The coronavirus era is forcing tough decisions about the clear value of in-person learning for kids, relative to its safety risks. Two developments on Tuesday highlighted different sides of this issue. At a midday briefing, officials from the World Health Organization, UNESCO and UNICEF, which just released new guidance for school reopenings, emphasized the risks students who aren't going to school are exposed to, including physical and emotional violence and vulnerability to child labor and sexual abuse. They also cited a staggering statistic: Of about 1.6 billion children sent home due to Covid-19, 872 million still remain so today.  Photographer: Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America Much of the fraught calculus about reopening schools, both in the U.S. and globally, comes down to one common understanding: While children and adolescents can become infected and infect others, most cases appear mild. But kids can still die after contracting the virus. A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report determined that 121 Covid-19 deaths before the end of July were among children, three-quarters of whom were of Hispanic, Black, American Indian or Alaskan descent.Minority children may get exposed through family members who are essential workers, whose jobs can't be done remotely and bring with them virus risks. With some schools reopening in-person, monitoring kids and coronavirus will continue to be crucial.—Emma Court | 
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