It's time to open our schools! This is a summary of why we should do so.

"There’s nearly universal agreement that widespread, long-lasting school closures harm children. Not only do children fall behind in learning, but isolation harms their mental health and leaves some vulnerable to abuse and neglect. But during this pandemic, does that harm outweigh the risk—to children, school staff, families, and the community at large—of keeping schools open and giving the coronavirus more chances to spread?" Posted in: doi:10.1126/science.abc9565

The answer: THERE IS NO SUBSTANTIAL RISK. "UNESCO estimated in March that 91.3% of the world’s students were out of school. But Swedes under 16 were not among them." And while Sweden reports a high death rate in nursing homes, studies do not show that school children had much if anything to do with that.

"While Sweden’s no-lockdown approach was shunned by its Nordic neighbors, health officials in Denmark and Norway came around to Sweden's stance on schools. Both made reopening them one of their first steps out of lockdown. Neither has seen a resurgence since." Most of Europe has reopened its schools with no ill effect.

Since I am certainly no expert on COVID-19 issues, I have to rely on those who are. Here are some of the most respected medical conclusions:

"Globally, according to a research review published recently in The Lancet, a leading medical journal, the number of Covid-19 deaths prevented by school closings has been vanishingly small. The same can’t be said about the closings’ educational effects, which have been devastating."

So, by all means, let's avoid the "devastating" effects of closed schools.

Time to let the sun shine in. But political shade, from the all-powerful teachers’ unions, prevents this. The unions insist upon avoiding normal face to face teaching again until there is nearly perfect protection against COVID-19 virus infection - a zero risk demand. Note to the unions - life has never worked that way. We all face a 24-7 cloud of risk every day which we acknowledge as normal to the human environment. We seek to avoid those we can, without becoming hypochondriacs. Illness is one of those risks we try to avoid. Pandemics are super risks we rightfully dread. So, when faced with a super viral pandemic we trust expert medical advice will help us stay well.

The problem today is the fact that there is no agreement in scientific opinion on how to avoid COVID-19 infection. To make matters much worse, the debate on this issue is infected with political bias. Despite the seriousness of the threat, radical Liberal factions are attempting to use the pandemic to increase the burden of social confusion on President Trump’s reelection efforts. They see this as an opportunity to act on former Chicago Mayor Rom Emanuel's advise: “Never let a crisis go to waste." This is Liberal Left permission to slow things down, to obstruct normal solutions to the problem, and, again, damage President Trump's chances at reelection.

Some U.S. schools are reopening. Others will remain shut down by order of Teacher's Unions and their fellow travelers, like California's radical Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. California's school children will suffer significant educational and psychological damage due to union political bias, and let's say, selfishness.

I hold the teaching profession in very high esteem. It is a most noble calling - when unadulterated with political bias. Keeping schools closed is extraordinarily damaging to our children, and, with the pandemic, damaging to Trump's reelection efforts.

Online teaching for K-12 school children has proven to be a deficient substitute, especially for younger children. Children greatly miss classmates during the shutdown. Children miss school breakfast and lunch. Children face more abuse at home during the shutdown. Children are falling seriously behind their learning schedules. Children are much more susceptible to flu than to COVID-19.

It's time for teachers to accept the small risk of viral infection in the classroom and save our children from the "devastating" effects of being locked out of school.