Regional School Unit 74 Superintendent Mike Tracy requested that Governor Mills open up his school to having students go to school five days a week, full time (“Carrabec schools superintendent calls for students to be learning in person all the time,” Feb. 23).  He said that schools are safer than home.

Perhaps the schools are safer because they are attending school on the modified schedule (two days a week in class, two days a week remote learning and one day a week of deep cleaning the school).

Much like a mental patient behaving well while being on their medication, the patient now thinks they are OK and go off their meds and then they’re off to the races, again.

Now we know that all families are not following CDC protocols when it comes to COVID safety. So now we bring together students from families not following protocols with students of families who are. What we have done is exposed students who have been doing the right thing into contact with students who have not. Result: The students who followed protocols are exposed to those who have not. Now we have kids who were safe and because of this callous exposure are no longer safe.

Those recently exposed kids (now possible COVID carriers) go home and expose their parents and grandparents, who are more susceptible to COVID’s severe effects and become gravely ill.

As for the adverse psychological effects of not attending school, this pandemic has taken its toll on everyone’s minds, no matter where those people are. Or are not.

Peter P. Sirois

Madison