Keeping Schools Open

Possibly one of the most damaging decisions made by states throughout the pandemic was the choice to close schools and keep children at home. Many states are still refusing to open schools for in-person learning despite the overwhelming data that shows students are at low risk for the virus and transmission rates in schools are not a major threat. South Dakota kept schools open and students went back to classrooms in the fall, a choice parents are praising Gov. Noem for now.

Gov Noem writes:

“The best data available indicated that distance learning was causing knowledge retention to drop off substantially. Students would return to school in the fall with roughly 70% of regular learning gains in reading, and that number dropped to less than 50% for math. Those numbers are unacceptable, and we knew that if we didn’t get kids back in the classroom, it would have profound negative consequences on their future.

Teachers, parents, and the students themselves were of one mind: to make things work for our children. And the best way to do that was to get them back in the classroom. Together, we got it done, and our kids have been in school since the fall.”