The first U.S. schools have reopened with in-person classes, and they are already setting off alarm bells about how quickly the coronavirus can spread.
Georgia’s Cherokee County School District, north of Atlanta, had over 100 confirmed COVID-19 cases by the end of its second week of classes, and more than 1,600 students and staff had been sent home after being exposed to them. By the third week, three of the district’s high schools had temporarily reverted to all-online learning.
Schools in Mississippi, Tennessee, Nebraska and other states also reported multiple cases, quarantines and temporary school closures.
Deciding whether to open schools for in-person classes during a pandemic is a complex decision. Children often learn better in school, where they have direct contact with expert teachers and the social-emotional learning that comes from being around other children. But they also risk spreading the disease to their teachers and one another’s families without even being aware they have it.
