Schools have to reopen

Arecent nationwide survey of school superintendents showed that 94 percent of them aren’t ready to announce when they’ll reopen classrooms for the 2020-21 school year. That uncertainty is extremely concerning. Too much learning has already been lost because of the abrupt school shutdown in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Students have lost ground, and racial and economic gaps in achievement have widened. Schools need to reopen.

How to do that safely, though, is a confounding question.

But as the country feels its way toward reopening, weighing risks against benefits, there is no greater imperative than getting children back into classrooms. Remote instruction can certainly play a role, but it has proved to be a mixed bag—more successful for students with resources and supports—and is no substitute for students learning with peers and teacher present to gauge progress. Economic recovery also depends on schools reopening so parents can return to work.

Complicating matters is uncertainty about risks posed to or by children.

It is unrealistic to expect schools to meet these challenges without additional resources, much less with—as some states are threatening—cuts to school budgets. The Cares Act passed by Congress in March included about $13 billion for K-12 schools, but schools need more. The House included an additional $58 billion in a recovery bill it passed last month, but the Senate has yet to take up the legislation. If state and federal officials are serious about putting children back in classrooms this year, time is running short to provide the needed resources.