The Pandemic Is Still Here

President Trump is known for spewing lies so fast that it is challenging to keep track, but one lie is so important that we should not ignore. On the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump claims, "We're rounding the corner. It's going away." It is not. On the same day Trump made this absurd and dangerous claim, the United States recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 cases. COVID-19 is not going away for one simple reason: A significant number among us still continue to ignore simple yet effective ways of mitigating the pandemic: Wearing a mask, social distancing, and avoiding large gatherings especially indoors. Trump continues to hold rallies without enforcing these important measures. And at the same time, Trump insists that every school district open their schools. We cannot open schools if we have not gained control over the spread of this coronavirus. But Trump like most of his supporters do not see the logic. Do we not care about our children and their teachers? I guess not, after all, taking hundreds of children away from their parents seems not to bother our conscience.

The arrival of the coronavirus in our world cannot be blamed on anyone or on any country. This is nature, but how we respond to the challenges a pandemic brings is our responsibility. It has been over seven months and we have gone through two surges in infections in this country yet we still have not learned from our mistakes. The vaccine is not going to be available soon and no matter how much we want to believe otherwise, it is not going to change things. 

Elections have consequences. Who we choose to be our leaders can influence the state of education in our country. We can continue to debate school choice, but if we are not even willing to do what it takes to open schools, it seems clear that we are not really for education. There is no longer any question. Ignoring the measures we need to do for schools to become safe from the coronavirus means we do not really care for our schools. This should be crystal clear. This coming election is truly important. Basic education is on the line. The future of our children is on the ballot. We cannot continue with a president who simply does not care about the future of our children. We need to vote for our children.