Advocating for Children During the COVID-19 School Closures

* Abbreviations: COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease SNAP — : Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Nationwide closures of elementary and secondary schools due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have severed nearly 60 million students from critical educational and health resources. As the impact of COVID-19 unfolds, pandemic-related trauma and economic instability will disproportionately impact children in poverty, who most heavily rely on school-based services for nutritional, physical, and mental health needs. Yet amid months of public health and political discourse and the passage of 4 federal relief bills, including the historically unmatched $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, measures to mitigate risk for educational and health disparities among children have been woefully lacking. Beyond provision of clinical and infection control guidance, the pediatric community must advocate for stronger action to ensure the educational, nutritional, physical, and mental health needs of children are met during periods of school closures and addressed during plans for reopening (Table 1). View this table: TABLE 1 Pediatric advocacy suggestions, tools, and resources. Action is needed to offset the risk for educational losses among all children as well as exacerbated educational disparities among children in poverty. Unforeseen extended school closures can lead to lower test scores, lower educational attainment, and decreased earning potential.1 During closures, students need reliable access to technology, a stable learning environment, and parents with the necessary time and skills to support for remote learning. Although remote learning presents a challenge for all families, those in poverty are at greater … Address correspondence to Abbey R. Masonbrink, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, 2401 Gilham Rd, Kansas City, MO 64108. E-mail: armasonbrink{at}cmh.edu