Even If The Economy Reopens, Schools In Most States Will Remain Closed For The Academic Year

Even though many governors across the country are at least looking toward reopening their states’ economies, schools will likely remain closed for the academic year.

CNN reported that at least 31 states and Washington, D.C., have either ordered or recommended schools remain clothes for the duration of the academic year.

“Twenty-six states — including Florida, Texas and Washington — as well as Washington, DC, have issued orders that will keep students at home, according to a CNN tally of school closures,” the outlet reported. “Other states have recommended that local officials continue supporting students through distance learning models. Those states are California, Idaho, Maine, South Dakota and Tennessee.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) told reporters on Saturday that closing school for the remainder of the academic year is “obviously not the ideal situation, but given where we are in the school year, we felt that that was the best, best decision to go forward.”

The total closures amount to about 33.2 million public school students, reported Education Week.

The 26 states that have ordered school closures for the remainder of the academic year: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The school closures do not necessarily line up with where the states are in terms of reopening the economy, according to another CNN analysis. The outlet explained what each state was doing to reopen its economies, and some of the states with school closures appear to be lifting orders shutting down businesses and other segments of the economy.

In California, for example, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is working with the governors of Oregon and Washington to reopen businesses, yet schools in The Golden State have been recommended to stay closed through the end of the academic year. Washington is one of the states that ordered schools remain closed, yet is part of the joint pact with California and Oregon. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) extended the state’s stay-at-home order until May 4, however, and is skeptical of reopening the state’s economy too soon.

Texas’ stay-at-home order lasts through April 30, and Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has issued guidelines for allowing businesses to begin to reopen starting May 1, yet schools will remain closed.

“Opening in Texas must occur in stages,” Abbott said on Friday. “Obviously, not all businesses can open all at once on May 1,” he added, worrying that opening too quickly would “be more likely to set us back, rather than to propel us forward.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who held off on a lockdown order for longer than many other major states that suffered from the coronavirus pandemic, finally issued a stay-at-home order that lasts until April 30, but last week also offered a plan to start reopening parts of the state’s economy depending on how the coronavirus has affected them. Even if businesses reopen, schools will remain closed.

This means that parents may be able to go back to work, but will need to find childcare options for children who won’t be in school at the same time.