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Government Data Shows Racial Disparities In School Reopenings

Almost half of the country's elementary schools were open for full-time, in-person learning as of last month.
Posted at 2:52 PM, Mar 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-24 14:52:08-04

More schools across the country are beginning to reopen. 

Almost half of the country's elementary schools were open for full-time, in-person learning as of last month. But whether your child is back in the classroom depends a lot on region and even race.

According to government data on fourth graders, almost half of White students were back in the classroom. But 60% of Black and Hispanic students were still learning virtually from home.

Region also made a difference. Students were more likely to be back in person in the South and Midwest.

Parents are conflicted about school reopenings. According to a new poll, 42% of parents said they were very worried their child will face academic setbacks because of the pandemic. And 64% say they are at least somewhat concerned about in-person learning leading to more infections. A third said they were very or extremely worried it could cause more virus spread.