Reopening Schools Means Black Lives DON’T Matter

By reopening schools as planned, we are threatening the health and well-being of Black children, families, and communities

The almost three-fold racial inequities in COVID-19 transmission and mortality are clear: Black children and communities are hit the hardest. And these are the figures with schools closed and coming on the heels of physical distancing measures.

And yet, the federal administration is pressuring schools to reopen in the fall. Yes — the same administration putting immigrant children in cages. The same administration replete with people who have never taught in public schools. And the same administration going against their own appointed and highly trained public health leaders’ advice. We don’t have to guess what will happen in the next few weeks either — attempts at “normal” youth summer activities and the opening days of some school districts have already foreshadowed the abysmal rates of diagnosis and transmission to come.

In a country that has implemented policies and practices for 400 years involving the selling, undereducating, and dehumanizing of Black youth, we should seek the opportunity in the midst of racial revolution to center their lives. As the daily rate of COVID-19 spikes higher than at any other time of the pandemic and policies on reopening are changing by the day, we must evaluate the risk and costs for reopening schools without a racial justice framework and policy.

Given the increased risk factors embedded in systemic racism and other social determinants of health impacting Black and urban communities, “reopening schools” means predominantly sacrificing Black families. Period. With challenges in physical distancing both in the classroom and at home due to increased density, risk of transmission to vulnerable teachers, school staff, and family members is amplified.

Although the CDC was originally cautious regarding school reopening criteria, they are now providing guidelines to administrators and schools themselves. With less than a month before these schools are to open, districts with historical overcrowding and resource deprivation would create more dangers for Black students and their families than their White peers. The federal government is now masking their concern for these conditions by offering a quid pro quo: when schools reopen, then they get aid to amend the learning environment.

We are only starting to understand how early exposure to COVID-19 impacts the health, well-being, and academic performance of students that were being failed well before this pandemic. To prevent the potential of continued massive and inequitable loss of life in Black communities, we need to ensure safeguards are in place for Black students in notoriously under-resourced schools well before reopening.

What should we do?

Going back to “normal” is unacceptable in the midst of a poor response to a pandemic and a racial uprising; as such, this moment requires a response that is both appropriate for health and racial justice. To redress the racial inequities in education maintained long before COVID, we need a coordinated, federal plan with allocated funding to implement the following:

1. Resource provision: The most effective ways of combating COVID-19 are masks, cleaning, and space. As such, all schools must be provided federally-funded and -distributed PPE for all ages and cleaning products and services prior to opening. And, while hybrid solutions may lead to disproportionate outcomes between students of varying incomes, it is of paramount importance to advance creative solutions in and outside of school buildings to ensure physical distancing measures for public school students with use of adequate space and working technology.
2. Technological resources: Given that all students will be unable to attend classes simultaneously, they need technology to connect with teachers, school staff, and classmates. Given long-standing inequities in internet access, federal, state, and local governments should invest in universal internet access and devices to quickly eliminate the digital divide which will certainly and disproportionately impact Black youth’s academic, emotional, and social development.
3. Quality mental and physical healthcare: The unique grief Black youth are experiencing from losing immediate family members and extended kinfolk in their neighborhoods, religious communities, and beyond requires expanded psychological and medical services. Although public schools have been woefully understaffed in these respects, remote services provide an opportunity for students to connect with guidance counselors, nurses, and other providers to ensure that services match the disproportionate burden placed on Black children by the pandemic.

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Schools are supposed to be safe havens for children. We know that this is often not the case for Black children, even prior to a global pandemic. At a time when going back to school means risk for COVID-19, we know that we are going to lose the lives of children and their support systems, and such loss will be racially inequitable. We must declare and assert that Black Lives Matter starting today by protecting students, educators, and school staff in Black communities.

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Riana Elyse Anderson, Ph.D., LCP, is a clinical and community psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is a resident of Detroit.

Devin English, Ph.D., is a clinical and community psychologist and assistant professor in the Urban-Global Public Health department at the Rutgers School of Public Health. He is a resident of the Bronx.