|
|
|
The views expressed on this page are
solely
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
|
kali9/Getty Images
The Daily Signal
We Must Return to Normal as Soon as Possible
David Schweikert
October 13, 2020
All of us are trying to get used to the “new normal.” For some, it may
be that be your company issued a work-from-home extension to 2021. Or
it could be changing the majority of your medical appointments to use
telemedicine or increasing the number of delivery services you use.
Many aspects of our lives have drastically changed because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Some changes are for the better, but many changes
cannot be sustainable in the long term.
One area where a “new normal” has not been successful is the virtual
education that many school districts are using. Keeping students behind
a laptop and away from the socialization of a classroom is not working
for students or parents.
As a father with a young kindergartener, I have experienced firsthand
the difficulties so many parents are facing as we try to assist our
kids with virtual learning.
This shift to virtual education is incredibly difficult on our young
ones, who deserve access to in-person education, and on their parents
or guardians who must act as a caretaker while juggling their own
full-time jobs.
Relying on virtual learning is having a dramatic impact on the
economy’s ability to rebound. During a recent hearing hosted by the
Joint Economic Committee, on which I serve as the senior House
Republican member, I asked economist Austan Goolsbee if schools and day
care closures are a barrier to our economic growth. He replied, “100%.”
Across the country, unemployment remains well above the 50-year lows
recorded earlier this year. Entire economic sectors are still unable to
safely reopen or return to full capacity. Without schools opening, many
parents, particularly those in low-income households, are unable to
return to full-time jobs.
Right now, lower-income parents are expressing more concern about their
children potentially falling behind those in higher-income groups.
Parents who are fortunate enough to have the option to work from home
are placed in an impossible situation: to simultaneously work while
providing full-time child care.
It should be a top priority nationally to allow children to return to
in-person learning, as many parents are not able to stay at home and
help their children access online learning full-time.
Only 16.2% of Hispanic workers and 19.7% of black workers can telework,
making it nearly impossible for many parents to stay at home daily. Too
many parents, especially mothers, are being forced to choose between
staying employed and supporting their child’s education.
We cannot expect parents to adapt to this new normal, where the choice
comes down to providing for your family financially or assisting your
children as they try to learn online in a home setting.
Another recent study shows that 14% of households with children had
food insecurity in 2018, well before the pandemic erupted. Today,
children who depended on school meals are unable to receive them in
communities across the country.
There are some bright spots, however. Some schools have managed to
reopen their doors for a safe return of in-person learning—not only for
their students, but for faculty. Just one week after my daughter
started hybrid learning, we noticed a stark difference in her happiness
being with her peers at school.
We are encouraged to see that the administration is deploying 150
million Abbott BinaxNOW rapid COVID-19 tests to states. States across
the country must prioritize making these tests readily available in our
schools, to help protect students and educators.
If schools continue to stay closed, we will see long-term side effects.
Although we don’t have an accurate prediction of the societal damage
caused by COVID-19, our top priority needs to be making sure that we do
not continue to damage our country following the mass shutdown of the
economy.
Children need to be able to return to their pre-COVID-19 learning
environments immediately to ensure that we can educate our youth and
support our labor force, both financially and mentally.
Even amid our differences, all Americans are hoping to return to normal
following the global pandemic. Many of us never have experienced times
like this, and although we have overcome many of the challenges brought
upon us in 2020, reopening schools for America’s children is the most
important step we need to take.
|
|
|
|
