Pediatricians, Gov. DeSantis diverge on school reopening
Stock image via Adobe

school coronavirus
The benefits must outweigh the risks.

Gov. Ron DeSantis continued Wednesday to wax rhapsodic about the need to reopen physical schools, even as pediatricians urge a cautious approach.

“The benefits must outweigh the risks,” asserts the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a white paper provided to Florida’s school superintendents.

“While it is clearly in a child’s best interest that he/she attend classes on-campus, the benefits must outweigh the medical risks to the children, teachers, school staff, and families. This goal must be the most important factor,” the pediatricians advise.

Some, including the Governor, have suggested that children are at lower risk from COVID-19 than older cohorts. While this may be true, the doctors caution that reduced risk is not the same as no risk.

“However, if children, as a group, do not become as ill as adults, it does not mean every child with COVID-19 does not become ill,” the paper notes, citing a study where 12% of cases among children were severe.

Especially imperiled are those youngsters with medical challenges.

“There is great concern about children with special health care needs infected with SARS-CoV-2 (asthma, obesity, diabetes, congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis, and immune deficiencies, to name a few.)”

Multi-system inflammatory disorder is also a concerning comorbidity.

Children also are positioned to spread to adults, warn the doctors, with middle and high school students posing the greatest threat to parents and guardians.

The pediatricians suggest various mitigation measures, including at-home symptom checks, staggered school openings, cohorts of students isolated from other groups, and more aspirational goals, such as ensuring that school ventilation systems are in “optimal working order.”

Recent weeks have seen the Governor advocate less strongly for children getting back into brick and mortar schools, with choice becoming the buzzword and the potential of a short delay to reopening being extended as a virus and crisis mitigation strategy.

DeSantis said during a news conference that the decision to reopen brick and mortar wasn’t his call. He asserted the order came from the Department of Education.

The Florida Education Association, representing teachers, filed a lawsuit earlier this month charging it would violate the state constitution to reopen schools that are not “safe” and “secure.”

The suit, filed in Miami-Dade County, lists several defendants, including DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran.

Corcoran has lauded the current approach as having “flexibility,” adding that “most are going to choose face to face” instruction.

The Governor’s position is that there are avenues for choice, including remote instruction.

“Our view is that every parent needs a choice,” DeSantis said Wednesday in Clearwater.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


4 comments

  • Frankie M.

    July 29, 2020 at 11:37 am

    Get the kids back to school now! Sacrifices must be made for the economy!!

  • Sonja Fitch

    July 29, 2020 at 2:15 pm

    Our children are not expendable for the economy! There are 40000 positve trumpvirus cases of children from the ages of 0-18!!! Community spread! Forcing our children to be carriers is inhumane!

  • martin

    July 29, 2020 at 3:00 pm

    Sonja, I would agree with you 100% on your above response if you would omit the repetitive “trumpvirus .

    You lose all credibility with comments such as that.

    Let’s try again; Our children are not expendable for the economy! There are 40000 positve cases of children from the ages of 0-18!!! Community spread! Forcing our children to be carriers is inhumane!

  • Frankie M.

    July 29, 2020 at 3:27 pm

    Sacrifices must be made for the good of the economy! Children are willing to give their lives!! Freedom isn’t free. Plus my kids are driving me nuts. We need child care. That’s what schools are for, right? They’re jails for kids.

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories