Let Children Go to Summer School

Reopening classrooms brings risks. But they can be mitigated, and isolation costs kids far more dearly

By Robert C. Hamilton. Dr. Hamilton practices pediatrics in Santa Monica, Calif., and is author of “7 Secrets of the Newborn.” Excerpts:

"As Americans begin to poke their heads out of their homes and behold the destruction around them, it’s time for some bold decisions. Start by getting children back to school.

Studies from around the world have confirmed that Covid-19 in children is a well-tolerated infection. In one large survey of coronavirus patients, only 1.7% were under 18. Nearly 70% of those were asymptomatic. Between 5.7% to 20% of those infected required hospitalization and no deaths were reported.

The only exceptions are the rare occurrences of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a condition similar to Kawasaki disease that can affect the heart and coronary arteries. In remote Senate testimony last Tuesday, Anthony Fauci cited this syndrome in urging caution when it comes to releasing children from pandemic measures. But the condition is so rare—in New York City there have only been 145 cases as of publication—that it doesn’t justify keeping kids in lockdown.

The school shutdown brought on by the virus, however, will have substantial negative effects for many children. Educating kids remotely is a herculean task, and those attempting it deserve our utmost praise, but surveys indicate it isn’t going well.

On March 30 the Los Angeles Unified School District reported that 15,000 of its high-school students hadn’t checked in with their schools once since they closed two weeks earlier. The majority of the district’s students come from low-income homes, which may not have home computers or access to high-speed internet. Another 40,000 LAUSD high schoolers—one-third of the student body—weren’t in daily contact with their teachers.

Confining children indoors for prolonged periods is also proving to have a negative influence on their psychological health. Psychologists openly worry about depression, stress, loneliness and the sense of vulnerability this prolonged isolation could inflict on children. The situation is even bleaker for those trapped in abusive homes. Childhelp reported a 20% increase in calls and 439% increase in texts to its child-abuse hotline at the end of March."

"children rarely transmit Covid-19 to adults. For instance, a child who tested positive for Covid-19 in the French Alps did not pass the virus on to anyone, despite being exposed to more than 100 people."