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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, school shutdowns were a last resort—taking place only during severe weather or actual emergencies. But now, school districts across the country are shutting students out of the classroom for multiple reasons including staffing shortages, bad behavior, or staff burnout.

From education losses to social isolation, remote learning has already taken a huge toll on our nation’s students. It’s time for students to be back in the classroom for good.

In Case You Missed It via the Wall Street Journal, school shutdowns are being used as an easy way out for school officials.

School Closures Aren’t Just for Covid Anymore
By Leslie Bienen
November 28, 2021

Thousands of schools in dozens of districts across the U.S. have taken previously unscheduled days off or moved back to remote learning for “mental health” reasons. Other schools have cut back time in school buildings because of staffing shortages or for “deep cleaning,” a pointless anti-Covid precaution.

“The shifts in learning methods and isolation caused by COVID-19 closures and quarantines have taken a toll on the well-being of our students and staff,” Reynolds Superintendent Danna Diaz’s email said. “We are finding that some students are struggling with the socialization skills necessary for in-person learning, which is causing disruption in school for other students.”

It seems perverse to respond to the problems caused by school shutdowns with more shutdowns—and to send middle schoolers the message that unruly behavior can get them out of school for three weeks.

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Before Covid, school shutdowns happened on snow days and for genuine emergencies such as natural disasters, school shootings and occasionally outbreaks of infectious disease like flu, E. coli or, decades ago, polio. But without remote learning as an option, districts had to resume class as quickly as possible, or teachers and students would have to make up missed class days at the end of the year, cutting into summer vacation. Now school officials have an easy out—but one that comes at a huge cost to students. States could cut this option off by forcing districts to meet instructional-hour mandates only with in-person learning, but few have done so.