Remote schooling must again be an option

There are many COVID-era necessities we thought we were leaving behind, only to bring them back out of storage in recent weeks. Masks, for one. A nervousness about crowds also qualifies. No one has yet recommended washing our groceries like we did in the earliest days of the pandemic, but maybe that will make a comeback, too.

Then there’s school, which is getting underway in districts across Connecticut this week and next. Most parents probably thought the days of hybrid learning and at-home schooling were over as the pandemic seemed to be on its last legs earlier this year. Those feelings were premature.

A growing wave of parents and students are asking for at-home options for the new school year, which school officials have been reluctant to pursue. The push from all levels has been for at-school, fiveday-a-week learning as the best way forward.

Nearly everyone agrees it is the best way forward — but only if the pandemic is under control.

Children under 12, of course, cannot be vaccinated for COVID. That appears unlikely to change for at least a few months. Though students will be wearing masks, at least for the first month of school, a lack of vaccinations means they’re not as safe as they could be. And if they have immunocompromised people in their homes (people who are of age but cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons), the worries only increase.

There are competing crises here. Children have lost valuable years they will never get back — not just in the classroom but with the cancellation of activities, after-school clubs, get-togethers and more. Many people have resumed regular activities, but schools need to be cautious, and especially as the weather gets colder and people move indoors there will be more pressure to limit gatherings. The price children are paying in terms of their socialization and mental well-being is incalculable.

But there is the price of COVID itself. Children have not been the highest-risk demographic, but there are increasing worries of more serious strains and what doctors call Long COVID, where symptoms last for months after an initial diagnosis. Even at this late date, there’s so much we don’t know, and many reasons for concern.

So we’re again left with a raft of bad choices. For most people, five-day-a-week schooling remains the best option, if an imperfect one. Gov. Ned Lamont has not indicated whether a mask mandate will last past Sept. 30, but it seems likely that will happen, either from his direction or the state Legislature’s.

But the need for remote learning is real, and is only going to grow if the numbers of new cases don’t turn around quickly. We’re not in the kind of shape that Florida finds itself in, but there is enough to raise real worries.

Schools will need support from the state to make remote options available again. It’s not easy, and it’s not cheap, but it’s going to be necessary.

And everyone, if you haven’t already — get the shot. It’s free, it works, and it’s our only way out of this unending nightmare.

We’re again left with a raft of bad choices. For most people, five-day-a-week schooling remains the best option, if an imperfect one.