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| Trump is shouting for schools to reopen. He needs an actual strategy. | Trump is shouting for schools to reopen. He needs an actual strategy. |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| PRESIDENT TRUMP has seized upon a new campaign battle cry to reopen the schools this fall, not with distance learning but in person. Mr. Trump’s call reflects a genuine need, felt by parents, teachers and students, to get back to the classroom. In any calculus of recovery, schools must be a priority. But it is important that reopening be done smartly, avoiding Mr. Trump’s previous bungling and leadership bankruptcy. | PRESIDENT TRUMP has seized upon a new campaign battle cry to reopen the schools this fall, not with distance learning but in person. Mr. Trump’s call reflects a genuine need, felt by parents, teachers and students, to get back to the classroom. In any calculus of recovery, schools must be a priority. But it is important that reopening be done smartly, avoiding Mr. Trump’s previous bungling and leadership bankruptcy. |
| All over the country this week, teachers, parents, students and administrators are wrestling with the methods of how to accomplish this, knowing the stakes are high. Students have already lost months of work; many parents need to return to jobs; a host of knock-on effects flow from canceled classes, including mental health troubles. | |
| Full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic | Full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic |
| “SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!” Mr. Trump declared on Twitter. But simply shouting the slogan is not a strategy. Schools must avoid hasty miscalculations such as those evident in Mr. Trump’s thoughtless drive in May to reopen states, which badly backfired and led to the present pandemic surge. The current wildfire of infection must be extinguished as a prerequisite to going back to classrooms. If Americans can’t wear masks and stay out of bars and restaurants, they won’t get the school bells ringing soon. | “SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!” Mr. Trump declared on Twitter. But simply shouting the slogan is not a strategy. Schools must avoid hasty miscalculations such as those evident in Mr. Trump’s thoughtless drive in May to reopen states, which badly backfired and led to the present pandemic surge. The current wildfire of infection must be extinguished as a prerequisite to going back to classrooms. If Americans can’t wear masks and stay out of bars and restaurants, they won’t get the school bells ringing soon. |
| Reopening will also require major new resources that states and localities do not have. Ninety percent of school funding is local, and the governments are struggling under crushing pandemic burdens and tax revenue falloff. Philadelphia School Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. estimated on Wednesday that the city would need $60 million to $80 million more just to meet the requirements of physical distancing, face masks, additional staff to clean and sanitize schools, and proper ventilation in old buildings. Some other estimates are that schools nationwide will need an additional $200 billion to safely reopen. Where is this coming from? A fresh economic stimulus package does not seem imminent from Washington. | Reopening will also require major new resources that states and localities do not have. Ninety percent of school funding is local, and the governments are struggling under crushing pandemic burdens and tax revenue falloff. Philadelphia School Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. estimated on Wednesday that the city would need $60 million to $80 million more just to meet the requirements of physical distancing, face masks, additional staff to clean and sanitize schools, and proper ventilation in old buildings. Some other estimates are that schools nationwide will need an additional $200 billion to safely reopen. Where is this coming from? A fresh economic stimulus package does not seem imminent from Washington. |
| We are interested in hearing about how the struggle to reopen amid the pandemic is affecting people's lives. Please tell us yours. | We are interested in hearing about how the struggle to reopen amid the pandemic is affecting people's lives. Please tell us yours. |
| Some schools are trying to cope with it all by creating hybrid plans, sharing in-classroom time with online instruction, to which Mr. Trump sniffs, “I think it’s an easy way out.” To make matters worse, Mr. Trump on Wednesday threatened schools in a tweet, “May cut off funding if not open!” How is that going to help? Mr. Trump also ominously insisted he would press the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — the public health experts — to loosen guidance for school reopenings. He knows better? | Some schools are trying to cope with it all by creating hybrid plans, sharing in-classroom time with online instruction, to which Mr. Trump sniffs, “I think it’s an easy way out.” To make matters worse, Mr. Trump on Wednesday threatened schools in a tweet, “May cut off funding if not open!” How is that going to help? Mr. Trump also ominously insisted he would press the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — the public health experts — to loosen guidance for school reopenings. He knows better? |
| Another huge issue that must be faced is the vulnerability of adults. As the group Resolve to Save Lives pointed out, younger people are less prone to get seriously ill, and may not transmit the virus as much as adults. But the viral load in infected children has been shown to be similar to adults. Schoolchildren do not exist in a vacuum, but rather in a web of adult contacts, from parents to teachers, who may be more prone to infection and illness. Nearly a third of public school teachers are 50 or older. It is not a simple matter to just wave a magic wand and declare schools must open. | |
| Read more: | Read more: |
| The Post’s View: Schools need to reopen. The question is how. | The Post’s View: Schools need to reopen. The question is how. |
| Daniel T. Halperin: The case for reopening schools this fall | Daniel T. Halperin: The case for reopening schools this fall |
| Leana S. Wen: If Trump wants to reopen schools, here’s what his administration needs to do | Leana S. Wen: If Trump wants to reopen schools, here’s what his administration needs to do |
| Joseph G. Allen: Yes, kids should be going back to school in the fall | Joseph G. Allen: Yes, kids should be going back to school in the fall |
| Alexandra Petri: We can’t wait for schools to reopen safely! | Alexandra Petri: We can’t wait for schools to reopen safely! |