All in Publishers' Comment
The Swarthmorean’s publishers’ note on the virtual reopening of Wallingford-Swarthmore School District Schools (August 21 issue) provoked much discussion on our website (plus a few letters to the editor). We’re always pleased to host thoughtful discussions of important local issues. Here are the (lightly edited) comments we have received as of August 31.
As September looms, we find ourselves on the verge of a new public crisis. The Wallingford-Swarthmore School District and its superintendent, Lisa Palmer, are sacrificing our kids’ educational and psychosocial wellbeing under the guise of keeping our community safer. The school board’s recent decision to start school virtually – a state of affairs that looks likely to continue indefinitely even if Delaware County’s case count data remains steady — will have adverse consequences for a generation of children. Specifically, it will worsen inequalities in ways that may reverberate for decades.