Online schooling is driving children to the edge. Children are now chained to computers for hours on end, even for kindergarten. High schoolers are online for six to seven hours each day for classes then have homework, again online, for hours. As of Aug. 26, 39 of the 50 largest public school systems in the United States had chosen online-only teaching for this fall. Parents have the opportunity to fight back against forced online schooling on election day, and they should take it. President Trump supports and encourages schools being open and in person. Our children deserve a return to school and normalcy.
Children’s health and well-being are suffering. Being isolated from their peers and staring motionless at screens have deleterious effects. Formerly happy, well-adjusted children are reporting an increase in health problems — pulling out their hair, decreasing attention spans, needing glasses, diminishing interest in schoolwork. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children under age 9 have less than two hours of screen time per day or risk increased obesity, sleep disturbances, and more and children are far exceeding these numbers.
Even worse, a Center for Disease Control survey at the end of June found that one in four teens had “seriously considered” suicide and that teens are experiencing a steep increase in anxiety and depression. Socializing and social structures, like those found in school, are an important safety net for our children.
Even then, all of this screen time is failing our children academically. In the spring, children fell behind by 30%-50% in all subjects. Online learning, while more organized this fall, is still leaving a swath of children behind. English language learners are not getting the extra support they need. Children with autism and other disabilities are experiencing extreme hardship and even regression from the screen time and lack of individual attention. According to a McKinsey study, learning losses are shown to be greatest among low-income, black, and Hispanic students resulting in long-term harm to individuals and society.
When possible, families have sought private school or co-ops. But this is not an option for every family. For the families that must continue online schooling, parents have had to make sacrifices. Much of online schooling needs direct parental support — getting online, switching classes, keeping kids awake, and general monitoring. As a result, parents have quit their jobs or paid for daycare or babysitters.
All of this leads to the candidate that wants what children and parents want. Trump backs what families need and want — kids back in school and school choice.
Parents want kids back in school and back to normal. They do not want some strange version of “open.” They want the now seemingly dream world of fall 2019: schools open five days a week, in-person, running normally and smoothly, without children chained to computers all day long. The experiment has already happened — in some areas of the country, public schools have been open for months with no need to shut down. Private schools, too, have been in session.
There is no excuse for this treatment of our children. School closures should have never been on the table this fall. Parents see through the politics being played by school administrators, school boards, and teachers unions that are trying to still keeps schools closed. Vice President Biden’s call for more money for public schools to open in person falls flat when parents know many of our nation’s public schools and private schools are open and flourishing without needing additional resources.
As parents, we must take back ownership of the schools. Our children and communities are suffering with continued online learning, and as taxpayers and voters, we should be calling the shots. Now is the time to vote for a better world for our children by voting for Trump.
Amber Condry is a Fairfax County mother of three children who formerly worked at the White House during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama presidencies.
