■ Science supports reopening Anne Arundel schools, but politics don’t.

Why are we still debating whether kids should have an option to go back to class? If we “follow the science,” they should’ve been able to go back in September. Most people are unaware of this, but CDC guidelines published on July 23 said it was prudent (lower risk of transmission) to reopen schools for classroom instruction if COVID-19 cases in a community were below 20 new cases /100,000.

OnAug. 27, Gov. LarryHogan announced even more stringent guidelines (15 new cases/100,000 people.) Hogan noted that every school district inMaryland met these guidelines, and was “fully authorized to begin safely reopening” with hybrid (part on-line, part in person) or even in-person classes. Hogan’s statement that “there is no substitute for in-person instruction” paraphrased exactly what the American Pediatric Society said about the need to get kids back in classrooms safely and quickly.

But the CDC and Hogan’s scientific and prudent guidelines, formulated by medical experts in epidemiology, were rejected by County Executive Steuart Pittman, School Superintendent George Arlotto, County Health Officer Nilesh Kalyanaraman, and the Anne Arundel County Teachers Association. The teacher’s union, without presenting anymedical/scientific evidence to support their case, disputed both the CDC and Hogan’s guidelines. They said they said it was “too risky” and “unsafe” to resume even hybrid instruction. Pittman and Arlotto supported the union. Kalyanaraman, who isn’t an epidemiologist, prohibited public schools fromreopening until COVID-19 cases were at five new cases per 100,000 people over seven days. Kalyanaraman’s standard was 200% to 300% stricter thanHogan/CDC guidelines. Their prudent, scientifically formulated medical guidelines were ignored, and a political course of action that kowtowed to the teacher’s union became county policy.

Thefact is thatAnne Arundel County has never exceeded 15 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000, and met CDC/Hogan guidelines for lower-risk classroom instruction, since June 22. The county should have begun planning for hybrid instruction when the CDC published their guidelines on July 23; and implemented it when Hogan announced his guidelines on Aug. 26.

That’s exactly what parochial and private schools did, even as Kalyanaraman erected bureaucratic obstacles in their paths. These schools followed the science, accepted the medically determined lower risk, and opened. Their kids have been safely learning in classrooms sinceAugust and September. Meanwhile, public school kids have been subjected to pathetically inadequate online instruction, and fallen further behind, because Pittman, Arlotto, and Kalyanaraman followed the political scientists at the teacher’s union, instead of the epidemiological experts.

Successful parochial/private school reopening, viewed alongside Pittman’s other inconsistent reopening policies, have made the politics of reopening public school classrooms glaringly evident. Parochial/ private schools ignored Pittman’s guidelines, followed state/CDC guidelines, and reopened safely and successfully.

Meanwhile, bowing to public pressure, Pittman permitted kids to sweat, pile on, and tackle each other playing football, but not to sit six feet apart in class with masks on; and to sit in movie theaters, but not in class. That’s not consistent, or scientific. It’s political.

Kalyanaraman’s new standard of 10 new cases per100,000 is equally unscientific and political. It’s still 50% to 100% higher than Hogan/CDC guidelines; and when Kalyranaman announced it, caseswere almost at his newstandard. AllKalyranaman’s new unrealistic standard did was give Pittman an excuse to “rethink” reopening classrooms, and keep the teachers union leadership happy. Which is exactly what Pittman did.

The real question is, why aren’t Anne Arundel public schools using the Hogan/ CDC guidelines developed by medical experts in epidemiology, instead of Kalyanaraman’s? These guidelines have been safely and successfully used by county parochial/private schools, and other public school systems, across theUnited States.

Ifwe’re going to “followthe science, “and if education’s really, “for the children,” Pittman should do the same.