Florida Sun-Sentinel-South Florida 100-Opinion December 18, 2020

Clarence McKee, President- McKee Communications, Inc.

Looking ahead: COVID-19 school closures and distance learning are remedies worse than the disease. An Education Week article pointed out that the negative impacts of school closures, “fall disproportionately on high-poverty areas and disadvantaged communities.” As the Sun Sentinel recently reported, in Broward, the number of students getting two or more Fs in the first quarter of the current semester was around 20,000 — up from 8,000 last year. In Palm Beach County, in schools where most students are Black or Hispanic, over 50% received Fs on the first report card compared to only 10% last year. Students need in-school learning!