It’s been tough to keep up with the ever-changing COVID-19 guidelines, metrics, and goalposts from local, state, and federal governments — especially for our students. Across the country, children have been pulled out of their classrooms and placed online. Children who already struggled to speak up or keep up struggled further, rates of depression and anxiety skyrocketed in a group that should otherwise be healthy and resilient, and tragic suicides occurred. These are unacceptable consequences of a reaction to a virus that, by and large, poses little risk to them.
We cannot continue to allow our response to the pandemic cause more harm to our children than COVID-19 itself.
Children fell far behind in school during the first year of the pandemic, and studies show they still have not caught up. The Washington Education Association Union President Larry Delaney said, “Our kids are resilient. Across the country, everyone has missed certain learning. So, if everyone is ‘behind,’ I guess no one is behind.”
This statement is nothing short of appalling. Apparently, to some, education is no longer important.
Shortfalls in education outcomes are worst for black and Hispanic students and students in schools with high poverty rates. Rural areas are disproportionately affected by decisions to conduct online-only education. Not only do many of these communities lack adequate access to digital infrastructure, but they also face limited childcare options and longer distances to work, which places more unfair hardships on parents as they begin returning to work. Equity is no longer important, either.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently declared a national state of emergency in children’s mental health caused by the isolation and disruption of the lockdowns. And, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations for suspected suicide attempts in 12- to 17-year-old girls have risen by 51% since early 2019. Behavior problems are also on the rise, but mental health and safety are no longer important to some.
The medical consensus is clear: Severe COVID-19 is extremely rare in children. For them, the virus is akin to a cold or the flu. In fact, according to the AAP, only 0.00%-0.02% of all child COVID-19 cases have resulted in death. Children are more likely to die from heart disease than COVID-19. What’s more, up to 40% of COVID hospitalization cases in children are not related to COVID-19. This means the already-low case numbers we’re seeing in children are almost doubled due to unrelated conditions. Medical professionals, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, agree schools should be reopened as the spread is limited and not severe for students. But, to some, science is no longer important.
There is no end in sight to these ever-changing metrics, and it is unconscionable for us to keep our children locked down and out of schools, putting their mental health, emotional development, and physical well-being at risk without scientific rationale. I condemn the reckless behavior of public officials who have insisted on keeping our children locked up, isolated, and hurting. That is why I support legislation designed to help our children and parents cope with these burdensome restrictions and provide them with increased options for their children’s education.
One bill promotes school choice and would allow families to access Opportunity Grants to cover private school tuition or homeschooling expenses if their current school requires them to wear masks while in the classroom. The Parents Bill of Rights Act would put practices in place that facilitate meaningful dialogue between a family and their child’s school and lead to more parental input throughout the learning process, amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to ensure federally funded schools provide parents with the transparency they deserve.
These bills will ensure parents are able to provide quality educational options for their children in a way that respects both the families and the school choices they may make. It’s clear that equipping families to make their own choices is the only way forward.
A return to normalcy for our students is more than a year overdue, but my commitment to our students and parents has not abated in the slightest. I am and will continue fighting for your rights, your health, and your children’s education.
Rep. Dan Newhouse represents Washington’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
