Erika Jorgensen: Are benefits of in-person schooling worth the risks?

Regarding opening schools next month:

Prior to Israel reopening their schools in May, they had contained the virus to fewer than 50 new cases per day. However, they have been slammed by a new wave of cases that is threatening to spiral out of control after opening schools. The US is at the top of global cases, and we will not be in any position to open schools for in-person classes come September. Nationwide, schools must remain closed until there is widespread availability and use of a safe and effective COVID vaccine. (Visit www.ourworldindata.org to see global COVID data).

What are the benefits of having in-person schooling right now? Are those benefits worth lost lives? I do not believe that even one lost life is worth it – and, unfortunately, we will see an alarming number of deaths. So, why are we doing this? Where is the humanity? Children, teachers, faculty and staff, and their families are put at risk by opening schools. Nobody’s life or health is worth losing for the sake of having in-person schooling, especially when there are other options.

If you cannot be swayed through an emotional plea on behalf of the safety of your fellow Americans, perhaps talking about money will change your mind. If the beginning of the crisis showed us anything, it is that our nation’s wealth comes from the bottom up, not from the top down. It is the workers who create this economy and generate income for the elite. So why are we comfortable sacrificing these workers in order to prioritize added profits for people who are already obscenely wealthy, and who do not care about us at all? The idea that we must choose between either going to work and risking our lives or staying home without income to live is a lie. There is a third option – one that shows that our nation respects the health and wellbeing of the everyday workers who drive its economy: Pay us all a (non-means-tested) UBI to stay home for the duration of this pandemic. The money to do this for the American people is there…but the political will is not, as political will bends toward the billionaire class it protects. By not providing the incentive and option for staying home, the prolonged increase in cases will only hurt the economy in both the short and long term.

Due to my fiancé and I working opposite shifts, we are lucky enough to have the option of homeschooling our five-year-old. But most families do not currently have this option, as they are forced to continue working during this pandemic. Expecting them to also send their children to school for the benefit of the billionaire class is an example of sociopathy in politics. We, as a people, must no longer accept being sacrificed so that the 1% can continue amassing their astronomical wealth.

Erika Jorgensen

Laconia