A great school is a community that nurtures, protects, and empowers all children to be their best. But this is not the experience for too many of our children, because policymakers have failed to address inequities in school funding driven by class, sex and race. And now, the spread of COVID-19 has unleashed a health and economic crisis that threatens to leave even more children disconnected from a school community. More than 90 percent of schools in the U.S. have closed and moved to online instruction—creating and worsening multiple academic, social, and emotional barriers for children, especially those in families struggling to make ends meet. Congress must act now to provide the necessary resources to ensure that in the wake of the pandemic and ensuing recession, children have the resources they need to thrive in a nurturing school community.