While the rate of infection and deaths due to COVID-19 is steadily decreasing, the rate of poor reading comprehension and failed mathematical performance is on the rise. Instead of funding annual COVID-19 vaccines, our money should be used to defend and support education.
On Sept. 1, The National Center for Education Statistics reported a five-point drop in reading assessments and a seven-point drop in mathematical assessments administered to 9-year-olds since 2020. This is the largest reading score drop since 1990 and the first-ever drop in mathematics.
The halted education from 2020 through 2021 has harmed our children’s mental and social development, but our nation is still discussing the pandemic and ignoring the consequences.
President Joe Biden announced on Sept. 6, a new phase in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which recommends an annual vaccination every fall for ages 12 and up. According to the White House briefing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a “new, updated vaccine.”
“The administration is launching a comprehensive effort to make sure that these vaccines are free, widely available, and easy to access for all Americans,” the briefing said. “The administration has secured over 170 million doses of the updated COVID-19 vaccines, which will be made available to the American people for free at tens of thousands of convenient locations nationwide.”
The administration requires all school districts to host at least one vaccination clinic before Thanksgiving, the briefing reports. The administration is also using the funding to supply more at-home COVID-19 tests as well as improve air quality and ventilation in schools.
Biden has called on congress for additional funding for the COVID-19 response.
“Last week, we sent an updated $22.4 billion request to Congress to meet immediate short-term domestic needs, including testing; to accelerate the research and development of next-generation vaccines and therapeutics; to increase our understanding of Long COVID; to prepare for future surges and variants; and to support the global response to COVID-19,” the briefing reports.
In August, the CDC quietly abolished the differing guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The guidelines are now the same for vaccinated and unvaccinated people: test, isolate for five days until symptoms end, and return to normal life.
The logical response to a disease is now recommended on the CDC website whether or not you are vaccinated. Not only was the change unannounced, but the Biden administration is also now calling on Congress for additional funding for COVID-19 responses, including vaccinations.
Why is none of this funding going to education? Our children lost almost two years of critical education and development, as indicated by these scores. We should at least be more aware of this and shift our focus from the previous two-year dialogue of the pandemic onto the rising generation who is lacking in academic competency.
Perhaps use some funding that is intended for the vaccination clinic for additional tutoring or academic clubs outside of the classroom. As continually discussed throughout these past two years, our children’s health is not at risk, but their development is. Most children, except those with underlying health conditions, will easily defeat COVID-19 as a mild cold. The odds are against them as they strive to recover from lost years of education. We must help them, lest they face years of struggle because of poor response to the pandemic.