Several parents have reached out to our office requesting our opinion about sending their children back to school this fall.  We know that this is an important decision, an individual decision, and that you are trying to weigh the benefits of your child being back in school against the risk of your child or someone in your family contracting COVID-19 or developing complications from it.  We consider those same things when formulating our opinion.  We believe that for most children the benefits of returning to school in person outweigh the risks.  

As you know, there are many benefits to being in school including the quality of the learning that occurs, the social and developmental benefits of interacting with other children, the mental health benefits of being around others and all of the valuable services beyond academics that schools provide.  Based on what we know right now about the risk of spread among children and the current prevalence of COVID-19 in our community we believe that, with proper precautions like mask wearing and social distancing, the benefits of returning to school outweigh the risks for most children.  This may change as we learn more or if the amount of COVID-19 in our community increases.  

Please remember that we know the term “most children” does not necessarily apply to your child, whether he or she has a chronic medical issue or not.  We support each family in their decision about school and how much risk or benefit is acceptable to them.  There is no “right” or “wrong” decision.  If you would like to discuss your child’s individual circumstances more we invite you to schedule a discussion with his or her primary care provider.  This can be done as an office visit or via telemedicine if you prefer.