I absolutely agree with you on all those points. We don’t know what lasting health effects the pandemic will have on young people, and the lack of attention to fixing structural problems that would prevent things from getting worse is appalling. And any article that uses the American Enterprise Institute as its main source of info is suspect in my book. The NYT article disappointed on many fronts. (And I agree that they are taking a right-ward turn recently.)
They referenced some of the data we actually DO have from the CDC, but neglected to even discuss it. According to that data, school absenteeism (>15 days) increased from 3.3 to 5.8% from 2019-2022 due to illness. A difference of 2.5%. So clearly, illness is a big part of the equation.
But I disagree with the Substack author claiming that they are “inventing increasingly bizarre explanations” and that:
“It is truly astonishing and staggering that major news outlets are getting away with inventing ideological explanations for what is a clear, national and international expression of increased rates of illness. It’s particularly bizarre because this ideological explanation- that parents must for some reason value school less now- is attended by neither data nor even anecdotal evidence.”
Maybe there is more evidence out there about the other reasons for absenteeism. But the school officials, etc that they spoke with were not making stuff up. The other 8.5% rise in absenteeism are due to things that are likely not illness-related. And the general gestalt at school now is so much different than it was in 2019–the jig is up and parents are just not doing the normal “get up and send your kids to school every day unless they’re sick” like they used to. For many different reasons. The Substack author had some great, valuable things to say that were spot on. I guess I just wish people could express their views while being a little less strident and narrow. That’s all I’m saying. Ack, I’ve spent far more energy on this than I meant to! —sincerely, your fellow March (28), 2020 alum. ;). If you got this far…thank you!
Gosh, 11% long c for LBGT+ community and 12% for those who live with disabilities. It’s a whopping 50% for the LGBT+ community with migraine (haven’t seen any stats for those with disabilities.) I often wonder at the emotional toll and the link between this and illness (in us all but especially groups where acceptance and inclusivity is even less than the larger proportion).
Thanks again for the rundown Amy! I was a little surprised at the article referenced about school absences. I don’t think it’s so black and white as the author suggests. As a parent and the wife of a high school teacher, I can tell you that illness is certainly a part of increased absenteeism. But the New York Times is not wrong about this. Families and students (at least in our city’s public schools) are just realizing that school is not an inherent value. Especially for kids for whom school does nothing for. Some kids maintained those jobs they got during the pandemic and their families realize that it may be more important to earn money than to go to school. And many schools are just failing students. They don’t see a need to be there because they are not successful at it. And our schools are not helping them. With 40 kids in my wife’s classroom, there is no way she can teach the kids how to write, and it’s very difficult to build community and trust with the students. There are many more issues. My apologies — I get a little prickly when authors lack subtlety, nuance and understanding. In today’s media and Substack environment, it’s just so easy to narrow your mind.
I absolutely agree with you on all those points. We don’t know what lasting health effects the pandemic will have on young people, and the lack of attention to fixing structural problems that would prevent things from getting worse is appalling. And any article that uses the American Enterprise Institute as its main source of info is suspect in my book. The NYT article disappointed on many fronts. (And I agree that they are taking a right-ward turn recently.)
They referenced some of the data we actually DO have from the CDC, but neglected to even discuss it. According to that data, school absenteeism (>15 days) increased from 3.3 to 5.8% from 2019-2022 due to illness. A difference of 2.5%. So clearly, illness is a big part of the equation.
But I disagree with the Substack author claiming that they are “inventing increasingly bizarre explanations” and that:
“It is truly astonishing and staggering that major news outlets are getting away with inventing ideological explanations for what is a clear, national and international expression of increased rates of illness. It’s particularly bizarre because this ideological explanation- that parents must for some reason value school less now- is attended by neither data nor even anecdotal evidence.”
Maybe there is more evidence out there about the other reasons for absenteeism. But the school officials, etc that they spoke with were not making stuff up. The other 8.5% rise in absenteeism are due to things that are likely not illness-related. And the general gestalt at school now is so much different than it was in 2019–the jig is up and parents are just not doing the normal “get up and send your kids to school every day unless they’re sick” like they used to. For many different reasons. The Substack author had some great, valuable things to say that were spot on. I guess I just wish people could express their views while being a little less strident and narrow. That’s all I’m saying. Ack, I’ve spent far more energy on this than I meant to! —sincerely, your fellow March (28), 2020 alum. ;). If you got this far…thank you!
Thanks so much for the shout-out! 🙏 Great round up, useful and amusing, keep up the good work.
Amazing place, Amy. Glad to be here!
Michael
Class of 2020
Gosh, 11% long c for LBGT+ community and 12% for those who live with disabilities. It’s a whopping 50% for the LGBT+ community with migraine (haven’t seen any stats for those with disabilities.) I often wonder at the emotional toll and the link between this and illness (in us all but especially groups where acceptance and inclusivity is even less than the larger proportion).
Thanks again for the rundown Amy! I was a little surprised at the article referenced about school absences. I don’t think it’s so black and white as the author suggests. As a parent and the wife of a high school teacher, I can tell you that illness is certainly a part of increased absenteeism. But the New York Times is not wrong about this. Families and students (at least in our city’s public schools) are just realizing that school is not an inherent value. Especially for kids for whom school does nothing for. Some kids maintained those jobs they got during the pandemic and their families realize that it may be more important to earn money than to go to school. And many schools are just failing students. They don’t see a need to be there because they are not successful at it. And our schools are not helping them. With 40 kids in my wife’s classroom, there is no way she can teach the kids how to write, and it’s very difficult to build community and trust with the students. There are many more issues. My apologies — I get a little prickly when authors lack subtlety, nuance and understanding. In today’s media and Substack environment, it’s just so easy to narrow your mind.