At this point, the evidence against remote learning is overwhelming. A November study from the National Bureau of Economic Research compared standardized test scores from schools in districts that fully reopened early in the pandemic with those that remained at least partly virtual. While passing rates in math slumped by an average of 14.2% overall, the decline was smaller for districts that returned to in-person instruction. Drops in reading scores were heavily concentrated in areas with large populations of minorities and low-income students, which were slower to reopen.

Though students have largely returned to the classroom, the vast majority still have ground to make up. Additional instruction — in the form of longer school days, summer classes and individual tutoring — is critical for those at greatest disadvantage. Instead, some districts, from Bellevue, Washington, to Brevard County, Florida, have done the opposite. Citing staffing shortages related to teacher exhaustion, among other excuses, schools have been adding last-minute vacation days, often with little notice for parents. Leading the mental-health relief trend, officials in Detroit announced that schools would conduct in-person instruction only four days a week during December, with Fridays all remote.

Reducing in-person class time is not just a disaster for students — it’s also a betrayal of public trust. Congress has passed three separate relief packages, across two administrations, with funds intended to help districts stay open. But tens of billions of dollars apparently remain unspent.