It’s Time to Move ‘Forward’ & Safely Reopen Schools
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic swept our nation from coast to coast, claiming lives, shuttering businesses, schools, churches, and everything in between. Wisconsin was no exception. Prolonged school closures have resulted in a crisis of skyrocketing failure rates across Wisconsin and countless stories about students struggling with their mental health. This is troubling news, but Wisconsin will persevere. In Wisconsin, we know there is only one way, and that way is ‘Forward.’
As the state continues to make strides ahead, there is an urgent call we must give priority to. That call is to safely reopen schools. Countless reports and first-hand accounts from parents have detailed the disadvantages for students that miss out on in-person learning. These stories are alarming and reveal mental health crises, food insecurity, and learning losses as just a few of the devastating impacts children are living through in the absence of classroom-based learning. In fact, it is not just children who are feeling run-down by virtual learning. A recent report commissioned by the American Enterprise Institute and the Waldon Family Foundation found that parents also face significant hardships when children must be educated virtually. Mothers have especially felt the impact, about two million of whom have left the workforce to care for their students as part of remote learning.
The good news? Now is the time to safely reopen our schools. In Wisconsin, teachers are eligible and encouraged to get vaccinated, there are millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief available for schools to use, and most importantly, our nation’s leading health experts have given clear guidance indicating that in-person learning is safe when proper safety protocols are enforced. In fact, health experts have even indicated it is in the interest of student health to reopen schools. Right here in the district, West Allis schools have already begun to move ‘Forward’ with plans to reopen their doors and are leading by example as a model for the nation to follow.
As a Member of the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor, I take this issue very seriously. The evidence from health experts has been greatly in favor of reopening our schools. That’s why I signed onto the Reopen Schools Act here in Congress, a bill that will incentivize schools to fully reopen and resume educating students in-person. This legislation would play an important role in ensuring taxpayer dollars are being spent on priorities that will put children back into the classroom.
Wisconsin has a choice to make: will we keep our schools closed and fall behind in education for years to follow? Or will we listen to our nation’s leading health experts, who tell us it is safe to reopen? My suggestion is to put students first and move ‘Forward.’