This afternoon, both Cambridge and Somerville announced they would start the year off with remote learning. I believe this was an awful decision, made out of fear, rather than science, and both superintendents just wanted the easy way out. There is clear evidence that schools do not fuel the spread of the virus, and Cambridge and Somerville both have relatively low transmission. Remote learning was another failure this spring, and expecting a different result this fall is just insanity. I'm going to be a senior this year in Cambridge, and I've already suffered major depression this spring due to isolation and having to look at a screen all day. I'm expecting this continue if the Cambridge superintendent gets his way. Schools in Florida and Georgia are opening, so there's no reason why they can't open in MA. Keeping schools closed will lead to mental health issues, depression, substance abuse, suicide, and loss of education. I believe keeping schools closed will cost more lives than reopening. The CDC, Anthony Fauci, Toronto Sick Kids, and the AAP all recommend schools to reopen, and Salim and Skipper are blatantly ignoring the experts.This decision was insensitive to both the needs of parents, and children, and we need to rise up before this is final.