Political Quotes

“COVID-era school shutdowns were the most consequential political failure of at least the 21st century. We are finally starting to see some recognition of that, yet we still have not fully reckoned with the sheer breadth and scale of the harm that was done to so many people and to our entire country. We haven't had nearly the level of accountability for those who were responsible for these decisions, and we certainly haven't seen the fundamental change to public education in this country that what happened ought to have catalyzed. Nonetheless, at least we are starting to see some recognition of the harm that was done and the mistakes that were made. Here is an article from The New York Times: ``What the Data Says About Pandemic School Closures, Four Years Later.'' ``The more time students spent in remote instruction, the further they fell behind. And, experts say, extended closures did little to stop the spread of COVID.'' Mr. Speaker, I would like to read a few excerpts from this article. It says: ``Some schools, often in Republican-led States and rural areas reopened by fall 2020. Others, typically in large cities and States led by Democrats, would not fully reopen for another year. ``A variety of data--about children's academic outcomes and about the spread of COVID-19--has accumulated in the time since.…”