Today, kids are being forced to rapidly adapt to an entirely new form of education—remote & online learning. Overnight, our entire education system dramatically evolved without a vital transition period, which would have helped our nation’s kids achieve easier success.
Sadly, those in power to make a difference in this area—school boards, county commissioners, mayors, and governors—are choosing a “stay-at-home” attitude instead of a “help-our-kids” agenda… literally.
Today, Quality Counts gives the United States a “C” rating in education. The state of Alabama literally cannot FIND 5,000 kids in public schools who have not been engaging with the legally mandated curriculum for months due to lack of technology or internet connection. Children are experiencing a notable rise in mental health disorders as schools have remained closed with a significant lack of peer interaction.
This is not to say that prioritizing safety from COVID-19 and other viruses aren’t important. Every year, our nation takes precautions toward protecting children from cold & flu season, and this year must also tackle the pressing issue of protection from COVID-19. However, it’s crucial to analyze the cost-benefit analysis of keeping a school closed for this purpose.
Children under 12 are significantly less likely as a demographic to contract COVID-19, let alone experience complications associated with the virus that could be life-threatening. 0.2%-5.6% of hospitalizations and 0.00%-0.14% of deaths due to COVID-19 have been from children. It does happen, and it’s heartbreaking and tragic—but it’s rare.
Today, we must take a moment and ask ourselves—is it worth it for the United States to continue falling behind in world education rankings? Is it worth it for students to lack access to learning altogether due to a lack of technology or the internet? Is it worth it for our children’s mental health to continue to deteriorate in the name of safety?
At some point, our world must make a collective decision about the prioritization of standard freedom versus extra-precautious safety. I know this trajectory of our education system is not sustainable and must be changed.
