conditions like lung disease. They can also transmit the coronavirus to families or teachers, the newspaper reported.

The political games affect DACA kids, too.

“They are my students. They have become my children. And so once they've been raised in our public school system, they’re our kids,” Hodges told the Houston Republic. “You know, regardless how they got here, they became ours and they're playing games with them.”

Now officials use the coronavirus to keep schools shut down, more evidence of playing games with these kids.

Almost 41% of people surveyed reported they had mental health issues caused by the pandemic and what was required to contain it, such as social distancing and stay-at-home orders, a CDC survey said, CNN reported.

“We have them in situations to where now they're getting abused all day because of the stress of the parents, because with everything they've lost everything and they can't do,” Hodges told the Houston Republic.

During the pandemic she’s gotten closer to her children because of the time they spent together. But they miss their friends and the social integration. She’s watching for signs of depression. For a child who already has an emotional disturbance, she assumes the isolation has taken a toll on them and did more harm. They depend on schedule, routine and structure.

“They love being able to know what's coming next. And they love feeling safe. The school provides the safe place,” Hodges told the Houston Republic.

Hodges said she understood shutting down for a little bit when we knew little about the coronavirus other than it was killing people in other countries. But once data revealed it was not that deadly to children, decisions should have been made on that data. Instead they were made on political fighting.

Remote learning was shoved on parents and on teachers. Still, the school systems did the best that they could, Hodges said. "Everyone pitched in and it was a learning curve for all of us," she said.

She has struggled with her two children’s home schooling.

“But as a parent, there were things that I could not help my child with,” Hodges told the Houston Republic. “And so I know now that they're learning stayed stagnant in some areas, they did not grow.”

She’s had issues with keeping her own children engaged with learning, especially her daughter who has dyslexia.

Teachers report working longer hours as they try to find ways to engage their students. Contact only by screen makes the job even tougher, the Texas Tribune reported.

The work of teachers’ unions to keep schools closed and stances on things like a curriculum that teaches kids how to have gay sex – or any form of sex – are not things that Hodges wants to see.

They do some good things like provide references and representations such as when working with a boss who creates problems, she said.

"But, you know, we're sending all this money to fight battles that we don't even stand for ourselves,” Hodges said.

As a parent she believes she should have a say in her children’s education. The school system is using her tax dollars. And if she’d rather send them to a STEM school, why shouldn’t the tax dollars used for each child go to the school they attend?

Teachers' unions act like that will shut down schools, she said. But not everybody wants the same thing. Some parents will want their children to attend public school to have that experience being with lots of kids, building friendships and community.