Students, for their part, will likely have lost months of learning by the time they fully return to physical classrooms. Most kids yearn for social connection with their peers and teachers, and the pandemic has caused many of them to fall behind. Some lack stable internet access, and have resorted to sitting in the parking lot of their school to use the high-speed Wi-Fi needed for Zoom conferencing. Barred access to in-person schooling can put many American children at risk of going without meals or spending increased time with abusive relatives. The general public has begun to acknowledge what educational research confirms: These issues are the result of extreme inequality in the United States, chronic divestment from public education, and insufficient social safety nets. Remote learning has exacerbated the institutional harms that were already being inflicted on many families.