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If Opening Schools Is About Equity, Why Aren’t We Listening to Those Most Impacted?
Low-income, Black and Latinx parents are saying what they want, but their voices are missing from the discussion
To listen to media, politicians, and experts, you would think the decision to open schools is driven by concern for the families most affected by educational inequalities and the economic fallout of closures. Polls showing that large numbers of parents don’t believe it is safe to reopen are dismissed as the opinions of privileged parents who have the luxury of opting out.
It’s a convenient narrative. It imbues those arguing to open schools with moral authority. Teachers and families who are worried about the coronavirus are told they must balance this risk with the grave danger faced by poor families, essential workers, and children of color if schools stay closed.
There’s just one problem with this narrative: it isn’t true.
Polling consistently shows that low-income parents and parents of color are more likely to think it’s unsafe to open and to plan to keep their children home if they do — by significant margins.
It turns out that families who have been put at risk by our system’s inequalities don’t want to choose…
