As noted in this space recently, most of the drop in the standardized test scores in Rhode Island was among students whose schools were mostly virtual during the pandemic.  Now a study out of Japan suggests all that harm was done with no benefit in controlling the disease:

There is no evidence that school closures could reduce the spread of COVID-19, a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, according to a recent study. …

“We do not find any evidence that school closures in Japan reduced the spread of COVID-19. Our null results suggest that policies on school closures should be reexamined given the potential negative consequences for children and parents,” the study reads.

This is why we shouldn’t let governor’s seize control of all laws for long-term management of an emerging situation and experiment with a response according to their best judgment.  Not only are they apt to be wrong, but the political system is inadequate to assign responsibility to for failure.