As soon as possible, vaccinate teachers. There's an uproar amongst many in the population about the state of schools during a pandemic. Many teachers feel unsafe returning to school since buildings are old, classrooms are crowded, the numbers of people you interface with regularly are great, and the need to be up-close-and-personal with students a constant.
Of course, once teachers are vaccinated there is still going to be strife since some families will feel unsafe about sending their children back without vaccinations. Systems will have to work with families to determine best paths with regard to return to school. Will they continue or begin hybrid situations so that students can be well-spaced to avoid infection, or will they host virtual/in-school classes giving families the choice about how they want their children to return to school. At least at that step, teachers will no longer be society's whipping post when it comes to the return-or-not-return-to-school-dilemma.
I have always felt that the best way to deal with this situation was to go 100% virtual with a focus on updating tech savvy teaching and learning. To support this, I felt that every family with children under 12 should receive a hefty childcare stipend to use as they wish to support their children. Though some schools have employed hybrid well, I can't imagine it is as good as a steady, consistent, well-funded virtual school scenario during a pandemic. I also know that some private schools have retained an all-in approach, but they are typically dealing with a more controlled population and a population they have more control over.
The greatest effort right now should be focused on vaccinating teachers--that's a great first step. I believe this should be done in tandom with vaccinating vulnerable populations. I know that a shortage of vaccines is an issue, but I think there's likely room for creativity in this regard, and perhaps teachers could be the focus of a national vaccine outreach utlizing the National Guard or FEMA to help get public schools rolling again.
No matter what is done, I think that personal health and safety should be a first priority. Children won't lose out on a few weeks, months, or even a year lost with regard to typical education, but an individual's entire life could be lost if we don't make decisions wisely.
