Buzz
Sending kids back to physical classrooms amid an epidemic is an unprecedented experiment. The results could be catastrophic, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if schools were closed again. However, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that we may not even know whether or when outbreaks are occurring in schools.
The New York Times reports that only 12 states have disclosed COVID-19 data at the school or district level. Some only share it statewide, and others don’t track it at all. We're essentially running a large-scale experiment on our children, and we don’t even know if it’s failing?
The issues are multifaceted. First, there is no unified response or data collection on the federal level. The New York Times is doing its best to compile scattered data, as is the National Education Association, which has created its own tracker from volunteer-submitted reports.
Most schools aren't implementing surveillance testing that could help track how many students or staff are infected with COVID. Many testing centers refuse to test children, and not every parent has the time or resources to find one that will. I’d wager that only a small fraction of kids with symptoms like fever and cough will be tested, as parents often assume or hope it’s just a common cold.
Then there’s the dilemma for parents of children who test positive for COVID. What if you have to work but don’t want to leave your child with Grandma? A health officer in Wisconsin shared with a local news station that “never in [her] wildest dreams” did she think parents would knowingly send their COVID-positive children to school—but that’s exactly what happened.
Failing to gather and release data on COVID cases in schools is a major setback. We may not always know which schools are experiencing outbreaks, and if we do find out, it could be too late. Without this crucial information, other districts and states won’t be able to learn from the very experiment they are conducting. For example, does hybrid learning reduce the risk of COVID spread, or does it increase it due to the various childcare arrangements parents must put together? Can a school outbreak trigger larger community-wide outbreaks?
It’s unfortunate that we lack this information and won’t have the chance to use it to make better decisions on when and how to send our children back to school. Once again, those we've entrusted with our safety haven’t been protecting us, nor have they provided enough information for us to make informed decisions to keep ourselves safe.
