The decision to close schools across the nation in March of 2020 turned out to have extremely detrimental effects on students across the nation. The unintended consequences may have previously been unknown, but the ramifications have been serious. After a year where kids have struggled more than necessary and a year of choosing to play politics over learning, everyone needs to remember the lesson learned: keep schools open.
Throughout the pandemic, the data clearly has shown that students are not at risk from COVID-19, nor the variants that come with it. According to the New York Times,“The weekly hospitalization rate for school-age children is approximately 1 in 100,000. This has stayed remarkably consistent throughout the pandemic — through the origin strain, the more transmissible Alpha and last winter’s surge and, yes, even through the summer Delta surge in the South and the fall Delta surge in the North.” The death rate for Americans under 18 who are infected has stayed at about the 0.01 percent mark throughout the pandemic. Even the 0.01 percent mark is not affected as much as we think. A John Hopkins report found a mortality rate of zero among children without a pre-existing medical condition. Students with no preexisting conditions have a measly 0.00015% chance of dying from COVID when they wake up in the morning.
Many bring up the fact that there are more cases today than in March of 2020. This is a mere attempt at a smear: although it is true that there are more cases than ever before, the severity of the Omicron variant is so incredibly low to merit such fear and anxiety. When comparing the 7-day rolling averages in LA County of January 15, 2022 and January 1, 2021, the day with the highest case count in the pre-Omicron era, cases have risen 157% but deaths have fallen 81% to 34 deaths a day. Death rates in the last couple of days have hovered around 0.05-0.1%, with the numbers being even lower when considering school aged kids and it’s even lower if one is vaccinated.
Students have a right to be outraged at the idea of schools closing. The effects of online learning have been detrimental not only to mental health, but also to the benefits of their education. A study by USA Today found that when learning online, test scores and educational benefits reached an all time low. Not only are students failing to learn across the country when learning remotely, but the mental health crisis they suffer through has become an existential threat to the newest generation. An NBC survey last fall of more than 10,000 students in 12 U.S. high schools, found that students who’d spent time in the classroom reported lower rates of stress than their online peers. While just over half of all students surveyed said they were more stressed about school in 2020 than they had been previously, the issue was more pronounced among remote students. Eighty-four percent of remote students reported exhaustion, headaches, insomnia or other stress-related ailments, while suicidal thoughts and stress increased by a staggering 25% in behavior from students who were learning virtually last year.
By closing schools again, CUSD and other districts will prove themselves to have no real care in the self-interest of their students and education. Closing schools failed our students, our education system, and Americans. Students, parents, and teachers should instead fight back against the unwarranted fear of the virus with vaccines now widely available to everyone. Know the facts, do not comply, do not sit down, and do not stop speaking up. Voice yourself against the administrative officials and others who are strongly considering shutting down CUSD schools. Your voice may very well help end another catastrophic decision. We must fight to ensure it will not happen again.