COVID-19 numbers in South Dakota are increasing dramatically, averaging around 1,000 new cases each day. With the big holidays coming up and people wanting to get together with family, it would be best to resume online learning starting after the Thanksgiving break. Instead of coming back to school for three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the school district should continue to do online learning until New Years’. The idea of having an extended long break for the holidays was mentioned at the Sioux Falls School Board meeting last week. This idea has been mentioned by many, and hopefully, it will be considered over the next week. 

I am looking forward to getting together with family over the holidays, but also a bit nervous to spread my germs to the elderly in my family. If we switched back to online learning during the holidays, it would help reduce the spread amongst family. LHS junior Emma Robbins had her plans for the holidays change due to the pandemic. Usually, every year she and her family travel to her grandparent’s house, and family from Kansas City and Minneapolis come to visit. This year she believes no one will come. She also has a new baby cousin and they don’t want to expose him to people. 

“This year it will be a small family group rather than a large family gathering,” said Robbins. 

Several universities in South Dakota are also not returning to campus after Thanksgiving break, instead, all students are taking semester exams virtually. Many students have become comfortable with virtual learning, and it would be an easy adjustment. If we extended our break it would not only give students a break from all the chaos, but it could also give the janitors extra time to deep clean the building. The number of students and staff at LHS that are out because of COVID-19 seems to be increasing. The three weeks of school between Thanksgiving and Christmas are weeks that virtual learning would be crucial for our school and health. Those three weeks in between holidays will fly by anyway, so why not take the precautions to try to slow the spread? 

“It’s a short period of time anyway so there’s no point,” said Robbins. 

The long holiday break is much needed. It would hopefully calm the spread of COVID-19 around our school, and it would allow more people to feel comfortable gathering with family for the holidays.