Cassandra Warner has mixed feelings about FAMU DRS switching to online instruction two weeks before Thanksgiving.
FAMU announced last week that the school’s superintendent ,Micheal Johnson, informed all stakeholders at FAMU DRS that the campus will be closed until November 30 following two positive COVID results.
“During this time, all buildings will be thoroughly sanitized and cleaned per guidance and instructions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Johnson said in an email to parents.
While some may not agree with Johnson’s decision, Warner is appreciative that these measures are being taken to ensure the safety of her son Tamarien Donaldson, who’s in the ninth grade, daughter Naiyima Warner, who’s in the fifth grade, and granddaughter Kamora Smith, who is in the second grade.
“DRS is doing a great job in managing COVID. I feel like we’re doing a better job than any other school in Leon County and I love that we shut down whenever there’s a case,” Warner said. She mentioned how the staff does temperature checks on all students before they enter the campus and is pleased with their precautions. She also insisted that shutting down the school should be mandatory and that other schools should follow suit.
Warner is a psychology professor at Florida A&M. She has 80 students this semester, and she said she understands the struggle of having to work from home alongside her son, daughter and granddaughter, who are learning from home. She said it’s imperative they communicate with their teachers and urges other parents to do the same.
“It’s not that the work is hard, they just don’t want to do it,” Warner said. She acknowledges how grades dropping due to being online is a direct correlation to children who are social beings and that they tend to work better when surrounded by their peers.
Although Warner wants their grades to be better and to reflect their intelligence, she confirms that they are safer at home and can always improve their grades when needed. Her confidence in FAMU DRS remains unchanged despite the surprise shutdown.
“No one will be allowed to return to the campus before Monday, November 30, 2020. No exceptions to this mandate will be allowed,” Johnson told the Tallahassee Democrat.
While the future of COVID-19 and its effect on education aren’t certain, Warner looks forward to sending her children back to campus come January. She mentions wanting a mandatory testing for all students and teachers following the holidays but understands that may be easier said than done.