We are failing our kids by keeping them out of school

There are many critical things being counted this year. Mail-in ballots and more than a quarter of a million COVID-19 deaths come to mind immediately. Yet the true toll of this year on America’s children, while not easily quantifiable, is far greater than any number anyone is tracking.

As cases once again have begun to soar, it’s clear that we’ve failed our children. COVID-19 has disrupted lives and caused greater loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress to school-age children. The proportion of hospitalizations due to mental health crises among American schoolage children has risen sharply during this pandemic. This is on top of the staggering learning loss millions of children experienced this spring when schools abruptly went remote.

Researchers across the country are trying to project the long-term learning loss impacts of extended shutdowns related to COVID-19. The predictions are grim. We have simply asked children to shoulder too much of the burden of this catastrophic year.

We need to find our humanity. We must prioritize our children’s health and learning — kids need to be in school.

Mounting evidence demonstrates what physicians and public health officials have been saying for a number of months: If strict safety measures are in place, schools (particularly for younger children) can be safe. Encouragingly, a study by Yale researchers demonstrated early childhood programs have not been a vector for the virus. While there has been an increase in the number of kids testing positive in recent weeks, outbreaks appear to be tied to behaviors outside of school such as carpools, social gatherings and sporting events where masks and social distancing weren’t enforced. Indoor dining at restaurants poses a greater health risk for COVID-19 than being in school masked and with social distancing.

Of course nothing about operating schools during a pandemic is simple. It is expensive and the logistics are constantly changing. School administrators need help assessing health risks. They need guidance to implement health safety measures. Teachers are justifiably scared. Their fears need to be addressed and they need to be protected to teach safely. Schools need funds to be able to implement mitigation strategies such as staggered scheduling, outdoor learning, classroom modifications and additional technology.

In many parts of the world, even in places where the pandemic is once again on the rise, however, kids are in school. They are in school because their leaders have made it a national priority to keep kids safe and learning — to do this, they have sent consistent messages and sacrificed other conveniences. They have required masks and closed restaurants. They have provided financial support to all workers and business owners to make it possible for them to stay home. They have instituted health safety measures to protect teachers and students. Adults all over the world are sacrificing so children can (sort of ) be children.

Yet in America, the opposite is true. Millions of American children are still out of school. Millions have access to limited school but nothing close to what they need to thrive. Millions more might soon be out of school if current trends continue.

The inequities across the country are staggering. While we don’t have a number to track just how much of a toll this year is having on children, we do know that it is much worse for children with disabilities, children living in poverty and children without access to technology. Children of color who are growing up in communities disproportionately hit by this virus are facing unimaginable — and compounding — stress. When very young children experience toxic stress, it can compromise the architecture of their developing brain and have lasting consequences on their learning, not to mention physical and mental health. There can be no doubt that our inaction today will exacerbate inequality for decades to come.

As community transmissions increase, schools will have to readjust plans. Schools should be given resources so they can adapt and go live again as soon as possible.

We should be encouraged by how well it has gone in places that have tried responsibly. We should applaud cities that are trying. As a country, however, we simply haven’t tried hard enough or for enough children. It is time we made it a national priority for all children.

Katie Dealy is a mother of three boys and the chief operating officer of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the University of Chicago. Previously she served as chief of staff to the CEO of Teach For America and worked in early childhood policy for the city of Chicago.