As a result of tremendous pressure to reopen America for business — including indoor events, bars, and packed beaches — there is now a tragic resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Unfortunately, getting children safely back to in-person learning environments has not gotten the attention it deserves.

At this point there urgently needs to be more awareness brought to this aspect of the pandemic, and resources mobilized to plan and implement solutions corresponding to our diverse learning environments.

The good news: Based on current scientific evidence, and direct experiences from European countries, a ‘Return to School’ plan can be done safely if done carefully.

A quick review of the issue as it stands:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics’ call for in-person schooling is in contrast to what state and federal authorities have been recommending up to now in this pandemic. According to the AAP, the benefit outweighs the possible risk.
• Remote-only learning has been associated with negative outcomes for children including a lack of learning, increased behavioral and psychological issues, social isolation, and increased risk of abuse. This doesn’t even address the personal, professional, and financial stress parents face with having children home all day, every day. Clearly these issues are most acute in households with the most need.
• The current school closure strategies are based on earlier epidemics in which children played a LARGE role as transmitters of the disease. For example: seasonal flu infection.
• With SARS-CoV-2 there is steadily increasing evidence that children DO NOT play the same role in infection. Children tend to catch this infection from adult household contacts. They don’t readily catch or spread the infection.
• Older children can attend school if social distancing and hygiene measures are carefully taken. Children wearing masks in a classroom setting can safely stay six-feet apart from each other.
• Children with special health needs and/or household contacts that are high risk need to be identified and allowed to continue with remote-only education. Families should be allowed to opt-out of in-person education based on their specific situation.
• Daily school-based temperature checks and repeated SARS-CoV-2 screening tests can play a role in return to school. However, these actions only measure one moment in time and can lead to a false sense of security and relaxation around other, more important, control measures.
• A consistent evidence-based approach to distancing and hygiene measures for monitoring children and staff, controlling outbreaks, and tracing contacts are still needed.
• Children do generally very well with SARS-CoV-2 infection. While reports of Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in children can be scary, it is a very rare condition from which most children recover.
• Tragically, lockdowns were recently loosened first for activities and businesses with the highest risk of transmission, which has presumably led to the present resurgence of cases. The focus has been on these areas rather than on the critical and likely safe options of returning children to in-person learning. As further data show the safety of ‘Return to School,’ it is important for parents to amplify this need even in the midst of a resurgence of cases.

Dr Sean O’Leary, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, said it well in this article:

“Reopening schools is so important for the kids, but really for the entire community. So much of our world relies on kids being in school and parents being able to work. … So it goes beyond just the health of the child, which is, of course, very important. As a country, we should be doing everything we can right now, for lots of reasons, to make sure we can safely reopen schools in the fall.”

So, should you send your child back to school this fall?

If your household is not particularly vulnerable and your school has developed concrete plans to manage issues surrounding monitoring and potential outbreaks, you can probably feel comfortable sending your children back to school. This issue will continue to evolve in the next several months as the fall approaches and the decision will have to be made on a case-by-case basis based on your particular situation.

Some pertinent questions:

• Does your child have any particular vulnerabilities that might make him/her a higher risk for coronavirus? Is there anyone at home who is particularly vulnerable (chronic medical conditions, elderly age group)? If so, remote education might be most appropriate.
• How has your child done with remote learning? Has it been particularly difficult to do school work at home or possibly overall advantageous? Has your child suffered from social isolation or serious mood changes based on not being in school?
• Will your school have a real plan in place to deal with control measures and how they will respond to potential outbreaks?
• How critical to your professional and financial functioning is it to have your children in school?
• How much will you worry if your children go back to school?

For More Information:

Here are some excellent articles just published in the New York Times and elsewhere, with links for further reading.

• “Why a Pediatric Group Is Pushing to Reopen Schools This Fall” NYT: An overview of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ urgent call for a return to in-person schooling. Here also is the full text of the AAP announcement.
• “America Has Its Priorities All Wrong: Resuming classroom instruction is crucial” NYT: From the op-ed section
• “In the Covid-19 Economy, You Can Have a Kid or a Job. You Can’t Have Both” NYT. Searing commentary on current crisis of working vs parenting
• Important perspective on the struggles schools are facing: “‘Big Mess’ Looms if Schools Don’t Get Billions to Reopen Safely” NYT

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