The controversy over school openings seems to me to be yet another example of how the pandemic has used risk aversion as a political means to an end. The Biden admin has said his goal is to have 50% of K12 institutions in person -- a goal that was met in this country before Election Day. Over 60% of US public school K12 students are in learning person (to some degree) at this point, and there is no data to suggest that it is a significant vector of transmission. Don't you think the media would jump all over any example of a gigantic outbreak at a school? Of course they would, there just hasn't been any story to pounce on. Remote learning simply isn't as effective of an educational tool as doing it the old fashioned way. I mean, let's be honest, adults working at Big 4 accounting firms struggle to keep focus in hours long Zoom meetings. How do you think that translates to meager attention spans elementary school students? Furthermore, the value of the education system lies not only in teaching kids how to read and do basic math, but also teaching them to socialize, share, work as a team, and become halfway decent human beings before they enter society. Even in the pre-COVID reality, America's youth was already faced with a loneliness and isolation crisis spurned by the onset of increased internet/social media usage. By removing the human element of social interaction in these children's lives, officials have virtualized every aspect of their existence. This, in my view, is a decision that will only intensify the mental health epidemic that has ravaged our nations youth -- and we will be feeling the consequences for years to come. Even short term returns, notably the uptick in teen suicides and mental health related hospital visits that we've seen since the dawn of the pandemic, provide a grave preview of what's to come if lawmakers don't reverse course. The good news, as you stated, is that what the CDC has outlined are simply recommendations. With no enforcement mechanism, it's outlandish to believe that Ron DeSantis or any of the other leaders in states prioritizing in-person education are going to backtrack in the slightest. So who wins as a result of this vague, near impossible to achieve outline set fourth by the CDC? The all powerful teachers unions in blue states like California and Oregon, as well as places like Chicago, New York City, & Fairfax County, Virginia. They now can claim that they're merely "following the science" as they continually move the goalposts in their quest to stay out of the classroom indefinitely. Of course, the Biden administration and other democratic officials will continue to kowtow to these unions outlandish demands, and in doing so, they are complicit in holding Americas youth hostage. Ironically, the policy decisions of the "party of the working class" has an outsized impact on the constituents that they claim to champion. Generally speaking, a child with two parents with MBAs is much more to succeed in a virtual learning environment than a child in a single parent home below the poverty line. As you would expect, those with the means to move their children into an in-person private school learning environment, such as California Governor Gavin Newsome, won't hesitate to foot the bill to do so. Who's left? Those who are forced to rely on the public education system as a means of advancement. In failing these children and their families based on anti-scientific fear, these unions and those in power who answer to them will be responsible for the exacerbation of the racial/socioeconomic academic achievement gap in years to come. Our current public education crisis amounts to a program aimed to keep the next generation in poverty. It's the ugly crossroads pandemic mania and a crony political system that champions interest groups. With silence from the White House, anti-science political subservience from the CDC and "experts" like Dr.Fauci, and a one party system in Blue states across the country that are beholden to the unions that got them elected, I don't see an end in sight.
On a brighter note, great read. Keep up the great work, you've earned yourself a subscriber! :D
The overall problem is that this is a political document written to enhance the teachers’ unions’ ability to keep schools closed. The topline “reopening” is entirely belied by the fine print.
I made a soon-to-be-embarrassing predictions list, and this inspired two of them (28 & 29): https://badcovid19takes.substack.com/p/predictions-for-2021
The controversy over school openings seems to me to be yet another example of how the pandemic has used risk aversion as a political means to an end. The Biden admin has said his goal is to have 50% of K12 institutions in person -- a goal that was met in this country before Election Day. Over 60% of US public school K12 students are in learning person (to some degree) at this point, and there is no data to suggest that it is a significant vector of transmission. Don't you think the media would jump all over any example of a gigantic outbreak at a school? Of course they would, there just hasn't been any story to pounce on. Remote learning simply isn't as effective of an educational tool as doing it the old fashioned way. I mean, let's be honest, adults working at Big 4 accounting firms struggle to keep focus in hours long Zoom meetings. How do you think that translates to meager attention spans elementary school students? Furthermore, the value of the education system lies not only in teaching kids how to read and do basic math, but also teaching them to socialize, share, work as a team, and become halfway decent human beings before they enter society. Even in the pre-COVID reality, America's youth was already faced with a loneliness and isolation crisis spurned by the onset of increased internet/social media usage. By removing the human element of social interaction in these children's lives, officials have virtualized every aspect of their existence. This, in my view, is a decision that will only intensify the mental health epidemic that has ravaged our nations youth -- and we will be feeling the consequences for years to come. Even short term returns, notably the uptick in teen suicides and mental health related hospital visits that we've seen since the dawn of the pandemic, provide a grave preview of what's to come if lawmakers don't reverse course. The good news, as you stated, is that what the CDC has outlined are simply recommendations. With no enforcement mechanism, it's outlandish to believe that Ron DeSantis or any of the other leaders in states prioritizing in-person education are going to backtrack in the slightest. So who wins as a result of this vague, near impossible to achieve outline set fourth by the CDC? The all powerful teachers unions in blue states like California and Oregon, as well as places like Chicago, New York City, & Fairfax County, Virginia. They now can claim that they're merely "following the science" as they continually move the goalposts in their quest to stay out of the classroom indefinitely. Of course, the Biden administration and other democratic officials will continue to kowtow to these unions outlandish demands, and in doing so, they are complicit in holding Americas youth hostage. Ironically, the policy decisions of the "party of the working class" has an outsized impact on the constituents that they claim to champion. Generally speaking, a child with two parents with MBAs is much more to succeed in a virtual learning environment than a child in a single parent home below the poverty line. As you would expect, those with the means to move their children into an in-person private school learning environment, such as California Governor Gavin Newsome, won't hesitate to foot the bill to do so. Who's left? Those who are forced to rely on the public education system as a means of advancement. In failing these children and their families based on anti-scientific fear, these unions and those in power who answer to them will be responsible for the exacerbation of the racial/socioeconomic academic achievement gap in years to come. Our current public education crisis amounts to a program aimed to keep the next generation in poverty. It's the ugly crossroads pandemic mania and a crony political system that champions interest groups. With silence from the White House, anti-science political subservience from the CDC and "experts" like Dr.Fauci, and a one party system in Blue states across the country that are beholden to the unions that got them elected, I don't see an end in sight.
On a brighter note, great read. Keep up the great work, you've earned yourself a subscriber! :D
The overall problem is that this is a political document written to enhance the teachers’ unions’ ability to keep schools closed. The topline “reopening” is entirely belied by the fine print.