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What does Europe know that we don't, when it comes to school closures? A thread.
They accept the science that the overall risk of spread in a school building is low, esp with children <10. There is no secret sauce here - it is a simple acceptance of what has now become as close to consensus as we will see.
They are performing a risk/reward calculation for COVID safety, weighed against the known catastrophic risk to children from prolonged school closure - mental health, lack of stability, child abuse, and the possibility of irreversible harm done to their academic trajectory.
They care about children. "In the life of a child, staying at home for two months is traumatising," President Emmanuel Macron said a few months back, as he laid out the government's strategy to return all children to the classroom while keeping a close eye on Covid-19."
"School activities will continue in the present: we owe it to the commitment of school managers, teachers, families and above all to our children who should not be left without an experience as important as school".Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says this, speaking to the Senate."
Risk/reward. It was never, and should never be, solely looking at risk of COVID in a vacuum, without factoring in overall health, well being, and long-term impact. https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m3588
They are accepting a fact that does not get appropriately discussed in the US - what will a school aged child do with their time if schools are closed? Perhaps some will be at home, specifically our youngest (and ironically, lowest risk).
But even that applies mostly to the most affluent and privileged families, where one parent or caregiver can remain at home. What do many other families do? They seek childcare arrangements, which are almost always higher risk than a classroom w/ precautions.
What do teens do when they are not in school? Are they staying home, or will they instead congregate with friends, in conditions that are nearly always going to be less safe than a classroom?
We have seen this scenario in data from several states and districts where HS were remote, but case numbers in this age range were high - from activities outside of a school building. It is grossly unjust to expect teens and young people to remain in isolation for nearly 1 yr.
Most EU countries have fully reopened schools-no hybrid, no remote, minimal ventilation upgrades, older buildings, open windows, & many countries do not mandate masks for younger children. This is due to a collective societal will to prioritize the needs of children.
Yet in Blue City US, we somehow cannot agree that the small risk of COVID outweighs the known catastrophic harm. There is a pattern-denying science, ignoring expert guidance, prioritizing the feelings of one profession above the needs and best interests of an entire population.
