
Coronavirus: School's Out


Towson University students remove their belongings from their dorms as the school shut down days before the start of the school's scheduled spring break. Universities across the nation have closed through spring break as the coronavirus spreads. Rob Carr/Rob Carr/Getty Images hide caption
Towson University students remove their belongings from their dorms as the school shut down days before the start of the school's scheduled spring break. Universities across the nation have closed through spring break as the coronavirus spreads.
Rob Carr/Rob Carr/Getty ImagesThe World Health Organization called COVID-19 a global pandemic yesterday. President Trump addressed the nation from the Oval Office, announced more travel bans, and sent markets plummeting.
Meanwhile, across the country, more than 1,200 K-12 schools have closed or are scheduled to close. All in an effort to try and stem community spread of COVID-19.
More than 850,000 students from kindergarten through high school will be affected by these closures – including students who rely on schools for meals, or may be homeless. College students also face uncertainty.
We discuss how COVID-19 is affecting schools across the country with Candace Pinn, kindergarten teacher at Barnard Early Childhood Center in New Rochelle, New York; Cory Turner, senior editor for NPR's education team, Jeffrey Young, senior editor for EdSurge; and Anthony Abraham Jack, assistant professor of education and junior fellow at Harvard University.
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