The Governor’s testing requirements created in his new “zones” policy are a thinly-veiled attempt to force schools to close, where there is little to no evidence of in-school transmission.  All the while, non-essential businesses, many KNOWN sites of COVID-19 transmission (e.g. bars, restaurants, gyms) remain open with limited restrictions.  Leisure activities are NOT more important than our children’s education.  To be clear, I am not arguing to close restaurants, but we are supposedly following the science.  What data supports closing essential services with little to no known transmission such as schools, while keeping hospitality sites open?

Even more ludicrous is that Virtual Learning Centers, into which Erie County has invested $14M, are not subject to those very testing requirements/”zones” policies, that will effectively force many schools to close. So parents can PAY to send their children to a Virtual Learning Center, but their child cannot learn in a school building.  If it isn’t safe for the teachers, how is it safe for the comparatively low wage childcare workers being recruited to these Virtual Learning Centers?

Research from across the globe has shown that closing schools is not an effective strategy to decrease community transmission of COVID-19 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971220305981  Further, another study has shown that the risk of transmission within schools taking proper precautions (e.g. masking) is low— particularly in elementary schools (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02973-3 ).  In fact, many European countries are taking an opposite approach by closing businesses known to facilitate community spread as necessary, but keeping the schools open (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/world/europe/schools-coronavirus-europe-lockdowns.html ). 

Lastly, schools are vital to our community and vital to the health and well-being of children and families. How many children have fallen behind due to the significant reduction in instructional time and intensity inherent to remote learning? (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-children-hardest-hit-by-covid-19-pandemic-are-regressing-in-basic-skills-and-learning ) How many parents (mostly mothers and low-wage hourly workers) have and/or will be forced out of the labor market to facilitate remote learning? The administration, much less success, of remote learning for younger children requires internet access, computer hardware, and adult-supervision—again usually mothers. If a parent cannot work remotely, what is he or she to do?  And with all other sectors of the economy open, how can lower-income parents work in restaurants and hospitals if their children cannot go to school?

If you agree that New York needs to change its policies on school closures and not place unrealistic barriers to our children’s’ education for some inestimable period of time, please consider signing below.  Admittedly, this is far from a policy brief, but I needed to do something to speak out against this dangerous turn in public policy that could have reverberations for an entire generation, and as so often is the case, the worst of the effects will be borne by the most socio-economically disadvantaged members of our communities. 

Thank you, and whether you agree with me or not, I continue to hope for the best for all our families.  Stay healthy and stay strong, New York!