More public schools in Colorado are open for at least part-time in-person learning than in some other states. But the fact that so many schools elsewhere remain closed, especially in urban areas, is a source of controversy. Rigorous research and practical experience suggest that schools are not high-risk sites for spreading the coronavirus. So why so much resistance to opening?
This piece by Frederick M. Hess in The Dispatch offers some possible answers. Here’s a key quote:
“…the cost-benefit calculus for kids and communities may argue for reopening, but the calculus for public school officials looks quite different. For superintendents and school boards, reopening means angering teachers and staff, risking a high-profile COVID-19 infection, or being accused of racial insensitivity; right now, closure carries none of these risks. In short, whatever is in their hearts, public school leaders have institutional, professional reasons to slow-roll reopening.”
The entire piece is well worth a read.
