Oldsouljer said:
Probably. And what's pathetic is that she didn't say anything that wasn't glaringly obvious at least a year ago, to anyone paying attention.
It has been obvious to me from early on, when the demographics on infection and deaths became obvious. We know Sweden did not close schools and did so with minimal impact on kids. In the US, people allowed fear to take precedence over science and data. We knew kids were not good vectors for transmission (opposite of the flu), knew the vast majority of kids were asymptomatic (minor infection) and significantly below all other age groups when you look at mortality. We do know kids with comorbidities did have issues and these are the ones we should have taken extra steps to protect.
We knew that keeping kids out of school (online school) would impact the underserved and marginalized communities the most. These were the kids who have fewer resources and limited support in the home. We knew that closing schools and going to online schooling would lead to an increase in child abuse and put kids who live in at risk environments further at risk. Online schooling would impact the level of nutrition for those kids who come from underserved and marginalized communities. We know that kids need school for socialization reasons and it is the younger ages that need it the most. It is also important for the older age groups and the rise in suicide is a direct reflection of this.
I know some of you will try to defend the decision by saying it was the pandemic that forced these decisions, but I am going to respectfully disagree. You do NOT get a pass on this and by saying it is the pandemic's fault, you are just trying to pass the buck and absolve yourself of any responsibility in ruining a generation of students. Maybe it will help you sleep at night, but it does nothing to help the kids who will not recover. Many of us knew the right decision was to keep schools open and were ignored or told the steps were needed to keep kids from dying.
Even today, I am reading headlines from across the nation that some schools will be online until mid-January. Have we not learned anything? Do we not have an abundance of data that says it is wrong? Yes, we have the data and evidence that says it is the wrong decision. Why do we continue to do this? Two reasons - fear and power. For almost two years, the media, politicians, and education leaders have propagated and pushed fear as a way to make more money. They have done so to increase their power over others and to used the fear as a bargaining chip in contract negotiations. Ultimately, they do not care about the kids, the damage they have done, and the damage they continue to do. They only care about power and money. It is disgusting and I have zero respect for anyone who did this to the kids.
It appears the tide is starting to turn. Yesterday, I provided the video from a CBS reporter that lays out the issues. Today, I will provide you with another op-ed that shows the tide may be turning in the media.
Maryland school districts are harming children when they close their doorsThe Tweet below shows you the evidence that politicians and teacher's unions are more concerned about contract negotiations than they are science and the impact of policies on kids.
