The Next Big Campaign Issue: Reopening Schools

That didn’t stop him from pivoting to political attacks and posting an accusation on Twitter that “corrupt Joe Biden and the Democrats” are refusing to open schools this fall “for political reasons, not for health reasons.”

Mr. Biden has said schools need more funding and support to reopen. He told the National Education Association on Friday that there’s a “high probability” remote learning will continue.

That message is not what a lot of parents want to hear right now, although it’s likely to be better received by school administrators and teachers’ unions.

Surveys by school districts of both groups show that teachers are more fearful of resuming classes because of health risks than are parents, says Dana Goldstein, our New York Times education correspondent, who has spent months talking to parents and teachers about reopening schools.

“The situation is painful for everyone in some way,” she said.

There are no easy answers. So far, governors and mayors have largely focused on reopening indoor dining at restaurants, salons and other businesses, which have the potential to bring in tax dollars for struggling state and local budgets. But many of those decisions have also increased levels of transmission, making it harder to reopen schools safely.

While data on schools that have reopened remains scarce, there’s some evidence from abroad that the benefits may outweigh the risks — at least in countries with low transmission rates. That’s clearly not the case in the United States, where the death toll is roughly twice as much as any other country’s and daily new cases per capita are among the highest in the world.

Still, a patchwork of plans are already underway across the country. Today, New York City announced that classroom attendance would be limited to just one to three days a week.