Oh boy, wading into this again.
My son will be Senior next year and I want him to have as normal a Senior year as possible. Not a virtual prom, a REAL prom. Not a cancelled lacrosse season, a REAL lacrosse season, not a drive-by-everyone-honks-and-waves-banners commencement, a REAL commencement. Maybe that commencement or those lacrosse games happen without a soul in the stadium, and maybe there are at-risk teachers or even students that still do some sort of virtual classroom - that's not ideal, but that beats the snot out of what is happening now. I doubt you'd find a single person, at-risk or otherwise who would disagree with that.
It is at this point where I know there are some who have already dismissed what I have to say. It's not worth risking the lives of their grandparents, or the teachers. OK, then don't. Yes, there are teachers who are at risk, or who don't want to take the risk, that will be out of the classroom - they are out of the classroom now, what is the difference? My kids probably won't see their grandparents until herd immunity or a vaccine is found. They can't visit their grandparents now, what is the difference? The fact is, and yes, it is a fact, not conjecture, not-at-risk kids are not experiencing the really bad symptoms, are not ending up in hospitals, and again a proven fact, kids under 10 don't even transmit the disease to older parents and grandparents. Keeping kids out of school is a decision based on fear and fear alone. Heck, we're pretty sure this thing already rolled through my kids school back in December. There were lots of absences but nobody was all that alarmed. In other words, a normal response to a natural occurrence - a far cry from what is going on now.
How important is this to us? If CA decides to stay "virtual classroom" (an near total failure in our experience, YMMV), we are moving to a state that does not. Yes, it is that important. To those who say that HS experience was not that important to them or their kids, I truly feel sorry for you. The guys I played soccer with, the people in the marching band, heck, even the students in my Chemistry and Math classes, these are STILL the best friends I have. I wouldn't trade a second I spent with any of them for the world. THAT is what I want my kids to have - and we are trading it away for nothing. This has to end.