Bay Area high schools are going in person for the last weeks of the school year, neglecting both teachers’ and students’ physical and mental health.

High schools have started hybrid plans instead of fully in-person teaching. But even then, these plans ignore the safety and sanity of teachers.

Many complain about burnout and general anxiety — including some teachers from my old high school. The schools do nothing to help them.

It’s irresponsible and selfish to ask teachers to set aside their health concerns so that things can go back to “normal” (the pandemic is not over). They have already gone above and beyond for their students.

And it’s just as selfish to ask the students to come back to school when they also suffer from burnout and anxiety.

I understand the desire to reopen — virtual learning is difficult to manage and parents are growing antsy with their children being home all day.

But opening the schools only to appease anxious parents is a mistake. It overlooks the pandemic.

The coast is not clear. Vaccines are steadily being rolled out to people across the Bay Area, but they have only been opened up to teens within the past few weeks.

Less than 1% of people younger than 18 have been fully vaccinated in the U.S..

Introducing in-person education at the end of the school year is asking too much of students and teachers, taxing both their physical and mental health.

Bay Area high schools should continue virtual education and look into hybrid models and in-person education for the fall, not at the tail end of the school year.