According to a comprehensive new report before members of Congress on Friday, schools can be safely reopened during the COVID-19 epidemic and must do so quickly to prevent harm to children.
John P., a former Deputy Policy Director in the Department of Commerce. The report, written by Bailey, examined more than 130 studies on the reopening of schools and concluded that the longer they remain closed, the more children will suffer.
“Children who have been out of school for the longest time are most urgently required to return to class,” Bailey Told Axios, Which received an advance copy of the report on Thursday.
“There is a group of students for whom distance education has been a struggle – and they are falling behind. It is a group of students that should also be given priority in person instruction. “
Those risks include academic harms that can set children back for life, as well as mental health problems related to loneliness and isolation, according to the report, the Walton Family Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and five other non- Is commissioned by for-profit entities.
Some school districts across the country – including New York City – have seen a distracting trend of student suicides as the global health crisis still continues.
The report also mentions that parents have faced closed schools, stating that two million mothers have quit their jobs to deal with distance education and childcare.
It concludes that schools can safely reopen students and teachers as long as protocols such as hand washing, social distinction, and proper ventilation are in place.
“Schools are not super-spreaders,” Bailey wrote in the report, which will be presented in the House of Education and Labor Committee on Friday.
A study by the Chicago Department of Public Health, outlined in the report, found COVID-19 infection rates lower in Chicago archdiocese schools than in Chicago public schools.
Archdiocesic schools reopened in the fall – including masking, social disturbances and requirements including daily symptoms and temperature checks – while the public school system has been closed for a year.
“The estimated COVID assault rate among students at Archdioc schools was 0.2% – much lower than the 0.4% rate for all Chicago children,” Bailey said.
Test scores also showed that Archdioco students have earned academic gains, while public school students are less likely.
Axios said that the new report is also being informed to the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.
The findings received guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that schools can safely reopen under a phased system.
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