In preparation for today's meeting, a good deal of material has come out
over the experiences of "remote learning," which we have said is an
oxymoron, and about the transmission (or not) by children. Several of
these studies are linked below.
This information is valuable as background to discussion about reopening
schools, which is currently under discussion in New York and around the
country, and we will have to take a position soon. Among the strategies
for reopening schools, NYC's "hybrid plan" for 1-3 days a week has been
widely rejected.
The obvious fact is that there should be a massive undertaking to sanitize
and expand schools, open new buildings, find new classrooms, open in parks
and other outside areas, that would make it possible to have drastically
smaller class size (12 to 15, as is the standard in the private elite
schools). There should be a huge hiring of teachers, schools staff,
nurses, sanitation workers, not the cutbacks and hiring freeze now in
place. This would cost billions of dollars to be sure, but it's a drop in
the bucket compared to the trillions the government has spent to prop up
large corporations.
Here are some readings:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/school-openings-across-globe-suggest-ways-keep-coronavirus-bay-despite-outbreaks
School openings across globe suggest ways to keep coronavirus at bay,
despite outbreaks, July 7
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Pediatrics journal: Covid-19 Transmission and Children: The Child is Not to
Blame
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2020/05/22/peds.2020-004879.full.pdf
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https://www.npr.org/2020/06/24/882316641/what-parents-can-learn-from-child-care-centers-that-stayed-open-during-lockdowns
NPR: What parents can learn from child care centers that stayed open
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Nature -- June 16
Age-dependent effects in the transmission and control of COVID-19 epidemics
<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0962-9#Tab1>
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Wall Street Journal, June 5, 2020
The Results are in for Remote Learning: It Didn't Work
https://www.wsj.com/articles/schools-coronavirus-remote-learning-lockdown-tech-11591375078
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American Academy of Pediatrics, Covid 19 Planning Considerations Return to
In Person Education
https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/11/health/coronavirus-schools-reopen.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
July 11, New York Times: How to Reopen Schools: What Science and Other
Countries Teach Us
