Gaging the extent of ‘social and psychological’ damage to our youth by China’s Coronavirus – Covid19 will take years. The harm inflicted upon millions of otherwise healthy children, by keeping them out of school, will be measured by childhood development professionals. As a grandmother of three young children, I am witnessing first; the backsliding of actual learning (reading, writing, arithmetic, etc.) and second; the sadness, experienced from separating children from their peers those with whom they were sharing the joys as well as trials and tribulations of day-to-day life.
30 years ago, while employed as an intake worker for three large daycare and pre-schools I was required to be a mandated reporter of suspected child abuse. I like to believe if necessary, I would have acted anyway without it being a requirement for employment of course, but with greater exposure to children, I understand the need. Fortunately, I did not observe any dangers of abuse during my tenure.
Years later working at a different profession I encountered a school-aged child (hereinafter referred to as Johnny) clearly abused, he even described the situation in which he received not just cigarette burns to his arms but also hiding beneath his turtleneck shirt in midsummer was a rope burn spanning the width of his neck, these things he showed me himself. Unable to control my emotions I informed Johnny’s mother and stepfather of my intent to turn them in. Unfortunately, with my third weekly call (I was asked to limit my calls to once weekly) to child services, he had still not been removed from his “home”. By my fifth and final call, action had been taken, Johnny had been removed. Child protective services may not be perfect, but it is the only hope for some children. I have since lost touch with Johnny and I pray to God he was eventually cared for like all children deserve.
While some daycare centers are re-opened, K-12 schools in at least six States, DC and Puerto Rico remain closed partially or fully as of Jan. 15, 2021, this is not reassuring. Those children like “Johnny” spending even more time at the hands of these wicked parents/stepparents/other relatives/family friends or caregivers, with no chance of detection by mandated reporters.
I hope and pray that very soon the schools will be re-opened, and these forgotten children will be remembered again. I am sure this issue is on the minds of many schoolteachers, school office workers, and other school personnel as well.
The experts have assured us that healthy children returning to school are at little risk of becoming sick from the Chinese Corona Virus and the U.S. Education Department has received billions of dollars in federal aid to outfit our schools with floor decals, hand sanitizers, plexiglass, and other methods of compliance for safety. We just need government to do the right thing.