Omicron is reopening one of the most sensitive and consequential debates of the pandemic: what to do about schools. Then: Close out your Monday evening with a poem.

Schools and COVID

(David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe / Getty)

Omicron is leading to school closures and reigniting familiar debates around the safety of in-person learning. In Chicago, public schools remain closed amid a dispute with the teachers’ union over when to switch to remote instruction. Districts in other parts of the country have reported staffing shortages.

Once again, policy makers, administrators, and parents alike are being forced to weigh concerns about the overall well-being of students and teachers against the risks of coronavirus transmission.

• Britain offers an alternative model to closing schools outright. “As children and essential workers strain under the cumulative pressure, Americans should keep schools open for those who need them most,” Stephanie H. Murray argues.
• Universities shouldn’t go remote right now. The professor and writer Emily Oster argues that, although it was necessary in March 2020, today “it reflects an outmoded level of caution.”
• One parent soured on the Democratic Party over schools. “What I’ve lost is my trust that the party is truly motivated to act in the interests of those they claim to serve,” Angie Schmitt explains.
• Your perspective: Parents, teachers, and students share their personal stories in the latest edition of Conor Friedersdorf’s newsletter, Up for Debate.