School’s. Out. Forever?

Lame attempt at some Alice Cooper humor… I know. But part of me is starting to think this song is somewhat prophetic. I don’t usually write about much outside of the tech world, but in this case, that world overlaps with education… and so… here I go.

There is still talk of keeping schools closed down in many, if not most, communities around the country. I’m no conspiracy theorist and I’m not even crying conspiracy here. But I feel I have to share my confusion. We’re all confused as the Coronavirus data evolves along with the messaging. But here’s where I’m stuck. Most are kids get the flu shot at the start of every flu season. Still, the flu is way more harmful to children than Covid-19. Yet, we’ve never talked of shutting down schools on such a large scale. Ever. Sure, from time to time, and under extreme circumstances, a district or two might shut for a couple of weeks to stop the spread of an aggressive flu strand. But nothing like what we’ve seen and might continue to see this year. And if someone comes back with, “it’s just to slow the spread because the children are carriers,” then again, I’d have to ask, why not the same precautions in the past with those aggressive flu strands. After all, the flu can also be extremely dangerous for our elderly and high-risk neighbors. Again, I’m not screaming conspiracy, but what’s with all the double standards we’re seeing. I’m genuinely concerned that my kids… that all kids… are missing some invaluable social and cognitive development.

https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2020/06/13/Joe-Nocera-Schools-should-open-in-full-this-fall/stories/202006130010

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