Coronavirus in rural America (Part CVII): Idaho school and community rolling with coronavirus punches

Kirk Siegler reports for NPR today from Bruneau, Idaho, population 552, under the headline, "A Rural School Under Pressure To Stay Open: 'People Are Just Rough And Tough.'"  The "rough and tough" is pretty much the gist of the story, reflecting a frontier mentality associated with the West.  In this community--not far from Boise--many folks don't wear masks, and they don't want their kids to have to wear masks.  Siegler quotes one mom of a kindergartner and second grader, Cassandra Folkman:  

I don't make them wear 'em anywhere we go.  I don't wear one and they don't.  ...  I'm not scared of the virus, I guess.  It seems like it's just another string of the flu.

But a teacher at the school who caught the virus and was out of commission for six weeks this fall has a different perspective.  Sariah Pearson comments, 

Most people don't really want to hear about it.  Even though they care about me, it does not translate over.

Pearson now frequently keeps her windows open to keep air circulating, and she paid $300 for an air filtration system.  

Recently, cases among teachers and students have been numerous enough to force some classes to move online temporarily.  Still, the school board voted 3-2 against requiring masks.  Eventually, the schools had to close a few weeks ago because so many substitute teachers had been exposed to infected students that there weren't enough teachers.  

Still, most teachers and students don't wear masks.  The superintendent, Ryan Cantrell, does.  He sees it as modeling for the faculty and students, though he estimated that only about a dozen of 180 junior-high and school students wear them.  The rate of teachers wearing masks isn't much better.  

The quote on which the story's headline is based is from another parent, Brooklyn Kunsky, who thinks the school district is managing the virus pretty well.  She is opting to have her children in school.    

Our kids don't want to wear masks, our kids want to have a somewhat normal [life], if that's even, you know, a realistic word in the midst of all this, educational experience.

I think when you live in a rural community, people are just ... I don't know, rough and tough, I don't know if that's the right word, but, we just make it through.

Kunsky is a native of Bruneau and graduated from high school there, so she's probably pretty in touch with the culture.  

Siegler also reported from this school in mid-August, and I wrote about it here.