It’s time to have a grown-up conversation about schools reopening

We need to know that the reopening of schools is being done based on purely public health evidence, and not economic concerns.

By Layla Moran

KIDLINGTON, ENGLAND - MAY 03: Liberal Democrat candidate for the constituency of Oxford West and Abingdon, Layla Moran attends a campaign event on May 3, 2017 in Kidlington, a village outside of Oxford, England. The country goes back to the polls for the second time in two years as a general election is held on June 8. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Before being an MP, I was a teacher. I’m keenly aware that every day schools remain shut, the disadvantage gap widens, and the students who need the most from teachers and support staff are being left behind. More than this, it’s the most vulnerable children I’m most worried about. Are they eating? Are they safe? There’s more to think about than learning.

So, I want schools to open. But it has to be safe for them to open: for children, for staff and for our wider society.