> If there is to be any hope for in-person schooling not only in the fall but in the spring—when a safe vaccine, even if one exists, might not be fully available—a rapid change in course is necessary.

Consider how much is riding on a vaccine now. The CDC is a non-player at this point and hasn't been since March. The three pillars of rolling back a pandemic (testing, contact tracing, and isolation) lie in shambles. Other countries' success in rolling back infections point to a massive failing within the US.

And that leaves the vaccine. The consensus is that early next year one will be available.

What if that doesn't happen?

It wasn't too long ago that Americans were being asked for "15 days to stop the spread." What if the actual time turns out to be measured in years? Decades?

What effect will a protracted period of wave after wave of infection transmitted through well-meaning but ignorant school administrators have on public education? On the fabric of society?