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I know this AAP article is receiving a lot of media attention, & epidemiologists are understandably concerned w/ their conclusion. But the decision to return to school is a complex issue w/ competing issues that are just as threatening as COVID. https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/#.XvpL5RkVkEc.twitter
Teachers are the most common reporter of child abuse, & that safety net has disappeared during COVID. Data from multiple jurisdictions show that reporting of abuse has dropped 50%. This is not because children are not being abused as much. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/nyregion/coronavirus-nyc-child-abuse.html
There is also the obvious issue of food insecure families. Many school districts across the country are trying to ensure these families continue to receive food, but I'm certain more children are falling through the cracks right now. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2005638
The hardest factor to measure right now is the social & emotional wellbeing of our kids w/o school. I've had the ability to arrange safe playdates for my son, but it's hard. He is struggling w/o the interactions he gets in school. I'm sure there will be long-term consequences.
The AAP article addresses these factors very thoughtfully, & tries to come up with a plan for mitigating (not eliminating) as much risk from COVID for students, teachers, & staff. It's not perfect, but it attempts to strike an incredibly important balance.
Will I send my kids back to school? We've decided to not send my daughter back to daycare (pre-K), but I'm still on the fence about my son (4th grade). But I have the privilege of this being an actual choice. Others don't.
Another issue I forgot to mention is households where both parents or a single parent are essential workers (nurses, EMT, grocers, etc), especially if those individuals can't afford to hire a qualified nanny or tutor. Without school, those kids' educations will come to a halt.
Great article re: working parents and schools. "We are not burned out because life is hard this year. We are burned out because we are being rolled over by the wheels of an economy that has bafflingly declared working parents inessential." https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/business/covid-economy-parents-kids-career-homeschooling.html
A few passages from the above article: "Students will lose most of a year of learning as parents — their new untrained teachers — cannot supervise in any meaningful way while Zooming into the office." 1/6
"At best, the kids will be crabby and stir-crazy as they don’t get enough physical activity because they’re now tethered to their parents’ work spaces all day, running around the living room in lieu of fresh air." 2/6
"Without social interactions with other children, they constantly seek parental attention in bad ways, further straining the mood at home. And these are ideal scenarios." 3/6
"But what about kids who cannot learn remotely? What about kids who need services that are tied to schools? Or those who are at higher risk for complications if they get the virus and might not be able to go back even one week out of the three?"... 4/6
..."Allowing workplaces to reopen while schools, camps and day cares remain closed tells a generation of working parents that it’s fine if they lose their jobs, insurance and livelihoods in the process." 5/6
"It’s outrageous, and I fear if we don’t make the loudest amount of noise possible over this, we will be erased from the economy." 6/6
This nice review of the (fairly limited) data on transmission of SARS-CoV2 in children is highly relevant to this discussion. https://twitter.com/vscooper/status/1279742187769663489?s=20
If risk can be further mitigated with masks and social distancing, then I personally see those risks outweighed by benefits of children returning to school.
