In Tucson, Arizona, 10-year-old Simon
Joubeaud Pulitzer returned to his private
school Aug. 3, his blue button-down uniform
shirt and tie in place. He was happy to see
his friends again and have face-to-face
access to his teachers.
Did he feel safe?
“Not the first day but after, yes, I felt a bit safer,”
Simon said. “All kids were following the rules.”
Those rules include masks worn indoors,
socially distanced desks and only two kids per
outdoor picnic table at either end for lunch.
Most American parents said it was unsafe
to send their children back to school, with
more than 80 percent favoring school
conducted at least partly online, according to
a new Washington Post-Schar School survey
conducted by Ipsos. But many expressed
displeasure at the quality of online instruction.
As summer winds down, the mixed feelings
mirror the lack of consensus around the country
on how to balance virus risks and schooling.
Some Scandinavian countries with far fewer
cases than in the U.S. reopened schools
with new safety protocols and have had no
outbreaks connected to their operations.
In Israel, schools that reopened when virus
activity was low ended up shutting down a few
weeks later when cases spiked.
In the U.S., some school districts plan a mix of
in-person classes and online learning to help
maintain social distancing. Other districts,
including those in Miami, Houston and Los
Angeles, are starting classes online only.