Schools across the country fall back on remote instruction to allow for mental health days for staff, deep cleaning and potential riots

And students come last, again

Lots of smart people have been warning about the inevitable temptation for schools to quickly fall back on remote learning now that they know they can.

They were right to be concerned.

CNN @CNN

More than 20 public school districts across the nation are extending their Thanksgiving breaks by several days to allow for mental health days for students and staff.

cnn.itMore than 20 school districts nationwide extend Thanksgiving break for teacher and student mental health daysMore than 20 public school districts across the nation are extending their Thanksgiving breaks by several days to allow for mental health days for students and staff.

According to CNN, “Districts in at least six different states including Missouri, Kansas, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, and Maryland have amended their schedules to include "wellness days" this school year.”

One superintendent from Missouri said that that teachers were reporting that they feel stressed and want “time to decompress."

Randi Weingarten @rweingarten

It has been a very tough year https://t.co/cctzePky4q

CNN @CNN

More than 20 public school districts across the nation are extending their Thanksgiving breaks by several days to allow for mental health days for students and staff. https://t.co/RaOSJWlCse

(Randi Weingarten is the president of the American Federation of Teachers and arguably played the biggest role in keeping schools closed for 18 months.)

Dale Chu @Dale_Chu

School districts across the nation have been shuttering their doors this month on short notice to provide “teacher mental health” days. In my latest for @educationgadfly, I look at how this troubling trend could play out. fordhaminstitute.org/national/comme… #NoSchoolNovember @MichaelPetrilli

fordhaminstitute.orgTeacher mental health days demonstrate districts’ priorities—and it’s not the studentsAmerica’s children are way behind because of the pandemic. And knowing this, parents and guardians have been justifiably expecting schools to rise to the occasion this fall. Instead, districts across the country have been shuttering this month following a wave of unexpected staff shortages. This is …

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Detroit Public Schools have additional reasons for closing—in addition to citing mental health like many other districts, they also cited COVID spread and school cleanliness.

Terrence Martin, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said the union negotiated with the district to provide virtual days once a week in December.

Erika Sanzi @esanzi

Detroit Public Schools, a district that is over 80% black, is not opening on Fridays during December. Definitively puts the "quit" in "equity." https://t.co/k5CBAK3LJx

Lori Higgins @LoriAHiggins

NEWS out of Detroit: The school district is moving to remote learning on Fridays in December to slow COVID spread https://t.co/6v8BX4JZJW via @ChalkbeatDET

And then there’s Kenosha, Wisconsin. They are shifting to remote learning out of an abundance of caution. Schools have been closed this week in anticipation of a verdict in the Rittenhouse case.

Frank McCormick | Chalkboard Heresy @CBHeresy

Kenosha schools going remote in anticipation of violence. And people wonder why I oppose Critical Social Justice (CSJ) in Education? Because it managed to frame white-on-white violence as an issue of "racial justice," for which populous violence became the answer.

Remote learning really did not work for most students and the emotional, academic and psychological fall-out from it has been severe. That is not up for debate. It also took a tremendous toll on parents.

Michael Strain got in right in his Bloomberg Opinion piece:

Remote learning inflicted educational, psychological and economic damage last year. If classrooms slam shut every time there’s a positive test now, the result will be just as dire.

Andy Rotherham of Bellwether Education Partners seems to be stating the obvious here and, while unfathomable, it appears that it still needs to be said:

Is the choice really time off for teachers or student learning? Seems like we can accomplish both? I am all for more schedule flexibility for teachers, but what school districts are doing now with short notice shut downs and random mental health days is just further antagonizing parents. Which, given the mood, is remarkably ill-considered.

“Parents are frustrated because of our lousy virtual option and the slow return to live instruction.”

“Oh I have an idea, random unpredictable days off…”

It is impossible to see how cancelling in-person classes and shifting to remote learning is the right thing to do for kids. On the contrary, it seems to be further evidence that the public school establishment has decided to put students last.

Again.