In many communities across the United States, schools are indispensable for children’s education, health and well-being. When schools are closed, communities suffer from child hunger and employment instability; there is a rise in racial and socioeconomic injustices; and kids miss out on essential learning and socialization. Safely reopening schools should therefore be a top national priority.
But reopening involves much more than just reopening buildings and reinstating students to classrooms. It requires putting in place policies, procedures and financing to enable school operations, ensure learning and the recuperation of learning losses, provide health and safety services and protections, and safeguard children’s rights as laid out in international treaties.
It’s a challenge that has posed significant challenges for New York City and other big city school districts. But the tides are shifting: New York’s schools will return to full in-person reopening this fall, without the option of remote learning. And vaccines are now available for 12- to 15-year-olds, and historic levels of funding are flowing to support districts in reopening.
As this happens, we hope the focus will shift to ensuring that the reopening is equitable and safe for all. To that end, this week, the NYS Department of Health released guidance for school reopening. This is an important step in guiding school district officials as they set COVID-19 rules for the coming year. Adam K. Edgerton, Naomi Ondrasek, Natalie Truong, and Desiree O’Neal are the authors of “Supporting School Reopening With a Focus on Testing and Tracing,” published by Learning Policy Institute.