Page 54 - Security Today, October 2020

CoverStory
"Countless schools across the United States
are turning to technology to help combat
the spread of COVID-19 on campus." By Mike Johnson
Surviving COVID-19: Bringing Students Back to Campus
Lawmakers, school districts and parents debate the merits and pitfalls of opening campuses
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, lawmakers, school district leaders, and parents are debating and discussing the mer- its and pitfalls of bringing students back into the classroom this fall. While some schools in high transmission areas have already decided to begin the year with vir- tual learning, the debate rages on with experts pointing to an education crisis
among underserved households where chil- dren may not have access to adequate resources such as devices or the Internet.
Furthermore, higher education institu- tions and private schools run the risk of los- ing millions of dollars in tuition because of students who are unwilling to pay high pric- es to learn from their living rooms.
The state of Arizona is one of the hardest- hit regions in this second wave of COVID-
19. University of Arizona president Robert Robbins told CNN, “There is a risk and reward with reopening the campus -- some say it's not worth it and remote learning is still the way to go, but there are clear benefits to being on campus.” The University of Ari- zona announced earlier this month that in- person classes will resume this fall. Robbins also told CNN, "However, our semester is not going to look the same. We have a
10 campuslifesecurity.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
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