Study: Closing schools in the spring saved lives
(FOX 9) - New research backs up the state’s painful decision to shut down schools last spring to slow the spread of COVID-19.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows the closing of schools across the country actually saved lives. The Governor’s decision to close schools March 18 sent kids home to distance learn for the rest of the school year.
Every state closed schools to slow the spread of COVID-19 hoping it would work. The new research says it did.
The new study looked at data from all 50 states from March 9 to May 7 and found that “school closure was associated with a significant decline in the incidence of COVID-19 and mortality.”
In the second highest quartile of states, where Minnesota ranked, those states saw a 55 percent reduction in the incidence of the virus and a 54 percent drop in mortality.
The Minnesota Department of Health said the research shows the public health value in shutting down society, but going forward, the state is trying to weigh the risks and benefits.
“But obviously, our goal in the last months has been how we can maximize educational opportunities in the safest manner and certainly, if we start to see unbridled transmission and real concerns, we know that closing things down can have a positive impact on that,” said Kris Ehresmann, of the Department of Health.
The state’s top educators also know that there is a benefit to having kids learn at school. Going forward, they are making decisions based upon the health, safety and wellness of students, teachers and families.
“It’s going to be a consistent evaluation of if there are risks, what are those risks and do they outweigh the benefits that we get from education and do we continue to monitor and adjust based on those pieces. And I think that with the center always being our students, staff and family with their health and safety and wellness it really gives us an opportunity to build from there,” said Department of Education Commissioner Heather Mueller.
Ehrsmann said the JAMA study is useful information, but at this point, they are trying to balance the risks and benefits of having students back in school.