Question: Following up on yesterday’s Q&A: your thoughts about private/parochial schools vis a vis public schools?

Answer: In comparison with public schools, private schools have fewer schools, a smaller student body, and fewer challenges (like busing) to take into consideration. They also generally have greater financial resources to put in place the safeguards CDC recommends (e.g. cohorting students, improving ventilation, expanding cleaning and disinfecting, conducting daily health checks, implementing staggered schedules, etc). For these reasons, private/parochial schools may have a greater degree of flexibility and more feasible options available to them for in-person learning as compared with public schools. That said, members of private/parochial schools are still members of their broader community. And in the context of widespread community transmission, private/parochial students and their families are at risk, especially if they are congregating in groups and indoors. While social, racial, and economic inequality are highlighted and amplified by COVID-19, it’s nevertheless still the case that all people — regardless of social standing, race, class — are at risk of acquiring, transmitting, and suffering from the virus, even those who attend private/parochial school.