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Contributed commentary from Rep. Mark Green, R-Clarksville:

The data shows that children are not at risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19. So why is the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System continuing with a remote learning plan for children grades 7-12? The numbers tell us in-person learning can be done safely for our students and teachers. It’s time to listen.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), most cases of COVID-19 in those under 18 are mild or asymptomatic. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the mortality rate for children is only 0.01%. The hospitalization rate for children with COVID-19 in America is 8 per 100,000. And several studies over the past year demonstrate that schools have not been a major vector of spread.

We cannot ignore the fact that in-person education is essential to a child’s development and well-being. And we cannot solve one public health crisis by creating another. It’s time to focus on the needs of our children and return to in-person learning in Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools.

The real danger to our children lies in extended time without classroom support. Isolating our children from peers, academic support, as well as mental, emotional and nutritional resources is far more dangerous to them than the virus. Eighteen students in Clark County, Las Vegas died of suicide in the last nine months of 2020. This is a tragedy we must avoid in Montgomery County.

School closures have worsened the child mental health crisis. This is evidenced by an increase in mental health visits to emergency rooms by children in 2020 as compared to 2019. As Dr. Joe Childs, chief medical officer of the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital said, the number of kids coming to the emergency room for mental health issues is reaching “disastrous proportions.”

There are common sense safety measures like social distancing, ventilation systems, testing and contact tracing that we can use to make our schools safe for all students and teachers. We can’t let our judgment be clouded by politics or unreasonable demands. We must put our children first. The best way to do this is by reopening schools.

Rep. Mark Green