If schools are essential, they should be open

Americans are isolated right now. We don’t know what we don’t know about less visible changes wrought by the pandemic. When the return to normal begins, however, there will be no hiding the edge enjoyed by children who attended open public or private schools or whose educated parents were able to fill in virtual-learning gaps. Kids without those advantages will be more likely to fall behind for life.

Grocery store workers and nurses and hospital cleaning staff who did their jobs as essential workers will return their children to schools where teachers believed that classroom teaching was a bridge too far — secure in the knowledge stay-at-home teachers would not lose a paycheck in the process.

I am sure that all those hospital workers and delivery truck drivers who did show up to work will be very understanding about their children getting a lesser education so that healthy pajama-clad teachers could be spared the risks which designated “essential workers” assumed.

The biggest lesson America’s children can learn from the coronavirus pandemic is simple: Education is important, but not that important. Just ask your teacher.