We will be the first to concede that we do not know what exactly must be done in order to reopen our state’s public schools safely in the face of the pandemic.
However, what we do know is that a large study in South Korea (which, by the way, has been a world model for suppressing the pandemic) has shown that children ages 10-19 are highly-efficient at transmitting the coronavirus to others, particularly the adults with whom they have contact.
As much as we would like to see our schools reopen for many reasons, it just does not seem possible to do so in a manner that safeguards not only the children, but also school personnel and the family members of the children.
Kids bring home plenty of germs and bugs from school even in the best of circumstances. It is inconceivable that we will be able to stop them from transmitting this highly-contagious virus if they return to school as usual in the fall. Maybe the experts have it all figured out — we can only pray that they do.