AAP Voices

As the COVID-19 outbreak took hold in the United States, schools across the country began closing in hopes of slowing its spread. The majority of  states have now ordered or recommended keeping schools closed for the rest of the academic year.

Social distancing, including school closings, have become key measures in fighting this pandemic. As a pediatrician and former school district administrator, however, I know the important role schools play in supporting children’s health. Beyond instruction, the CDC’s Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model showed here highlights huge safety net schools provide for our children—giving access to meals for millions of students each day, for example.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

We also know that education is linked to medical outcomes. With schools closed, we need to make kids sure continue to get what they need to stay healthy and learn.

Maintaining critical supports for children & families

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has been at the forefront of advocating for school nutrition programs, which help protect millions of children at risk for food insecurity. The National School Lunch Program is the second largest food and nutrition assistance program, providing low-cost or free lunches to nearly 30 million children daily. Many school districts also provide breakfast for children who might otherwise start the day hungry, which makes it difficult to learn.

When schools are closed, children may not get regular, nutritious meals . The good news is that the landscape has changed since 2016. That year, the Washington, DC, area experienced “Snowmaggedon.” I was chief operating officer of District of Columbia Public Schools at the time, and we had to close schools for nearly a week. Knowing that a large number of families were reliant on us to provide adequate nutrition for their children, we scrambled to open for meals before we could reopen for instruction.

“Beyond instruction, schools provide a huge safety net for our children—giving access to meals for millions of students each day, for example. We also know that education is linked to medical outcomes. With schools closed, we need to make sure continue to get what they need to stay healthy and learn.”

At that time, DC did that with no hope of recouping the federal reimbursement for those meals. Today, school districts are able to draw down federal reimbursement to make sure they can continue to offer feeding options for families. Some states are currently providing meals under an extension of the Summer Lunch Program. USDA has also issued waivers that allow students to take meals home and maintain social distance. As pediatricians, we should continue to screen for food insecurity when we can, and connect families with resources when possible.

Schools also provide a substantial support for children with special education services, nursing and medical services, behavioral and mental health services. All of these services can help alleviate the burden on families on who now are experiencing the additional strain and anxiety of COVID-19. This stressful time highlights the need to promote positive parenting approaches and resources as the crisis additional pressure on families struggling with questions such as:

• Who is going to take care of the kids?
  
  • Many families rely of grandparents or aunt or uncles for child care. With the recommendations to minimize exposure to older adults, it puts this tension in direct conflict with the real life of many families. There are no easy answers to this conflict.
  • Beyond taking care of the kids, it is also about all the other activities kids participate that are shut down (sports, arts and other extracurriculars) that mean you now have bored children at home.
• How are we going to pay for rent, utilities, food?
  
  • Many families are experiencing significant financial strains during this period with layoffs and furloughs. In addition, parents who are hourly employees are also challenged with not being paid if they are at home with their children.

Longer-term concerns

As it becomes clear that schools may need to stay closed for more than a few weeks, it’s no longer realistic to think that instruction can just be caught up when kids return. That’s why many schools are moving to adopt online learning environments. However, data suggests roughly one in five students kindergarten through 12th grade students have computers or high-speed internet, including a disproportionate amount of low-income families and students of color.

One recent poll found that 39% of teens in public schools reported using video chat or conferencing to stay connected at school during COVID-19 closures, compared with 88% of private school students..

Socioeconomic barriers such as this “digital divide” may worsen worsen academic achievement gaps students must already overcome. Education organizations are requesting for dedicated funding to help schools provide internet access to students who need it during COVID-19 closures, another measure child health advocates can support.

As communities continue battling COVID-19 on the front lines, we can’t forget about other ways this pandemic can harm families. Helping to ensure children can continue learning and receiving important support services schools while schools are closed is one of the most effective ways we can do this.