We are asking Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach to cancel school tomorrow because a virus is spreading and causing students and staff to get sick, including throwing up and other illness. When something like this is moving through a school, the safest choice is to give everyone time to stay home, recover, and keep it from spreading further.
A school is a place where people are close together all day, sharing classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, and meals. That makes it easy for an illness to pass from one person to another. If school stays open while a virus is going around, more children and staff can be affected, and families may end up dealing with more illness at home too.
Canceling school tomorrow would show care for the health of the whole community. It would give students a chance to rest and parents time to arrange care, without putting more people at risk. It would also help the school clean and prepare before everyone comes back together again.
We understand that closing school is never a small decision. But when a virus is already causing vomiting and other sickness at Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach, the responsible thing is to pause and protect the people who make up the school community.
We urge Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach to cancel school tomorrow.