School closures originally had good intentions and were meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus. In practice, they’ve had unintended consequences that have been far worse than anyone could have imagined.
We've seen devastating academic and social effects from school closures, particularly for low-income and special-needs students. In one large Maryland district, for example, failure rates increased 600% for the most vulnerable students. More broadly, a national survey showed that low-income families were 10 times more likely to say their children had received no remote education and twice as likely to say that distance learning has gone poorly. Studies show that irreparable harm has been done to future prospects and to mental health by these school shutdowns. It is likely that some will see lowered life expectancies and reduced lifetime incomes. We should also anticipate a widened racial wealth gap.
Now add worsening obesity to the list.
Experts warn that shutting children in at home is worsening the already-grave obesity problem facing youth.
"Pediatricians are warning that the coronavirus pandemic’s protracted disruption of in-person schooling, sports and other activities is leading to weight gain that could have long-lasting impacts on children’s health," the Wall Street Journal reported. "Students are snacking more and exercising less, and nutritionists and doctors who study obesity worry the pandemic is putting children at greater risk for type-two diabetes and asthma, among other health concerns."
"We’re seeing a lot of elementary school-aged kids who are gaining 20 to 30 pounds in a year," a Brooklyn pediatrician said.
"Even kids in grammar school are getting depressed," a physician assistant based in Staten Island told the Journal. "They miss their friends. A lot of them aren’t doing as well academically. With depression also comes weight gain. They’re bored, and I think they’re comfort-eating."
It isn’t fair to put too much blame on parents for this alarming trend. We’ve taken away recess, sports, playing with friends, and so many other forms of social activity that promote exercise for children. When they are left trapped at home with little to do other than stare at a screen while their parents try to work remotely and keep the lights on, it seems inevitable that they will exercise less and develop health problems, even if parents do their best to mitigate the impact. But this weight gain isn’t a trivial issue. It’s a matter of life and death.
"Poor diet is the leading cause of mortality in the United States, causing more than half a million deaths per year," the New York Times reported. "Just 10 dietary factors are estimated to cause nearly 1,000 deaths every day from heart disease, stroke and diabetes alone."
Let's be clear: We’re not just imposing a mental health crisis and economic malady on children through school shutdowns. We are worsening one of the gravest health threats facing future generations in the name of public health. What makes this trade-off so infuriatingly immoral is that school closures are not effective coronavirus containment measures. While it was understandable to suspect as much at first, reopening schools does not, in fact, cause coronavirus spikes. Ample research and real-world examples have shown this over the last nine months. Even beloved Dr. Anthony Fauci, originally a school-opening alarmist, has reversed his position and acknowledged that reopening schools is safe.
Yet, many schools across the country remain closed or partially remote.
Unintended consequences always plague clumsy big-government interventions into the minutiae of daily life. But the debacle of school closures has been an utter disaster. It has devastated families and students while doing next to nothing to fight the pandemic.
Next time a crisis comes along, our leaders should think twice, and maybe even show a little humility, before taking sweeping, unprecedented measures to save the day. The consequences of overreach are life-threatening in their own right.
Brad Polumbo (@Brad_Polumbo) is a Washington Examiner contributor and host of the Breaking Boundaries podcast.
