We Need to Get Kids Back to School As Soon As We Can

A few comments on getting kids back to school.

1. We need to get kids back to school as soon as we can. If they are not in school, they are falling behind. And the least advantaged kids are falling behind more than the most advantaged.  For every month kids are not back in school, the inequality gap is growing.  If the inequality gap is important, and it is, we need to get the least advantaged kids back to school as soon as possible.

2. But we have to do it safely. And that makes if difficult. I understand other countries, in Europe, etc., are sending their kids back to school.  So why can’t we, people ask.  The point is that those countries have Covid-19 more under control than we do.  I am not judging anybody, but it is a fact.  While there are places in the United States where Covid-19 is under control, there are other places where it isn’t.

3. Which means that, while there are places where kids can go back to school in September, there are other places where they may not be able to. We’re a big country. It’s not one-size-fits-all.  No one rule can apply to the whole country.  People in Washington may want everybody to go back to school in September, full-time and in-person, but, unfortunately, that probably can’t happen. 

4. The people in Washington can do something to help get kids back to school as soon as possible, though. It seems to me that what would really help schools get back to in-classroom teaching as soon as possible is guidelines: How to do it, when to do it, etc. The guidelines wouldn’t work perfectly for everybody – because things are different in different places (as I said above).  Maybe there should be several sets of guidelines – different sets for different situations.  The schools probably wouldn’t follow them exactly, because it would be local choice, but there would be a set of guidelines which they could start with and adjust to their situation.  They wouldn’t have to come up with their own guidelines from scratch; they could just adapt an existing set.  That would allow them to spend more time on implementation and might allow them to start up more quickly.

5. Teachers want to be safe, too. I understand. But schools can’t wait to go back until we have a vaccine.  If grocery stores are essential, so are schools.  Lots of essential workers were out there taking risks for us – and still are.  Schools are essential, too, and at some point, they have to start up.  We need to make them as safe as we can, but we can’t wait for perfection.  I realize this means there will be some risk.  Some teachers, especially if they have underlying health conditions, won’t feel comfortable going back.  They shouldn’t have to.  We should welcome back all those teachers who can go back, and find substitutes for those who can’t.  Because kids need to start learning in school as soon as possible – because that’s where they learn best. 

     (Unfortunately, some school districts may not be able to pay teachers who don’t feel they can go back.  That is difficult, but there is only so much money to go around.  It will be, as I say in the next paragraph, a balancing.)

6. Ultimately, opening schools will be a balancing.  Safety – for the kids, the teachers, and the community.  In-school learning, so kids, especially the least advantaged, don’t fall further and further behind.  It is going to be hard, but nobody said Covid-19 was going to be easy.