SCHOOLS MUST (NOT) OPEN IN THE FALL!!!!

LET'S TRY TO PUT THIS IN WORDS AND FONT OUR PRESIDENT CAN UNDERSTAND

1. THE VIRUS IS BAD; IT IS THE INVISIBLE ENEMY; EVEN PEOPLE WITH NO SYMPTOMS CAN INFECT OTHERS; IT CAN MAKE PEOPLE SICK FOR DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS, MAYBE EVEN YEARS POSSIBLY WITH DAMAGE TO INTERNAL ORGANS, ALL THE BEST ORGANS, LIKE THE LUNGS, KIDNEYS AND BRAIN

2. IT HAS KILLED CHILDREN

3. IT HAS KILLED LOTS OF ADULTS

4. ADULTS AND CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOLS

5. NOBODY MAKES MORE VIRUS LIKE SCHOOLS

6. BUSSES TOO

7. LUNCHROOMS TOO

8. (OK OUR ACTUAL PRESIDENT WOULD HAVE TUNED OUT BY NOW AND SENT AN UNDERLING TO GET ON A BUS TO GET HIM MCDONALDS BUT I'M GOING TO KEEP GOING)

9. EVERYONE LOVES OUR GREAT ECONOMY! OUR GREATEST ECONOMY CANT BE GREAT IF SCHOOLS HAVE TO KEEP SHUTTING DOWN EVERY TIME SOMEONE GETS SICK.

10.  BUT SCHOOLS WILL HAVE TO DO THAT IF THERE ARE STILL SICK PEOPLE (AND RIGHT NOW NOBODY IS WINNING IN TERMS OF NUMBER OF SICK PEOPLE LIKE US; I REALLY AM SICK OF WINNING) AND THEN PEOPLE GET SICK IN SCHOOLS AND SOME KIDS AND MANY MORE ADULTS GET SICK FOR WEEKS ON END AND SOME DIE

12. THERE IS NO WAY TO DO COVID-SAFE SCHOOL IN ANYTHING LIKE WHAT CURRENTLY CONSTITUTES OUR CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE EDUCATION BUILDINGS

13. IT'S INSIDE (THERE ARE REASONS WE DON'T TEACH OUTSIDE, AAP... LIKE, WEATHER, FOR INSTANCE)

14. HALF THE TIME THE ROOMS CAN'T EVEN STAY AT A BEARABLE TEMPERATURE, LET ALONE HAVE AIR PURIFIERS THAT FILTER VIRUSES OUT OF THE AIR

15. CHILDREN CAN'T BE EXPECTED TO 100% WEAR MASKS AT ALL TIMES ALL DAY.

16. SCHOOLS CAN'T BE EXPECTED TO HIRE MASSIVE NUMBERS OF NEW TEACHERS AND BUILD MASSIVE NUMBERS OF NEW CLASSROOMS IN WEEKS SO THERE CAN BE CLASSES WITH 5-10 STUDENTS IN EACH INSTEAD OF 25-35

17. LETS BE REAL SCHOOLS AREN'T EVEN GOING HAVE THEIR STUFF TOGETHER ENOUGH TO TRY THINGS LIKE HIGH SCHOOLS HAVING KIDS STAY IN ONE ROOM ALL DAY WHILE TEACHERS SWITCH IN TO TEACH THEM OR CREATE STAGGERED SCHEDULES

18. LET'S BE FURTHERMORE REAL AND ADMIT THAT SCHOOLS ARE ALSO NOT GOING TO BE OUTFITTED WITH HAND SANITIZER STATIONS IN EVERY ROOM AND DISINFECTING DEEP CLEANINGS EVERY DAY AND MASKS FOR ALL PEOPLE IN THEM, TO SAY NOTHING OF A RIGOROUS FREQUENT TESTING AND CONTACT TRACING REGIME (THAT WE SHOULD HAVE REALLY GOTTEN TO SOCIETY-WIDE ALREADY); AND THE REASON NONE OF THAT WILL HAPPEN IS THAT IT ALL COSTS MONEY AND THERE IS JUST NO WAY TO POSSIBLY FIND ANY MORE TO SPEND ON SOMETHING LIKE OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURES

19. IS REMOTE LEARNING GOOD? NO, IT WAS BIGLY NOT GOOD THIS SPRING

20. IT COULD BE BETTER IF ALL STUDENTS HAD ACCESS TO COMPUTERS AND INTERNET AND WERE REQUIRED TO DO THE WORK AND NOT MADE TO HAVE OVERLAPPING CLASSES AND NOT TOLD AT THE BEGINNING OF IT THAT EVERYTHING WAS EXTRA CREDIT

21. THE BIG QUESTION ABOUT OPENING SCHOOLS IS: HOW MUCH DO PEOPLE'S LIVES MATTER?

22. IF YOUR ANSWER IS "THEY MATTER A LOT), THEN YOU SHOULD PROBABLY NOT RE-OPEN SCHOOLS AND CREATE AN EXPERIMENT WHERE WE HAVE GIANT PETRI DISHES (NOT ALL THAT DISSIMILAR FROM NURSING HOMES OR PRISONS,EXCEPT ALL THE PEOPLE IN THEM COME AND GO EVERYDAY, SO MAYBE MORE LIKE MEAT-PACKING PLANTS) FULL OF PEOPLE WHO THEN GO HOME AND TO OTHER PLACES IN THE COMMUNITY AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO EXPOSE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE A GREATER PROPENSITY TO DIE

23. LIKE FOR SERIOUS I'M NOT GOING BACK TO SCHOOL TO VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE FOR THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IF THERE'S STILL COVID BEING SPREAD AROUND AND NO PLAN TO DEAL WITH IT AT ALL

24. NO ONE SHOULD

25. THOUGH IT WOULD HONESTLY HAVE BEEN REALLY NICE IF WE DIDN'T HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE ROCK AND THE HARD PLACE OF REMOTE LEARNING AND RELATIVE SAFETY VS. IN-PERSON LEARNING AND A MUCH GREATER RISK OF DEATH AND SERIOUS ILLNESS THAN NORMAL

26. LIKE IF WE HAD LEADERS WHO READ, AND DIDN'T LIE ALL THE TIME, AND DIDN'T VIEW HEALTH EMERGENCIES THROUGH THE PRISM OF HOW IT AFFECTS THEIR ODDS OF BEING RE-ELECTED, AND CARED ABOUT PEOPLE OTHER THAN THEMSELVES, AND LISTENED TO EXPERTS, AND DIDN'T TELL PEOPLE TO MAINLINE BLEACH AND DRINK SUNLIGHT A ND SCARF MAGIC MALARIA DRUGS BUT DON'T WEAR MASKS BECAUSE FREEDOM.

27. THEN MAYBE WE WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY STOPPED THE SPREAD AND WE COULD BE LIKE NEW ZEALAND AND GO BACK TO NOT JUST SCHOOL BUT TO HAVING ENORMOUS STADIUMS FULL OF DRUNKEN SPORTS FANS YELLING AND BREATHING ALL OVER EACH OTHER AGAIN

28. BUT THINGS ARE BAD AND GETTING WORSE RIGHT NOW, AND THERE SEEMS TO BE NO APPETITE FOR TRYING TO STOP PEOPLE FROM GOING TO BARS AND RESTAURANTS AND INDOOR SOIREES UNTIL YOU START RUNNING OUT OF HOSPITAL BEDS (LOOKING AT YOU FLORIDA, TEXAS, ARIZONA AND CALIFORNIA)

29. GIVEN THE CURRENT STATE OF OPENNESS OF THE COUNTRY, IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT THINGS WILL GET MUCH BETTER BEFORE SCHOOLS ARE SET TO OPEN.

30. IF THE SCHOOLS DO OPEN, IT WILL GET EVEN WORSE.

31. WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED IS A TRAGEDY. IT BECOMES MORE TRAGIC WITH EVERY STEP WE FAIL TO TAKE TO STOP THE VIRUS FROM RUNNING THROUGH OUR ENTIRE POPULATION, WHICH IF IT DID, EVEN IF YOU TAKE THE MOST OPTIMISTIC ESTIMATE AND SAY THAT THE VIRUS HAS A .5% FATALITY RATE, MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION AMERICANS WOULD DIE.

32. EDUCATION AND THE ECONOMY ARE BOTH IMPORTANT, BUT NEITHER IS OF MUCH USE TO A DEAD PERSON, AND NEITHER IS GETTING BACK TO NORMAL UNTIL THE THING THAT HAS KILLED OVER HALF A MILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD GETS UNDER CONTROL.