In Support of Schools Re-Opening

I can see the virtues of keeping schools closed from both side of the argument. On the one hand, what if we just let them go away and let online learning take over - high costs to the underprivileged but the regular kids will get access to the best teaching on the planet, with options that let kids and families select the best option for their kids. It would interrupt the current leftist indoctrination inherent in schools.

The grotesque way some teachers' unions are trying to leverage the event with no regard for the kids is disgustingly typical.

"There is a great deal of fear generated in the media about risk to children, but the truth is that children are incredibly resistant to coronavirus. So much so that children are far more likely to die from the flu, or even just from driving to school, than from COVID-19.

"The CDC has recorded a total of 20 COVID-19 deaths in children ages 5-14compared to almost 2,000 deaths from non-COVID causes in the same time period for the same age group. It means children have been 100 times more likely to die from non-COVID causes during the pandemic than from COVID. This puts the risk of COVID death for children 5 to 14 in the same ballpark as deaths by lightning.

"Claims of long-term damage or mystery illnesses have not been backed by any definitive evidence and they therefore serve more as a scare and intimidation tactic than as a medical guide. The truth is that children so far have had around a 1 in 20,000 rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to the CDC. While controversial to some, Sweden’s policy of keeping primary schools open even at the height of the pandemic serves as an excellent counterpoint. With over 1 million children, Sweden did not have a single death of a school-aged childdespite full attendance and no masks."

Also cited a Swiss study that failed to find a case of a child passing this bug to an adult.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/07/31/politics_not_science_keeping_schools_closed_143847.html

"First, when it comes to children, the virus doesn’t impact them even on the same level as the flu. A JAMA Pediatrics report states, “Our data indicate that children are at far greater risk of critical illness from influenza than from COVID-19.” The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports, “SARS-CoV-2 appears to behave differently in children and adolescents than other common respiratory viruses, such as influenza, on which much of the current guidance regarding school closures is based.”

"Toronto’s world-renowned Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) echoed this finding, saying, “evidence is mounting that children may be less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and may be less likely to transmit the virus to others.” Daniel Koch, Switzerland’s head of public health, has said that even when children test positive for the virus, their viral load is low, and it seems that adults tend to infect children, not the other way around."

https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/30/gov-kristi-noem-science-shows-not-going-to-school-hurts-kids-much-worse-than-covid/