By Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, July 16, 2020
Last week, President Trump declared that public schools must fully reopen in the fall, threatening to withhold federal funding if they fail to do so. But neither he nor the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, has offered guidance on how schools can safely resume classroom teaching during the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, some of the largest school districts in the country, including Los Angeles and San Diego, have announced that they will only hold classes online, while New York City and other districts are planning on partial reopenings.
I recently spoke by phone with Elena Hontoria Tuerk, a clinical psychologist at the University of Virginia who specializes in child and family therapy. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed the biggest threats to the psychological health of young children, how teachers will have to adjust to instructing kids during a pandemic, and the ways in which parental stress can affect kids’ growth.
I just want to stipulate for readers that we are talking about the effects of no schooling or less schooling on children, which does not mean we are in favor of just sending kids to school even if it is unsafe. The virus is extremely serious, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to make that clear with every answer.
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