Since March, Coppell has been forced to limit daily life in order to protect its citizens and keep businesses alive, all in order to restore normality sooner rather than later. This is due, in part, to group gatherings and ignorance throughout the community as well as the student bodies of Coppell ISD student body. 

We all want our lives to return to normal, but if we continue the same patterns we have shown over the past few months, it will create a lethal cycle and more lives will be compromised.

We are tired of being indoors. We are tired of being isolated. We are tired of not having the joys school can bring. After our schools reopened and a low number of cases were recorded, students grew hopeful that the end was near. 

Over Halloween select groups gave in to disregarding COVID-19 guidelines by attending Halloween parties and large homecoming gatherings, which took place the same weekend. Within two weeks after Oct. 31, more than 80 students tested positive for COVID-19, and many more were quarantined. School temporarily went fully virtual for five days, games were canceled and seasons delayed. 

CISD guidelines, including social distancing, limits on large gatherings and mandatory use of masks, are based on information from the Center for Disease Control and the Dallas Health Department. While these can easily be implemented in school settings, CISD cannot control students outside of school. 

Though these issues are not only prevalent in CISD, it is important to adjust our standards. We need to follow guidelines together as a community. Districts across the country are facing similar issues, some states have even completely shut down in-person school. By focusing on what we can change in our community, we can better prepare for a COVID-19 free future.

CISD strives to make school a safe place by implementing COVID-19 guidelines. Student behaviors are regulated in the school setting, causing cases to rise outside of CHS at things such as parties and club games where safety measures are not monitored, whereas very few cases originated from the school itself, according to CISD Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt.

With guidelines being followed in school, we need to shift our focus to out of school activities. This can easily be seen in CHS’s student section. Many schools, including Allen, found ways to incorporate social distancing measures at their football games, whereas students at Buddy Echols Field can be seen standing shoulder to shoulder, masks on their chin and yelling onto the field. Any safety measures that exist are not being upheld. 

By creating community expectations, we can help reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. By social distancing, wearing masks, limiting group gatherings and holding others accountable at out of school events, we can begin to hope for a better second semester. Students have already missed out on nearly a year of their high school experiences. 

With the holiday season, there are many uncertainties with impending celebrations, travel and family events. Based on previous patterns, guidelines will likely be ignored by a vast majority of our community, causing a surge in cases in these coming weeks. This causes many to worry for their families’ health, especially those with older, immunocompromised family members. 

We need to resist the temptation of large gatherings. Imagine if we didn’t partake in these gatherings and followed guidelines for a few more months. Could our community return to normal? 

People in our community are fed up hiding behind closed doors, angry with our peers who do not follow guidelines and sick of the fluctuation of cases. Our futures should not be so substantially defined by certain students deciding that safety measures don’t apply to them. Overall, we are all tired of our lives being put on hold. 

However, instead of acting on our frustration, which only continues the struggle for those who abide by the regulations, we need to fight the urge and stop being selfish. The more we ignore regulations, the longer this will continue. If the price we pay for a normal world is a few more months of following simple guidelines, it should be a price we should all be willing to pay.

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