Here, the Gov of South Dakota addresses why kids should be back in school
" .... 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.
Second, we know that it is extremely harmful to kids to keep schools closed. We know that children thrive on routine and being in supportive, social environments. We know that the loss of human connections for many of these kids is driving increases in stress, anxiety, and depression. We know this to be true most especially for our most vulnerable students.
The AAP succinctly notes, “Schools are fundamental to child development and well-being and provide our children with academic instruction, social and emotional skills, safety, reliable nutrition, physical/speech and mental health therapy, and opportunities for physical activity, among other benefits.” I say all of this because not all kids are in safe home environments; for some students, school is the safest and most predictable place they spend their time.
A similarly critical point is that long-distance learning may have gotten us through the initial crisis, but it is not a long-term solution. One reason for this is because of the great disparities in remote learning. Initial nationwide research suggests that students will return to school in the fall with roughly 70 percent of learning gains in reading relative to a typical school year, and less than 50 percent in math, according to projections from the NWEA. Remote learning may work for some, but it is not the answer for most....."
The article has the links for the stats used Gov. Kristi Noem: The Science Is Clear — Schools Need To Be Open
