Commentary by Adriana Cohen

One of the greatest threats to America today is that everything has become politicized -- and our nation is worse off for it.

Pastimes that used to bring our country together for some apolitical fun, such as football and other sports, have now been hijacked by social justice warriors who exploit any opportunity to advance their political agenda -- no matter the cost. But where America needs to draw a big fat line in the sand is education. We simply can't allow our nation's schools to remain closed indefinitely for political reasons, not scientific ones.

Going to school is an essential function of a civilized society. Yet, many on the left and in the almighty teachers unions are actively lobbying to keep schools closed, or partially closed, this fall at society's collective expense. They claim it's too high risk to hold in-person classes during a pandemic. 

However, these are the same folks who stayed curiously silent the past six weeks while as many as 15 million to 26 million Black Lives Matter protestors, according to a New York Times estimation, stood shoulder-to-shoulder violating social distancing rules.

In fact, Democratic governors and mayors who imposed draconian lockdowns that banned law-abiding taxpayers from going to church, work or even attending a love one's funeral -- or risk fines or imprisonment -- marched alongside protestors at the massive gatherings without a care in the world about catching or spreading the virus. Obviously, if these hypocrites were truly fearful of contracting the coronavirus, or spreading it to others, they wouldn't have taken the risk and stayed home.  

Evidently, it was more important to them to virtue signal and pander for votes at the nationwide protests than it was to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, which just last March, they insisted was so serious that the pandemic warranted a national quarantine -- derailing the economy and stripping our collective rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

Now, these same government and teachers unions officials who support the protests are trying to keep classrooms closed, or partially closed, in favor of subpar online learning. What changed? Where's the scientific evidence that says the coronavirus only spreads on school buses and in classrooms but not at massive political gatherings?

What the scientific data does demonstrate -- which the biased media fails to highlight -- is that kids are much less likely to get coronavirus or die from it than the seasonal flu. Yet, we don't radically alter the U.S. education system or close schools because of it. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a report strongly advocating students be physically present in classrooms this fall stating:  

"The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020.  

"Lengthy time away from school and associated interruption of supportive services often results in social isolation, making it difficult for schools to identify and address important learning deficits, as well as child and adolescent physical or sexual abuse, substance use, depression, and suicidal ideation.  

"This, in turn, places children and adolescents at considerable risk of morbidity and, in some cases, mortality."

Other countries reopened schools months ago, indicating this can be done safely and successfully. Denmark, Austria and Germany reopened their schools in April and May without fanfare. "In fact, the statistical models predicted there would be more spreading than was actually observed, according to Soren Riis Paludan, professor in virology at Aarhus University," reported Politico. "Opening the schools has really not been translated into any imprint in the transmission numbers," he said.

That said, our kids are entitled to a proper education, going to school five days a week and being taught by teachers in the classroom. That's what our taxes pay for, not inferior self-isolated online learning that can harm kids physically, mentally and emotionally.

Come September, any teacher who is high risk for getting the coronavirus should stay home and do online teaching while the rest of the healthy population returns to the classroom. Schools should institute commonsense protocols such as increased sanitation and mandated frequent hand-washing.

Bottom line: We shouldn't be banning kids from going to school. Instead, we should be banning false narratives that say marching in political protests is "safe" or worth the risk but kids sitting in a classroom getting a proper education is not.  

Adriana Cohen is a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate. Follow her on Twitter @AdrianaCohen16. To find out more about Adriana Cohen and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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