If kids go back to school they will all die!!!
At least that's what many in the media will have you believe - that the most dangerous thing to do to our children is to send them to school this Fall.
The fear is hitting social media too. There was a meme on Facebook, allegedly quoting US Education Secretary DeVos, who appeared on all the Sunday morning talk shows last weekend, as saying 0.02% of kids might be at risk of dying due to Coronavirus if schools re-open. The posting suggested that would be over 14,000 kids.
That's scary. A single child's death is tragic. 14,000 even more so. However, I'd like to suggest there is another side to this issue.
It is estimated there are 22 million or 30 million children* for whom school meals are the only nutritious meals of the day. If 0.02% of those kids die of starvation, that would be 440,000 children (if we use the lower figure). I don't know if that is a correct calculation but you have to come up with a much smaller percentage to go from 440,000 kids to get to 14,000.
Then there is a question of just how much risk kids face by going back to school. MSNBC, God bless them - a statement I never thought I'd ever make - interviewed "top pediatricians" around the country.** They asked every doctor - will you send your children back to school. Every doctor said yes. In fact their answers were "Absolutely" and "Without hesitation" and "I have no concerns."
The key to re-opening schools is to do so safely. There is risk in everything we do, everywhere we go. An 8 year old was shot to death sitting in her mother's car when the car tried to turn around in a parking lot. A 1 year old was shot to death sitting in his stroller in his family's back yard.
We have to have a rational conversation about re-opening schools. Evaluate the pros and cons and recognize their are risks inherent in any decision either way. Then make a decision that is appropriate for each individual school district - what will work in New York or LA may not work in Montana or Wyoming - and do what we can to mitigate whatever risks come with that decision.
* Business Insider reports it is 22 million. CNBC reports the number at 30 million.
** https://twitter.com/GOPChairwoman/status/1282808451949899784.
The fear is hitting social media too. There was a meme on Facebook, allegedly quoting US Education Secretary DeVos, who appeared on all the Sunday morning talk shows last weekend, as saying 0.02% of kids might be at risk of dying due to Coronavirus if schools re-open. The posting suggested that would be over 14,000 kids.
That's scary. A single child's death is tragic. 14,000 even more so. However, I'd like to suggest there is another side to this issue.
It is estimated there are 22 million or 30 million children* for whom school meals are the only nutritious meals of the day. If 0.02% of those kids die of starvation, that would be 440,000 children (if we use the lower figure). I don't know if that is a correct calculation but you have to come up with a much smaller percentage to go from 440,000 kids to get to 14,000.
Then there is a question of just how much risk kids face by going back to school. MSNBC, God bless them - a statement I never thought I'd ever make - interviewed "top pediatricians" around the country.** They asked every doctor - will you send your children back to school. Every doctor said yes. In fact their answers were "Absolutely" and "Without hesitation" and "I have no concerns."
The key to re-opening schools is to do so safely. There is risk in everything we do, everywhere we go. An 8 year old was shot to death sitting in her mother's car when the car tried to turn around in a parking lot. A 1 year old was shot to death sitting in his stroller in his family's back yard.
We have to have a rational conversation about re-opening schools. Evaluate the pros and cons and recognize their are risks inherent in any decision either way. Then make a decision that is appropriate for each individual school district - what will work in New York or LA may not work in Montana or Wyoming - and do what we can to mitigate whatever risks come with that decision.
* Business Insider reports it is 22 million. CNBC reports the number at 30 million.
** https://twitter.com/GOPChairwoman/status/1282808451949899784.
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