The school reopening debate completely ignores the mental health crisis

In the conversations around reopening schools and safety, we’ve heard over and over from government officials and teachers unions that remote learning is the only “safe” option. But with discussions about safety, officials are taking a myopic approach to what constitutes safe and unsafe, and what unintended health consequences come from keeping kids locked at home, tied to screens.

My friend in New Jersey told me a disturbing story about her first grade son’s emotional state that has stuck with me for weeks. She explained, “He has started asking fairly regularly if we live in a computer, if we’re real, and if we are cartoons.”