{"id":115855,"date":"2021-02-02T15:06:39","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T20:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=115855"},"modified":"2021-02-02T15:12:11","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T20:12:11","slug":"the-irreversible-consequences-of-school-closures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-irreversible-consequences-of-school-closures\/","title":{"rendered":"The Irreversible Consequences of School Closures"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-irreversible-consequences-of-school-closures%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=115855&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"p2\">Nearly a year into the pandemic, schools around the nation continue to conduct remote classes, rendering millions of our children prisoners in their own homes. As reopening dates continue to be pushed further and further into the future, the rising tensions between school districts and teachers\u2019 unions have captured national attention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">As children continue to suffer as a consequence of school closures, many teacher-led demonstrations against re-openings have drawn outrage. In August, teachers in New York City <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/08\/03\/teachers-get-creative-while-protesting-nyc-schools-reopening-plan\/\"><span class=\"s1\">rebuked<\/span><\/a> Mayor De Blasio\u2019s reopening plans by taking to the streets with fake coffins, body bags, and guillotines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">In December, Chicago Teachers Union vice president Sarah Cambers drew ire for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mystateline.com\/news\/state-news\/chicago-teachers-union-leader-who-vacationed-while-claiming-its-unsafe-to-return-to-school-apologizes\/\"><span class=\"s1\">posting<\/span><\/a> photos of herself on an international vacation while simultaneously taking to her social media accounts \u2014 ironically named @sarah4justice \u2014 to claim school reopening was an endangerment to health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Again in the spotlight is Chicago, where the teachers\u2019 union posted a now viral interpretive dance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=642096529840296&amp;t=12\"><span class=\"s1\">video<\/span><\/a> to their social media accounts late last month. A voice-over warns of the dangers of schools reopening as young and apparently able-bodied teachers gyrate as a form of \u201cactivism.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">But the unrest in Chicago goes beyond bikini photos and feminist dance theory gone awry. On Monday, school reopenings were <a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/education\/2021\/1\/31\/22259229\/ctu-cps-strike-talks-schools-reopening-negotiations-stall\"><span class=\"s1\">delayed<\/span><\/a> once again. Although more than 5,000 teachers were already granted approval to work remotely due to underlying health conditions, the local union refused to make any concessions to the school district.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">As a consequence of union agitation, 290,000 students in Chicago will <i>still<\/i> not be able to attend school in person. As students and their families continue to struggle as a result of school closures, many questions have been left unanswered. What health risk does in-person learning pose? What are the consequences of school closures? And, what does this mean for the future?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><b>Risks of in-person learning<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">When schools began to lockdown in early 2020, COVID-19 posed many unknown risks. While the WHO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/03\/03\/who-says-coronavirus-death-rate-is-3point4percent-globally-higher-than-previously-thought.html\"><span class=\"s1\">reported<\/span><\/a> a supposed 3.4 percent mortality rate, lockdowns appeared necessary for the protection of teachers, students, and their families alike. But the science has since evolved <i>dramatically<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jama\/fullarticle\/2775875?guestAccessKey=9961f22d-99e6-4861-8fa6-cf0b3463ef92&amp;utm_source=For_The_Media&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ftm_links&amp;utm_content=tfl&amp;utm_term=012621\"><span class=\"s1\">report<\/span><\/a> from CDC scientists analyzed the health risks of in-person learning. An investigation of 90,000 students and staff in North Carolina found that, while 773 cases of COVID-19 were acquired outside of school, only 32 transmissions occurred in classrooms. A look into Wisconsin schools showed lower instances of infection within the school system than the outside community at large.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The authors of the study unequivocally advocated for the reopening of schools, concluding that \u201cthe type of rapid spread that was frequent in congregate living facilities or high-density worksites has not been reported in education settings in schools.\u201d Furthermore, the average American teacher is <a href=\"https:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/surveys\/sass\/tables\/state_2004_19.asp\"><span class=\"s1\">42.5 years old<\/span><\/a> and therefore likely not at risk for severe complications from COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Similar outcomes have been found in studies abroad. In Sweden, where schools largely remained open throughout the pandemic, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/10.1056\/NEJMc2026670\"><span class=\"s1\">researchers<\/span><\/a> found that in-person learning resulted in zero student deaths and only 19 hospitalizations for every 100,000 teachers. And, as public schools continue to lock down, many private schools in the same communities have reopened without any major health consequences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Data from all corners of the globe point to one clear conclusion: the continued closure of schools is predicated on an unfounded fear. Furthermore, closures will have irreversible consequences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><b>Widening disparities<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Most adults can attest to the difficulty of staying focused on a Zoom call \u2014 for a child, that attentional demand can be downright frustrating. In an April <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/teaching-learning\/survey-tracker-monitoring-how-k-12-educators-are-responding-to-coronavirus\/2020\/04\"><span class=\"s1\">survey<\/span><\/a>, three in four teachers reported that their students were less engaged as a result of remote learning, causing academic achievement to plummet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">While nearly all children struggle with remote learning, school closures have only widened financial, social, and academic disparities. This is especially true among students with learning disabilities, for whom staring at a screen for hours a day can be nearly impossible. 20 percent of parents with special needs children <a href=\"https:\/\/uasdata.usc.edu\/index.php\"><span class=\"s1\">report<\/span><\/a> their child did not receive the support they require.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The discrepancy in academic performance has also worsened along socio-economic lines. While 84 percent of teachers in affluent communities <a href=\"https:\/\/e4e.org\/sites\/default\/files\/voices_from_the_virtual_classroom_2020.pdf\"><span class=\"s1\">report<\/span><\/a> their students are participating daily in remote learning, only 51 percent in high-poverty schools say the same. Concerns among low income parents reflect this sentiment; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2020\/04\/15\/lower-income-parents-most-concerned-about-their-children-falling-behind-amid-covid-19-school-closures\/\"><span class=\"s1\">three in four<\/span><\/a> are worried about their children falling behind in school.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The pandemic has brought on a slew of struggles for low income students and their families \u2014 among them internet accessibility, suitable workspaces, childcare for working families, and even lack of access to school meals. All the while, higher income students often have the benefit of greater resources and parental support. Similarly, many private schools have operated normally while public schools in the same neighborhoods have shut their doors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">In short, remote learning has defied the goal of public education: to serve as an equalizing opportunity that celebrates academic merit. While families with greater resources may be better equipped to fill in the gaps left by a year of remote learning, formative lessons and fundaments of reading and arithmetic have effectively been lost for many students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><b>Physical and mental well-being<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><b> <\/b>School closures also pose a risk to the physical health of students. Many parents and doctors have expressed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/09\/10\/parenting\/children-immunity-staying-home-coronavirus.html\"><span class=\"s1\">concern<\/span><\/a> that keeping children trapped in a protective bubble will deprive them of the germ exposure necessary for the development of healthy immune systems. Students are also unable to access dental and physical screenings provided by school districts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Children in abusive households face among the most disturbing threats to physical health of all. Teachers tend to be the first to pick up on instances of child abuse, and without face-to-face interaction, detection of abuse has sharply declined. This year, the number of child abuse victims requiring hospitalization has increased, according to the CDC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Remote learning has left children without daily routines, social interaction, or any real sense of freedom, and as a result, a mental health crisis appears poised to ravage our youth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/69\/wr\/mm6945a3.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">CDC<\/span><\/a>, pediatric visitations for mental health concerns are up 24 percent for 5 to 11 year olds and 31 percent for 12 to 17 year olds. More of these children are also being admitted to in-patient care. Another CDC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/69\/wr\/mm6932a1.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">report<\/span><\/a> revealed that a staggering one in four young adults exhibited suicidal tendencies during lockdowns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Last week, a New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/01\/24\/us\/politics\/student-suicides-nevada-coronavirus.html\"><span class=\"s1\">expos\u00e9<\/span><\/a> shed light on the example of Clark County, Nevada, where 18 students, some as young as nine years old, committed suicide between March and December, double the rate of the entire previous year. One child left behind a chilling note: \u201cI have nothing to look forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">In response, the school district implemented a warning system that monitors students\u2019 web activity for signs of suicidal thoughts \u2014 it has yielded 3,100 alerts. While students died in isolation, casinos in Las Vegas \u2014 the largest city in Clark County \u2014 were allowed to remain open just down the road from shuttered schools.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Similar tragedies are occurring around the nation. In December, for example, an elementary school student <a href=\"https:\/\/sacramento.cbslocal.com\/2020\/12\/03\/woodbridge-elementary-student-suicide-online-class\/\"><span class=\"s1\">shot himself<\/span><\/a> in front of his classmates during a Zoom class. The problem is also international; an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/data\/interactive\/2020\/03\/24\/world-bank-education-and-covid-19\"><span class=\"s1\">1.6 billion<\/span><\/a> students have been affected by school closures. As a result, the share of children below minimum skill proficiency is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/blog\/future-development\/2020\/07\/30\/learning-losses-due-to-covid-19-could-add-up-to-10-trillion\/\"><span class=\"s1\">projected<\/span><\/a> to increase by 25 percent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><b>Longterm ramifications<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The longterm effects of school closures remain to be seen, though researchers have painted a grim picture. A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nber.org\/system\/files\/working_papers\/w27773\/w27773.pdf\"><span class=\"s1\">study<\/span><\/a> projects a 3.8 percent increase in students without high school degrees and 2.7 percent fewer with college degrees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Closures are forecasted to also have an impact on future wages. For every six months of school closure, American students are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/children-with-poorer-parents-suffer-more-how-could-school-closures-affect-a-students-future-earnings-potential-heres-one-theory-2020-09-09\"><span class=\"s1\">predicted<\/span><\/a> to lose an average of 1 percent earnings over their lifetime. The consequences on the global stage are even more dire, where wage losses due to school closures are <a href=\"https:\/\/shared.rti.org\/content\/calculating-educational-impact-covid-19-part-ii-using-data-successive-grades-estimate\"><span class=\"s1\">projected<\/span><\/a> to reach $10 trillion \u2014 amounting to one tenth of the global GDP.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Beyond just academic instruction, school also instils habits that foster longer, healthier lives \u2014 among them socialization, self-care, organizational skills, and even sexual education. Loss of these learning opportunities has tangible ramifications. A <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2772834\"><span class=\"s1\">study<\/span><\/a> from the American Medical Association estimates missed schooling in 2020 could result in an aggregated 13.8 million &#8220;life years&#8221; lost for children in the United States.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The study confirms that school closures \u2014 and their consequences \u2014 have been suffered in vain: \u201cThis estimated loss in life expectancy was likely to be greater than would have been observed if leaving primary schools open had led to an expansion of the first wave of the pandemic.\u201d In short, we\u2019ve failed our children for a false sense of safety \u2014 and, at the behest of teachers\u2019 unions, we continue to do so.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><b>Corruption and opportunity for change<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Amidst the mounting evidence, the continued agitation for remote learning from teachers\u2019 unions can seem unfathomable. While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/leadership\/most-educators-want-schools-to-stay-closed-to-slow-spread-of-covid-19\/2020\/06\"><span class=\"s1\">majority<\/span><\/a> of teachers support school closure, others insist the union does not represent their desperation to resume in-person instruction. In fact, some teachers report alleged coercion to join unions, a phenomenon dubbed \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/nilrr.org\/compulsory-unionism-education\/\"><span class=\"s1\">compulsory unionism<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">While some teachers have fearlessly stood down unions, many politicians have failed to do the same, perhaps due to competing allegiances. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/democrats-who-resisted-reopening-schools-took-thousands-from-teacher-unions\"><span class=\"s1\">list<\/span><\/a> of Democrats who supported school closures while simultaneously taking donations from teachers\u2019 unions is extensive and includes White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">In 2020 alone, teachers\u2019 unions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/industries\/totals.php?ind=L1300\"><span class=\"s1\">donated<\/span><\/a> $43.7 million to political funds, 98 percent of which went to Democrats. Rather than advocating for an often-overlooked profession, teachers\u2019 unions are instead morphing into a powerful political entity moving contrary to the wishes of teachers and the best interests of students.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\">\u00a0<i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly a year into the pandemic, schools around the nation continue to conduct remote classes, rendering millions of our children prisoners in their own homes. As reopening dates continue to &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1892480,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4879,4877,4876,3924],"class_list":["post-115855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-closures","tag-consequences","tag-irreversible","tag-school"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1892480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}