Despite vaccines, major U.S. newspapers suggest entire school districts may need to close this year

New York Times and Washington Post journalists warn rising cases may warrant closures

As some peer nations return to relative normalcy in their schools, education and health reporters at the New York Times and Washington Post warned yesterday that whole-district closures could still be in the cards for American students and families this year.

Reporting on New York City’s first day of classes yesterday, New York Times journalist Eliza Shapiro speculated that “significant in-school transmission” could lead to the “entire system” needing “to shut down temporarily.”

The mayor has remained resolute that the school year will proceed normally, albeit with safety measures in place. But it is still possible that significant in-school transmission this fall could force many school buildings — or even the entire system — to shut down temporarily.

Meanwhile, Washington Post health and education journalists published a rather alarmist piece yesterday about the Delta variant and schools, which questioned — ignoring evidence from across the nation and world of schools safely operating amidst Delta spread — whether school systems will be able to remain open.

As more than 55 million children and teens pour back into classrooms this fall, a real-life experiment is taking place: Can schools stay open…