Schools need reliable federal guidance on reopening. They still aren’t getting it

One of the most frustrating aspects of the pandemic has been watching school districts try to navigate the complexities of remote learning with so little guidance from Washington. The silence is equally deafening when it comes to figuring out when and how districts should reopen their campuses.

Yes, the federal government provided much-needed funding, which helped buy computers and broadband access for students and cover other pandemic-related costs. Far more money is needed. But just as essential, if not more so, were information and directives about how to proceed in the current, unprecedented situation. And this is where the federal government has been sorely lacking.

School administrators aren’t epidemiologists; they don’t know when it’s safe to open schools and which measures to guard against the spread of the virus are most effective. And the Trump administration has, if anything, been counterproductive on this score.