very open to having my mind changed on this but i think taking elementary schools fully online will be the single most harmful policy decision of the covid crisis. it worries me that my feed is unequivocally “dont open the schools.” heres a thread on my logic:

full disclaimer: american public schools need better funding for this crisis. i couldnt agree more. BUT regardless, we need to get kids in elementary schools.

elementary is a key developmental time for any child. you learn much more in second grade than you do in eleventh.

putting it online is a lose-lose.
either no one does it and they lose a year of schooling
OR
children get exposed to more screens which is developmentally awful

but lets talk about getting the education. there are worse things than missing a year of school, right?

actually, not really.

school is key to brain development, both intellectually and socially.

we are essentially putting education in the hands of parents which will lead not only to poor instruction but also massive inequality.

research shows that 2/3rds of the income achievement gap is due to summer vacation. TWO THIRDS! and thats only three months

top that off with more exacerbating factors like the fact that lower income students will not have parents who can take off work to stay home with them or have access to the internet and we get a massive developmental gap brewing.

bonus points for skyrocketing obesity! obesity has traditionally skyrocketed over the summer when kids dont get recess. now were talking almost two years without recess.

obesity is the largest cost to our healthcare system and why life expectancy is expected to go down soon

alright, so elementary is important. but what about the pandemic risks?

these are very real concerns. but i think we have to do a societal cost-benefit analysis and realize that developmental risks outweigh health risks.

first of all, kids transmit the virus at lower rates.

the exact reasons are still unclear but it’s partially because they’re short.

they also have very small mortality rates at such a young age.

there are very real concerns about teachers. but i think we need to view this like we do doctors and nurses.

they are doing a public service job and have to accept the risks.

i dont think we should fire old teachers who arent safe, but we will have to hire new ones.

overall, i think trump pushing for school reopening has politicized this issue that should be apolitical.

there are reasons to be concerned, yes, but there’s a reason that american pediatric association wants elementsries to open.

this is the definition of essential

this tweet is going to sound cold but i think we need to recognize there are negative results besides death.

death can be weighed against massive inequality, developmental issues, and obesity.

imo, those three issues can ruin lives and entire generations just like death.