Don't Be Certain That Schools Should Be Open

With the coronavirus surging again and state and local officials closing down communities for a second time, many are arguing that schools must open or be kept open. The argument rests on incomplete evidence and ignores the fact that we have reached a point in the pandemic where the capacity of our increasingly overwhelmed healthcare system to respond to the medical crisis must dictate what stays open as winter descends and what stays closed, including schools.

The consequences of school closures are real. From long-term learning loss to the challenges of accessing social-emotional and mental health support, no decision to close school should be made casually, particularly for schools serving our most vulnerable students. Opening schools for in-person instruction should have been a high priority in the fall, when community spread was low in many parts of the country, and a full return to school buildings should be among our highest national goals going forward. Read Full Article »