Battle Creek Times

Rep. Matt Hall (R-Marshall) recently shared his opinion on going back to school amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that he was committed to ensuring that the state’s children have access to education, according to a column he wrote on Michigan House Republicans.

Hall said that he believes that the majority of children should be allowed to return to the classroom, adding that he had spoken with pediatricians and looked at the data surrounding the topic of the virus. 

With all of this information in mind, Hall supports the "Return to Learn" plan. Even though there are barriers that remain for children going back to school, he firmly supports students being able to resume their education. 

“Remote learning is an important tool for the future of Michigan schools to supplement in-person learning, but it will still take some time to make it work for all Michigan families,” Hall wrote in his column. “The pandemic has revealed that our state needs to invest more in rural broadband so that all communities have access to reliable internet.”

Students need increased access to technology, Hall said, but should schools stop educating children, the damage could be far worse than may have been previously thought.

“Research shows that for every year a school is unable to provide meaningful instruction to a child, it could impact his or her lifetime earning potential by 7 to 10 percent,” Hall said, according to Michigan House Republicans. “Even missing out on a few months of school is likely to have a lifelong impact on our children.”

Hall said that doctors and data must be the ones to inform schools whether it is time to open, both of which point to reopening as a smart decision. 

“Pediatricians maintain that data supports that children, especially those preschool- and elementary-aged, are at a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 and are less likely than adults to spread it,” Hall said. “Additionally, they point out that it is rare for young people without underlying health conditions to become seriously ill from COVID-19.”

Hall said that the "Return to Learn" plan is currently being discussed by the appropriate parties before it is cleared to be put into action.

“I am hopeful that we can come together to support this legislation to safely and responsibly reopen our schools this fall and provide our children with a meaningful and measurable education this school year that will put them back on the path to success,” Hall told Michigan House Republicans.