Open Letter: Reopening Schools Is A Life And Death Matter

To Any And All State Lawmakers Who Are Willing To Listen:

Last August, I attended my very first open schools rally, and it made me want to do more. In October, my Girls Scout sister Olivia committed suicide due to the isolation from school shutdowns. Olivia’s death lit a fire inside me because I knew exactly how she felt. I was dealing with my own issues of depression and suicidal thoughts and attempts caused by isolation from shutdowns. Olivia’s death gave me a purpose again, and that was to bring awareness to the mental crisis students are facing due to school shutdowns and to advocate to open schools. In December, I delivered my very first speech at a rally and then testified to the Oregon state senate.

I want to share that testimony with you today:

Good morning, Madame Chair Gelser and members of the Senate. My name is Melanie, and I’m 13 years old and in the 8th grade. I probably have 100 drafts of testimony for you. But then in the middle of the night it dawned on me that you have probably been flooded with scientific data on why schools should be open. What parents are witnessing happening to their children. So I decided it was my turn, to be open and honest and really help you understand what it’s like to be a kid and what this shutdown is doing to us.