If we can’t be flexible about physical distancing, we won’t be able to fully reopen our schools.

It was alarming this past Sunday to witness CDC Head Dr. Rochelle Walensky demand a “strict six feet of distancing” in U.S. public schools as part of new reopening guidance issued by the troubled agency:

The “six foot social distance” is based on “80-year-old science” and scientists believe it’s “an an antiquated way to think about how viruses move through the air.” Instead, many scientists believe we should be thinking in terms of nuance — for example, children could be closer together in a well-ventilated classroom — rather than militant adherence to six feet:

Instead of always being on super-high alert, or assuming that a distance of 6 feet (or wearing masks, or washing hands) keeps us 100% safe all the time, they say, we should be learning how better to assess the situations we’re in every day, letting our guard down now and again when it’s relatively safe and moving back onto high alert when it’s appropriate.

Unfortunately, many school districts are already taking the CDC’s problematic guidance to heart and adjusting reopening plans with negative consequences for children denied classroom learning for almost a year. A couple of…