A Plan to Open Schools

For some reason, opening schools has now become similar to the gun debate. Accepting that some parts of the process are completely out of our control, when they are. For the sake of argument, let’s accept that we have to open schools for the more than 50 million students in the US primary education system. What can the government do on Monday, July 20th, 2020, to ensure students will be properly protected? There are two basic parts to this solution, the lead-up to the school year, and the school year itself. The federal government has a responsibility to institute as close to a knock-out punch to the virus as possible, and coordinated and well-financed assistance over the school year.

It is essentially impossible to eliminate the virus from the United States by the time schools open in mid- to late-August. The virus is spread too widely, and there is a large enough portion of the US that does not care, to eliminate it in such a short period. However, the majority of people will follow what scientists and the government says, when properly directed. The White House and Congress should work together to both push people to stay at home, and coordinate another round of financial assistance to every taxpayer. These checks can be exactly like they were the first time: $1200 for an individual plus $500 for each dependent under them. Congress could also renew small business loans with real oversight, limiting the payouts to companies with under 50 employees. This financial assistance, coupled with a science-driven push to stay at home and shutter businesses from both the federal government and the states, will keep the majority of the population home. The governments of the US must urge its citizens to stay at home for one month. Giving a timeline will increase the likelihood that it will be followed by the population. There is no denying this will be difficult, but for schools to open, it is necessary.

If all goes, even generally according to plan, there will be a dip in the virus throughout the United States. It will be under these more favorable conditions that students will then enter their schools. The governments of the country should use the month shutdown and the beginning of the school year to prep for a sudden influx of both school personnel, and students to become infected. The schools should also operate with as much aid as possible, including hand-wash stations, temperature readings, protective gear, and spaced learning environments. Primary education is very important, with the system both literally educating and also implementing important social and societal queues necessary to succeed. But the necessity of school does not mean we need to leave children to the wolves. A situation like this is almost a textbook example of what the federal government is made for. While experts talk of different responses necessary in different parts of the country, they mean the degree of the same action, not wholly different actions. This is where national coordination is necessary.

The Trump administration is counting on two things as we approach the election: people not caring about the virus, and other things replacing news coverage of the virus. Setting aside the borderline evilness of these choices, their logic is greatly flawed. There is no doubt that US voters have a shorter attention span when it comes to news than other countries. This is fundamentally tied not to a cynicism or even heartless nature, but our independence. Yet we can focus on a story if it evolves. What if 1% of the children in primary school get infected? What if only 1% of them die from that virus? That is 5000 children dead. Even entertaining this idea should be unacceptable for any civilized human being, yet here we are. The Trump Administration and the Republican Party, in their silence, have shown they regard this number as acceptable. We as a nation cannot buy into this narrative. Reach out to your congressperson and demand action while we still have a window to act.

 

#FitzFile