Advocating for Children During the COVID-19 School Closures

Abstract

Nationwide closures of elementary and secondary schools due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have severed nearly 60 million students from critical educational and health resources. As the impact of COVID-19 unfolds, pandemic-related trauma and economic instability will disproportionately impact children in poverty, who most heavily rely on school-based services for nutritional, physical, and mental health needs. Yet amid months of public health and political discourse and the passage of 4 federal relief bills, including the historically unmatched $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, measures to mitigate risk for educational and health disparities among children have been woefully lacking. Beyond provision of clinical and infection control guidance, the pediatric community must advocate for stronger action to ensure the educational, nutritional, physical, and mental health needs of children are met during periods of school closures and addressed during plans for reopening (Table 1).Action is needed to offset the risk for educational losses among all children as well as exacerbated educational disparities among children in poverty. Unforeseen extended school closures can lead to lower test scores, lower educational attainment, and decreased earning potential.1 During closures, students need reliable access to technology, a stable learning environment, and parents with the necessary time and skills to support for remote learning. Although remote learning presents a challenge for all families, those in poverty are at greater disadvantage and thus at increased risk for widening educational disparities. One in 7 children lacks home Internet access, with a twofold higher rate among low-income communities.2 Parents in poverty are facing their own pandemic-related stressors (eg, unemployment, at-risk jobs) and may lack the time or resources to support remote learning. However, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act provided merely $30 billion for education emergency relief, a fraction of the $500 billion requested by national education organizations, with less than half dedicated to elementary and secondary schools. No funds are specifically allocated for remote learning capacity building, universal technology access, or planning to address educational gaps after reopening. Furthermore, the effectiveness of proposed mitigation strategies for reopening (eg, classroom modifications, in-person classes for certain groups, staggered scheduling) is still widely uncertain. Additional research is critically needed to guide safe reopening while ensuring health and educational equity for vulnerable children. To offset the risk for widening disparities, we must prioritize research to plan for safe and equitable school reopening and mobilize resources for capacity building to support the continued need for universal remote public education.We must advocate for children with disabilities. Thirteen percent of public students have a disability requiring an individual education plan, with nearly twofold higher rates in low-income communities.21 Of children with mental and behavioral health needs, 80% rely on school-based services. School closure means loss of critical resources for children with disabilities, including engagement with specialized educators and structured learning environments. Parents of children with high learning needs are unlikely to be equipped with resources to maintain remote learning. To offset worsening educational disparities in this population, we must prioritize strategies to safely resume in-person education for children with disabilities and advocate for resources to support expansion of assistive technologies for home (eg, tools for visually or hearing impaired).Improved access to the nutrition programs that serve 35 million children living in poverty daily, typically provided through schools and child care centers, remains critical. Initial legislation included limited provisions to increase flexibility to maintain school-based meal distribution and for family nutrition programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotments and Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer, the grocery voucher program intended to offset loss of school meals. However, despite these efforts, access to adequate nutrition among children in poverty remains insufficient, with only 11% of newly unemployed families reporting access to “grab-and-go” meals.22 Researchers of an April 2020 survey found that 35% of households with children <18 years old are now food insecure, a twofold increase compared with 2018.23 Prompt funding is required to further expand meal access, SNAP, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children benefits for children in poverty.Action is needed to address the physical and mental health effects of the COVID-19 crisis among children and offset the potential for widening health disparities am