COVID- 19 has impacted all aspects of our lives. Most notably on children’s education. Distance learning was the temporary fall back to continue their education, but we now know it is not working for many kids, families, and educators.

In short, kids need to be back in school this fall. Most educators, parents, and kids agree on this point. During the past couple of months, I’ve had many conversations with educators and parents and what I have learned about distance learning has been eye-opening. Educators and parents are concerned and frustrated.

A recent survey conducted by the Minnesota Department of Education showed 64% of parents want their kids back in school. In addition, almost 53% said they had a bad or very bad experience with distance learning.

While there have been some issues with internet access for kids, most of that had been mitigated and we now have the information to fully address that issue. Some educators have said up to 30% of kids had not regularly logged into class sessions. And as many of us have learned, technology has helped but there are limits and only so much you can do via Zoom.

What we intuitively know to be true is supported by science and data from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). On July 9, CDC Director Robert Redfield, said: “I’m of the point of view as a public health leader in this nation, that having the schools actually closed is a greater public health threat to the children than having the schools reopen.”

Relationships matter a great deal in all we do. And it is especially true when talking about educating kids, even more for special education – kids need structure, consistency, they need to be in a classroom with educators. For special education, it is a must. It is important not only for educators but is also important for social interaction and to be with their friends.

On June 25, on their website, AAP stated: “The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with the goal of having students physically present in school. The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020.”

Regarding health concerns, CDC director Redfield added, “I don’t think we should go overboard in trying to develop a system that doesn’t recognize the reality that this virus really is relatively benign to those of us that are under the age of 20.”

That said, we understand we need to protect the vulnerable and those with underlying conditions. With that in mind, we must be flexible, one size does not fit all. Local leaders need to be empowered to make decisions that best meet the needs of their community.

At the legislature, we will support families and local school officials. We will propose using existing COVID money to support schools and families during the transition back to full-time in classroom education.

For the well-being of our kids, we must move back towards normalcy, kids need to be back in school, back in the classroom, back with their friends.