A Phoenix resident said he takes an interest in research about the spread of COVID-19 and associated risks and how one's sources about the contagious virus can dictate opinions and decision-making.
William Watson provided his perspective in an interview with the Phoenix Reporter recently about reopening schools.
Gov. Doug Ducey recently ordered all Arizona schools to offer some form of in-person services to students.
However, in many locations, the result was little more than a supervised space to sit and take virtual classes over a computer, according to coverage by Arizona Central. If any, few families opted to send their students to do the same work at school they would have to do at home, but in a socially-distanced study hall environment.
Yet, while some Arizona educators have even closed schools by refusing to show up to teach, the overwhelming scientific evidence so far has shown the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools is low and almost nonexistent among younger students.
A French study looking at transmission rates in schools at the height of the pandemic found that when younger students who had tested positive for the virus went to school, they simply didn't transmit the virus to other students or teachers.
Watson told the Phoenix Reporter that one of the coronavirus's current problems is that any politician who wants to validate a position they've already taken can seek out minority opinions and unrepresentative studies.
"It's outcome-based research, as I like to say," he told the Reporter. As an example, he pointed out that several colleges have canceled their football seasons but are still having in-person classes.
Ultimately, he said that the incongruent policies demonstrate where the cost benefits are, not actual safety benefits.
In K-12 schools, Watson said he sees policy based more on political identities than in evidence.
"I feel like they're really lacking a lot of circumstantial substance, and they're just trying to get to whatever desired political outcome, whatever group is running a particular school district, really wants," he told the Reporter.
While some studies point to a lower risk of transmission among those under 18 years old, Watson said that no one seems to disagree that virtual learning models fail to provide the same level of education as in-person instruction.
"In K through 12, I would argue for anyone to show me any evidence that virtual learning could possibly be more or as effective as an in-person environment," Watson told the Reporter.
Alerts Sign-up