This article suggest labeling schools as essential services, but not the type of essential service that open when virus is raging. Which could easily lead to confusion since that's not how we've been defining essential services. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2024920?query=featured_home

I wish this article was reframed as "steps the US needs to take to safely reopen schools by Oct." That's more reflective of their message than "schools are essential services" framing.

Also, the authors never states who the comparison group is. What are we comparing in-person school to? Crisis school of the spring? Traditionally homeschooled children? Homeschool clusters? Pandemic pods? This article forces a false dichotomy by not expressing a reference group.

my last thought... maybe... is that articles like this take a "all In-person schools are the same" approach. Schools vary widely across this country. Therefore our recommendations for schools reopening can not be one size fits all approach.