New Trier students are making their voices heard in the continued debate over whether the school should reopen to 50%. Students first began publicly sharing their opinions at the Nov 16th board meetings and later formed the group New Trier Students for Safety. Made up of over 30 students the group planned, advertised, and executed a virtual town hall against the school’s reopening. The town hall, which was live streamed and saved to Youtube on Nov 24th, gained traction with over 1,000 views. The video explored students’ stories, teacher statements, and interviews with medical professionals. 

Although the group argues that reopening, with COVID-19 numbers on the rise, is damaging for the community and healthcare system, their primary concern is over the safety of their teachers. Unlike students, teachers are not granted the option to work remotely unless they are deemed high risk by the school. 

The group will have speakers presenting at the board meeting tonight. 

Following public comments the board will decide how to move forward with reopening. Currently, the options that have been proposed are staying at 25%, staying at 25% and increasing the number of students determined to need in school learning, reevaluating an increase at the second semester mark, and opening to 50%.