Yes, unvaccinated children should return to their classrooms this fall.

Unvaccinated children — including those under 12 — should return to their classrooms this fall. Except for the medically vulnerable, all children should return to their classrooms this fall. For weeks now, there’s been a consensus about the need for children to return to classroom learning after 1.5 years of devastating school closures. Unfortunately, with the Delta variant surging, some prominent journalists, labor leaders, and physicians are now agitating for a return to remote instruction for the unvaccinated.

From journalists:

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten:

And CNN published this op-ed by a New York City physician:

Not that the CDC or anyone else is asking but here is my suggestion: if additional evidence suggests more severe disease in kids infected by the Delta variant, unvaccinated children must not attend school in person. Sorry. Delta has changed the premise of last year’s decisions. If and when the EUA is granted for elementary school-aged children, then vaccinate them and send them off on the school bus.

(Many parents have also suggested on social media — including individuals living in cities with low transmission — that they won’t send their kids back until they can be vaccinated, but I don’t want to share their tweets here to avoid people abusing these individuals.)

While it’s understandable that fears surrounding the virus and variants may be raising doubts among some families over the safety of returning to school, it is incumbent on education leaders and journalists to discuss reopening schools with sobriety…