School re-openings are difficult. I don't know of anyone that wants them closed, but there are concerns with kids that have health problems, or even severe asthma, kids that are raised by grandparents, elderly teachers or teachers that are at risk, and so on. I want my kid in school, and we have chosen the in school option where he attends, but it also means he won't be seeing his great grandparents for a while, and I hate to do that to them, but its necessary as they are both over 80.
On Sunday the education secretary had multiple opportunities in an interview to provide some sort of guidance, and she couldn't do it. She ranged from its "a local decision" to "kids must be in schools." But she never gave a single piece of advice, and the local decision followed a twitter threat last week to pull federal funding for schools that do not open. That's concerning. The president yesterday (?) made a comment to the effect that people not wanting schools open was some sort of conspiracy against him. That's absurd, but its come to be expected. Like masks, this isn't a political issue, and those types of statements only politicize and complicate a decision that is going to take a lot of people to make.
Like many people have said, school openings are important not just because of education, but because so many kids rely on them for food and even parenting / role models. Or in many cases simply as childcare while the parents work. But where are the ideas on the federal level? If local decision making comes with the threat of lost funds, how can a local decision be made? It can't.
Ultimately, this will come down to individual households. Some families are simply not going to send their kid back if they feel it isn't safe to do so.