It’s almost the middle of August, and many parents still have little idea if their kids will be able to go to school in a few weeks. If schools are unable to reopen, it will be one of the worst blows of the COVID-19 pandemic yet. A large part of the labor force with young children at home and no access to child care will be unable to return to work, just as the pandemic’s bonus unemployment benefits start running out. Millions of temporary business closures will become permanent. And children will be affected in all sorts of ways, from stunted educational growth to food insecurity, with disadvantaged and minority children particularly hard hit.
These consequences of schools remaining closed are detailed on the website of the Centers for Disease Control, which has several pages of guidance for parents, teachers, and school administrators. But we still don’t have a national policy on schools reopening, and we need one fast. The president is strongly encouraging schools to reopen on time. While the federal government has no power to regulate when local school districts open and close, a national standard is needed that takes account of what we know about how COVID-19 affects different age groups and where COVID-19 has spread.
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