Dear Editor,

  Good! A decision has finally been made public. Was it the right or the wrong one? That will remain debatable, however, education must go on and for now online learning has been decided as the starting point until further notice.

  Let us review some facts.

  Based on data, studies provide evidence that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted from symptomatic people to others who are in close contact through respiratory droplets, by direct contact with infected persons, or by contact with contaminated objects and surfaces. We also know that COVID-19 is also transmittable by persons who show no signs, but are carriers of the virus.

  In light of the above, worldwide guidelines have been set in place to mitigate the spread of this virus, namely: frequent handwashing, mask wearing, and social distancing. These guidelines, for the most part have been implementable by various businesses and institutions and in some countries even schools, so what is St. Maarten waiting on? Why did you, the Honorable Minister of Education Rudolph Samuel, opt to begin the academic year with online learning?

  To that, the answer should be and we trust that it is, the safety of its primary stakeholders, students and teachers (and by extension the rest of the community).

  To the naked eye, implementing these guidelines within the school building may seem as easy to implement as at other entities, however, the reality remains that it is not. School buildings house the group of people that tends to and requires the most socialization and physical contact than most places. Furthermore, the enforcement of the COVID-19 safety guidelines will definitely require a totally different plan of approach and preparation when it comes to dealing with the students.

  So now what? Do we continue to complain and point fingers because of the decision to begin the school year with online learning (until further notice)? No! We hold the bull by the horns, virtually join hands, and get the ball rolling without further delay.

  Firstly, the main challenges within the community at large remain: Internet access, device ownership, and childcare services.

  To you, the Minister of Education, below are recommendations presented to you and your team:

Internet access

1. Internet Supply Providers (ISP) should make a special package for low income families to have Internet, example at $10 a month. These packages will exist for the duration of the online learning (island-wide). Donations are made yearly by ISPs to various events, this is another way to donate to the community as well, as we trust that we all can do this for our future leaders.
2. Another alternative would be to provide Internet free of charge to low income families (to be identified by the school). This Internet access can be made available strictly during what would be typical school hours, namely 7:30am to 3:00pm. If it cannot be given free of charge, then at the expense of the government.

Internet quality:

1. Schools can be allotted a time frame to do their online teaching. This is to avoid overburdening the Internet traffic. Example: School A, B, C, D will follow online teaching from 7:30-9:00am, School E, F, G, H will follow online lessons from 9:00-10:30am, etc. In this, teachers will also need a mind shift in the workload they assign and the dependency of assignments needing to be completed with Internet use.
2. Rather than require prolonged teaching time via face-to-face lessons, videos of teaching can be uploaded and accessed by parents and students during a time that is convenient for them, rather than having to necessarily access the Internet at a specific time.

Devices

1. Electronic stores can offer a payment plan for families to purchase devices. The monthly payments should be low, taking the current economic situation of the island into consideration, for example at $20 a month. This should be overseen by the Ministry of Education. Parents will receive the device and will pay it off over time. Parents who genuinely cannot acquire a device based on the abovementioned must make this known to their respective school.

  Payment plan option should also be made available to teachers to acquire material and tools to fulfill optimal online schooling.

2. Another option would be to call on sponsorship from the public/business. They can donate a certain amount of devices suitable to follow online schooling (facetime camera included) and assignment completion to schools “Adopt a School” project. The school will then be responsible in identifying critical candidates and loaning them the devices for the period of the online schooling. Once onsite schooling is back in effect, the devices are returned to the respective schools. Donation directly to the schools will allow for borrowing of devices in the future in case offsite schooling is ever needed again.
3. Comparable to our regular election polling stations, we can set up Online Learning Stations. The community centers within the various districts will be supplied with Internet connection, several computer stations, and volunteers for supervision and guidance purposes. These computer stations can be supplied with laptops that were used by the many civil servants during the lockdown, but are no longer needed due to the transition back to normalcy. Employees within the ministry can be assigned to these so-called Online Learning Stations to set up and collect the devices, ensuring 2-3 volunteers are on-site. The community police officers can also patrol these stations during the opening periods.

Childcare and online guidance during off-site learning

1. Former teachers, retired teachers, third year education majors at USM, students who have completed their high school, but are not leaving the island as yet, all these should be called on and given an incentive/stipend to guide small groups of students through their online learning program. Groups as small as 5 students at a time. School teachers should cater to students with learning challenges (e.g. language barriers) who would need the specific guidance on school premises. This will take place at the Online Learning Stations per district, as mentioned above.
2. Parents who are home can help one or two other children (family friends or neighbors) in following their online classes and assignment completion.
3. A formal request from the Ministry of Education can be sent to all employers, where possible, to provide its employees a total amount of homeschooling hours per week, without salary penalty e.g. 4 hours per week. The employer would be responsible to set the guideline as to how these hours will be taken per employee.

Accountability

1. Students must be required to maintain a digital or manual portfolio of assignments.
2. Parents are required to initiate contact with teachers if they experience specific challenges. They must be willing to work hand-in-hand with the teacher/school in order to ensure the best possible outcome for their child’s online learning experience.
3. Teachers will create realistic learning opportunities for all students. They will revise the curriculum and work on topics that are more feasible/simple to follow through online learning.
4. Schools will create a standard outline of how online lessons will be presented. They will select three main platforms for students and parents, namely; face-timing platform, activity/assignment websites, and parent contact portal. Avoid overbearing parents with numerous repetitive platforms in order to avoid complexity and confusion to its audience.
5. School Boards will inform parents of all decisions that affect all their schools in a timely manner. They will ensure that teachers are not overwhelmed with too many demands under these already stressful times. Keep it simple for all involved.
6. The Ministry of Education has to set a tentative timeline and make this public! A phased timetable that reflects how learning will proceed for the 2020/2021 academic year must be made known as soon as possible, allowing parents and teachers to plan effectively and wisely under the circumstances. This plan must reflect the timeframe that online learning will definitely be taking place for all schools, e.g. August to October (while observing the progression of COVID-19) and when onsite learning will resume and how it will look. Additionally, detailed mention must be made of what preparations are being taken within each school to be ready for on-site learning and what adjustments will be made for exam students, if this becomes necessary.

  When will the execution of the above be done? Now! Honorable Minister Samuel and the Ministry of Education, now is the time to put the logistics in place. You have bought yourself some time through the continuation of online learning to get the ball rolling on preparing your schools properly, allowing teachers to plan properly for this new normal, and lastly and more importantly, safeguarding the wellbeing of your most valuable stakeholders, your students and teachers and by extension the community.

  One may wonder why all this, why not just go back to on-site schooling as of August 10?

  The COVID-19 numbers have been steadily rising. The reality remains that schools are currently not equipped to support and enforce the COVID-19 safety guidelines. Schools have a high chance of becoming a potential breeding ground for the transmittance of the virus. Students and teachers alike will be “forcefully" exposed to the virus if the preparation to ensure the safety of all is not taken seriously. School buildings, under typical circumstances, are meant for socializing, physical interaction, and freedom, now this has to be strategically controlled, specifically with the age groups that may have a harder time adjusting to the so-called new normal. And one often-overlooked aspect is that our medical care cannot afford an aggressive outbreak of this virus within our community.

  Though many may not agree to begin the school year with online learning, Minister Samuel, you made a call, taking primarily the safety of its primary stakeholders into account, the students and teachers. Now let’s work together as a village and get creative in raising our children. Education is not a building, a place, a person, education is a movement. Education on the move, embrace it!

Respectfully, concerned teachers and parents

(names withheld)

Dear Editor,

  St. Maarten is faced with a new and seemingly more severe outbreak of the COVID-19 respiratory virus. This time, however, more and more people and businesses are prepared, and have already implemented safety measures to prevent infection and to minimize the spread of the virus. Nevertheless, a prevention and mitigation system is as strong as its weakest link. The key element of a successful safety management system is to create a culture whereby the entire society shares the same safety values, upholds the measures and the commits to individual responsibilities.

  Global successes, or failures, of safety management systems are becoming more and more clear, whereby we have seen in the United States how inconsistent policies and messages (a broken chain), affect an entire society.

  In stark contrast to the latter, East Asian countries like Taiwan have successfully stopped the spread of the virus. Their society proactively protect one another from disease and understand the value of the overall safety management system. It also helps that cultures in most Asian countries, are collectivist in orientation, and although the virus in Taiwan is under control and there are no signs of new community outbreaks, most people are still wearing face masks in public. Their mentality is that the society must protect each other, it’s not only to protect yourself but also to protect others in case you are carrying the virus.

  In the beginning of the outbreak health officials were against public use of face masks, because scientists did not yet know how easily COVID-19 spreads between people without symptoms, and how long the virus can linger in the air. Further to that, there was a shortage of respiratory masks among health care workers, which caused a pushback from health officials towards public use.

  Today, most scientists and health officials are emphasizing that we must wear masks if we want to save lives and the economy. The Director of the Center for Control and Disease and Prevention (CDC) has stated that “if all wore face coverings for the next 12 weeks across the nation, this virus transmission would stop.”

  The main reason face masks are so effective is that they protect other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected and doesn’t have symptoms, which happens about 80 per cent of the time.

  Recent studies also indicate that wearing a mask also protects you as an individual. The less virus load you get in, the less sick you are likely to get, and you get what is called an asymptomatic infection. In some cases you may not have any symptoms at all, or very mildly.

  To mask or not to mask? PJIAE’s COVID-19 prevention and Mitigation Taskforce is very clear about this question. Early face mask policies in many East-Asian countries curbed the spread of COVID-19 and saved many lives.

  Early in March, PJIAE committed to a $300k investment in upgrading its safety measures, protecting staff, the airport community and St. Maarten’s visitors. A considerable amount of investment has gone to different types of face masks. Today, it can be concluded as undoubtedly proven that face masks are the most effective personal protective equipment. PJIAE also made it mandatory that all airport users must wear a mask once entering the airport. PJIAE also received backing on the enforcement of this rule by formal instruction of the VSA [Public Health, Social Development and Labour  – Ed.] Minister, Richard Panneflek, based on article 44 section 1 of the Public Health Ordinance (Lv0 Publieke Gezondheid AB 2016 no. 42), and further supports the Minister’s decision to make it mandatory for persons to wear masks in public places.

  Other than the investments PJIAE made in face masks, PJIAE also trained all its staff and its airport community members with proper usage guidelines. It is important that everyone educate themselves on the importance of wearing face masks and how to use them. For those who are interested in the proper usage of face masks and other safety measures, as well as PJIAE’s prevention and mitigation measures, please follow PJIAE’s online training at

https://youtu.be/v5pjK3D2FJ8

  Research shows that the face masks, when used, can filter particles smaller than the virus.

Princess Juliana International Operating Company PJIAE N.V.

Honorable Minister Samuel,

  Going towards the end of this summer holiday, we were happy to read that schools in St. Maarten would reopen on (or around) August 10. This was confirmed during the live virtual Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday, July 29. The Minister assured that schools would reopen as “education has to continue”. The ministry would focus on ensuring that schools and the community would adhere to three key prevention measures, including wearing masks and/or face shields, proper hand-washing etiquette and maintaining social distancing. The Minister made note of the fact that each school facility is different, and that the ministry would – together with school boards and school managers – determine all school schedules.

  As a lot of other schools on the island, our school board and teachers worked for the bigger part of their holidays to be ready for the reopening at the beginning of August. The schools provided us with detailed (practical) procedures, as well as the way they would provide the education. The schools would be opening up for “live” education, but would also provide (some) online learning for children whose parents are not yet comfortable coming to school.

  We couldn’t be more surprised after reading the letter of the Minister of July 31, only 2 days after the press briefing and one day before opening the country to US tourism, stating that all schools will start with online learning until further notice. Without any good arguments, the Minister turns his view 180 degrees. We cannot help the feeling that this decision is based on comments on social media and without consultation with the schools of St. Maarten or consideration of the needs of families.

  In-person education is an essential service for a nation that expects to thrive. The Honorable Prime Minister has stated that it is critical for St Maarten to become financially independent and economically strong. This will require an investment in children and education that is equal to the investment we have made in tourism. We must invest in our children’s knowledge, skills, as well as their overall mental health and social development.

  However, experts (i.e. American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association) agree that isolation from peers during online teaching is a necessity in some cases during the pandemic, but can have long-term negative impacts on the overall well-being of children. The consequences can include social skills deficits, anxiety, depressed mood and a decline in academic skills. This is especially severe for children with disabilities and special needs, who cannot function with an online platform. More importantly, access to the Internet in St Maarten is not equally distributed, meaning many students were lost to follow-up during the last academic year.

  Aside from the wellbeing of our children, there’s the practical aspect. School closures also have a negative impact on the workforce in St Maarten. We need the economy to start up again, little by little, and therefore we – parents – need to go back to work. Parents who are providing home schooling to children have also suffered economic and professional hardship as they balance these demands. Women in particular have been expected to carry the burden of home schooling at the expense of their careers. In short, schools are an essential service for a nation that expects to thrive.

  For these reasons, schools are opening up all over the world. Scientific studies have proven that there is no specific danger or health risk to children, when proper hygiene steps are followed. Day-cares on the island (with children until the age of 6) already have been reopened for months, without resulting in any (known) new COVID-19 transmission. Without problems, children have been together the whole summer on summer camps, while playing sports and on playdates. But now the Minister decides to keep schools closed; while nightclubs, casinos, hotels and adult entertainment can stay open!

  Within the ‘framework’ set by the ministry, we feel it should be up to the schools, parents and teachers collaboratively to decide how the education is given (live, online, or hybrid). We do understand that not everyone feels safe enough yet to send their children to school and that the resources for social distancing are not the same for all schools in St. Maarten. However, it should be everyone’s own choice, and schools should have an opportunity to use the resources they have to find solutions. Now a choice has been made for us, which will weaken one of the most essential fabrics of our society, to not even being able to bring our kids back to school.

  We feel confident and safe to start the new school year in person. We therefore kindly ask you to amend the letter of July 31, in line with our request above.

A group of concerned parents of St Maarten. 

Dear Editor,

  The Dutch-side economy is what has St. Maarten/St. Martin alive. I must say it, our government has a bunch of weak people. We should also close our border to protect our St. Maarten people from those Europeans bringing COVID-19 on the Dutch side. Furthermore, we should block Air France and let them know they have to use the Grand Case airport to fulfill the French-side requirement because passing through the Dutch side, according to the prefet, presents a major risk.

  Sorry for all the French people that work on the Dutch side, you should not come on the Dutch side to work because you present a risk also when going back to the French side, according to your prefet.

  Our government in Dutch St. Maarten is a waste to let a European woman control and dictate for us all from her side. Quite frankly you all are a bunch of [weaklings – Ed.].

  Her behavior is unacceptable. If the Franco-Dutch treaty does not benefit the St. Maarteners/St. Martiners with Dutch and French nationality the time to abolish it is now.

  People in French St. Maarten, your side is the problem. You have to stand up to that woman to defend your relationship with the Dutch side. We must never let a French European foreigner tell us how to run our business. Slavery days are long over.

  Our government on the Dutch side, now is the time I want to see strength in defending us. You all want to be independent, you all cannot represent yourself so how can you do it for us. If I was in charge, my response to her would be doing the same thing on my side. We will see who needs whom the most.

  I am The Patriot Miguel Arrindell and approve this message.

The Patriot Miguel Arrindell