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  • The Atlantic

    Closing the Schools Is Not the Only Option

    Districts can give parents some flexibility while implementing stronger mitigation measures.
    by Erika Christakis Mar 16, 2020 4 minutes
    Source: Jenna Schoenefeld / The New York Times / Redux

    As part of a national effort to mitigate the worst effects of the coronavirus, at least 56,000 schools have closed, are scheduled to close, or have closed briefly and then reopened, affecting at least 29.5 million public-school students in the United States. Even more school districts will no doubt close in the near future.

    But outright suspension of the school year or business as usual is not necessarily the only option. Districts can allow parents the flexibility to choose what’s best for their family while redoubling their mitigation efforts in schools.

    There are two kinds of school closures: reactive and proactive. In the former, a school closes schools reduces the total number of cases in the community by about 25 percent and postpones the peak of the pandemic by a week or two, which is helpful.

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