The Ethics of Going Back to School in a Pandemic

^{Rick Bowmer/Associated Press}

As students across the country start a new school year, many are participating online only, while others are attending in person, in the classroom – with some already closing down again after new outbreak clusters form. Ethics Center staff and other SCU scholars address some of the key ethical dilemmas surrounding this critical decision.

Perspectives

The Moral Question of School Reopening: Benefit, Burden and Cura Personalis by Charles E. Binkley, director of bioethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Back to School with COVID-19; Ethical Questions for Teachers by Kathy Almazol, head of Faith Formation and a senior associate in Character Education, and Don Heider executive director, both with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

School Leaders Need Our Help Providing Equitable Education by Ann Skeet, senior director of Leadership Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Immersive vs. Intrusive Learning: Cameras and Fairness in Online Classes by Irina Raicu, director of Internet Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

The Ethics of Teaching by Brian Buckley, senior lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, Co-Chair of the Provost's Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers Council, and a Faculty Scholar with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

The Ethical Prerogative: Teacher as Social Agent Confronting the Pandemic by Sara Garcia, Ph.D., associate professor with the School of Education and Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University and a Faculty Scholar with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Additional Resourses

Ethics Spotlight: COVID-19: Ethics, Health and Moving Forward

Ethics Spotlight: COVID-19: The Novel Coronavirus Outbreak and its Ethical Dilemmas