https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17456916231181108
The Impact of School Closures on Learning and Mental Health of Children: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic

“The evidence on the impact of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s outcomes suggests that school closures led to a deterioration in children’s mental health and a deficit in children’s learning. This is particularly worrisome because the school closures’ benefit for reducing mortality may be limited (Bayham & Fenichel, 2020).”

As parents’ we need to ensure that our children’s education, physical and mental health are priorities first and foremost and that any decisions made on their behalf are based solidly in empirical data. Many area private, non-unionized schools were in person fall 2020, while LMSD was not. Most European schools k-12 schools were also in person. If decisions go unexamined, poor decisions are bound to repeat. In 1997 Nelson Mandela is quoted as saying, “The true character of society is revealed in how it treats its children.”

I’m eager to hear your ideas and engage in conversation! I have a suggestion: I think that focusing on what you believe will be the positive impact of what’s on your platform, and avoiding criticism of the Democrat School Directors/what they have done will be more effective in gaining some non-Republican/conservative votes. Perhaps emphasizing the need for more balance and conversation rather than one-sidedness. Just a humble suggestion from a moderate-minded LMSD parent, for a challenging task you have ahead (winning seats on the board of school directors in a predominantly liberal/Democratic community).