Dr. Bob Lutz and Maria Howard: Benchmarks to reopen schools are achievable

”Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is a great equalizer of the conditions of men – the balance wheel of the social machinery.” – Horace Mann, pioneering American educator, 1848

The idea that education could serve as the “great equalizer” was advocated in the 1830s by Horace Mann, a Massachusetts state legislator who believed free schools should be available to all citizens, regardless of race or social class. When public education is at its best, Mann has been proven right.

Educational attainment, a determinant of health, is a major factor affecting social and occupational status in adulthood and a strong predictor of health and quality of life. But health is not evenly distributed – those of lower socioeconomic status (SES) do less well. Children whose parents have low educational attainment suffer unless they are availed of programs to mitigate the negative effects. National data unfortunately also reveal a range of educational attainment that like health status, correlates with SES – poor children, especially those of marginalized populations, do not do as well as their peers.

Our current system of public education has been challenged by structural and environmental issues. The former including insufficient funding, overcrowding, substandard pay for teaching staff, curriculum requirements out of keeping with needs of students, outdated instructional practices and lack of technology. Environmentally, the lives of children outside of the classroom, especially those facing adverse childhood experiences where they call “home,” place increased pressure on teachers and school systems to act as social safety nets in ways never envisioned by Horace Mann.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an additional stressor on schools, students and families. Parents are attempting to balance their family’s various needs in a time of uncertainty – school for their children, their own work, finances and their family’s health. Schools want to ensure safe environments for their staff and students. Young people want to return to environments that play an essential role in their educational and social development. Sadly, schools also are a source of physical sustenance, providing free or reduced-price meals nationally for more than 50% of students. How to best balance these needs is the work of the community, school boards, school administrators and staff, and public health.

An inherent tension in public health ethics is balancing the good of the population with the interests of individuals. Its communitarian approach holds that what is good for the community is ultimately good for the individuals in the community. An emergency requires collective action to ensure the health and safety of everyone, especially the most vulnerable. A fundamental ethical truth, however, is that for many moral questions, there are no perfect answers – sometimes the best that can be done in moral terms is to cause less harm.

Such is the sort of moral conundrum posed by whether to open schools to in-person education, given the risks attendant with the pandemic. Any way this question is answered will not be satisfactory to everyone. The choice to shift to remote learning was not easy but necessary – Spokane County meets no recognized benchmarks for reopening schools to in-person instruction. At time of publication, Spokane County has almost seven times the rate of infection recommended by Washington State’s Institute of Disease Modeling and the Department of Health.

There is still a lack of scientific consensus regarding the susceptibility of children to this virus, which makes the weighing of harms to children particularly difficult. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes a 90% increase of COVID-19 infections among children and adolescents in the past four weeks. Locally, this translates to 325 youth under the age of 19. There is the undeniable risk to teachers and those who work within the school system, many of whom are older adults and at increased risk. And we cannot ignore the potential spread of the virus to those who live with children. About 10% of children live with grandparents, who are more likely to come from low-income families, another risk factor for COVID-19.

Beyond health risks, there are logistical considerations. Transmission-control measures will be burdensome and resource-dependent for schools already financially challenged. When cases and exposures occur, and given current and projected countywide infection rates, exposure will occur – staff and students will be required to quarantine, which brings with it all the struggles of online education, additional staffing problems, and the disruption of education for all students, even those who are not exposed.

The benchmarks to reopen schools to in-person education are achievable. If we want to get kids back in school, it is our collective responsibility to do what is necessary to drive down the spread of COVID-19. The best way to do this is to limit our movement when we can, and to make an effort to move safely when we cannot by wearing masks and maintaining proper physical distance. In the meantime, we will find ways to mitigate the potential harms of remote education. Our community has already overcome much adversity in 2020. We believe in our potential to overcome another hurdle.

Dr. Bob Lutz is the Spokane County health officer. Maria Howard, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of philosophy at Gonzaga University and an adviser on the Spokane Regional Health District’s Ethics Committee.