A return to the classroom in vulnerable Chicago neighborhoods would put kids at risk
By Dr. Jamie Ehrenpreis
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released guidelines regarding the question most parents are asking: Should kids return to school in the fall? The group’s guidelines emphatically encourage the return to in-person school, proclaiming that attending school is essential for the health and welfare of children.
While the benefits and considerations the group cites — which include socialization, access to food, concerns about child abuse at home and special needs resources — are incredibly important, the guidelines ignore disparities that have become only more pronounced due to the pandemic. This is especially noticeable in a city like Chicago where socioeconomic and racial inequalities in schooling and heath care are considered the reason for vastly different life expectancy by ZIP code.
What the guidelines get wrong is ignoring these disparities instead of pointing to them as the main barrier to returning to school during a pandemic. They wave away the fact that schools will not be able to meet the optimal classroom size of 10 to 15 children and that, due to this, schools may be unable to accommodate the prescription to place desks 6 feet apart.
Ignoring these conditions accepts there will be more risk to the health of vulnerable indigent students who historically are taught in overcrowded classrooms. Further, if children are going to go to school during a pandemic, they need immediate access to professionals who can recognize symptoms of illness. Chicago Public Schools has a nursing shortage, and most schools do not have a nurse available every day, making the guideline to test students as symptoms arise nearly impossible to meet.
The guidelines also point to the need for more recess to decrease exposure between students, with the benefit of increased ventilation while outside. As a friend who teaches in Chicago’s Austin community explained, not only do students lack the proper attire for winter weather, but also students often cannot play outside the school due to concerns of violence. Incidentally, Austin has also been a COVID-19 hot spot, following a statewide trend in which Black patients make up 70% of all COVID-19 deaths.
While thousands across the country protest for racial equality, it is especially insensitive to disregard these obvious disparities in schools. It is unethical to strongly advocate for a return to school without an examination of what that means for students in our city. We should be demanding changes to a system that is failing to meet children’s basic needs.
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