There's a push across the country and here in New York to fully reopen schools. And the effort has the backing pediatricians who say kids need to be back in school. 

As more COVID vaccine doses are rolled out, the hope is teachers will be among those getting their shots. 

"We need children back in classrooms," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday. "Children not back in classrooms hurts the child, it hurts their socialization, it puts additional stress on the family."

Elected officials from President Joe Biden to Cuomo want kids back in classrooms as the pandemic enters its second year. Pediatricians like Dr. Warren Seigel agree. 

"We know there is no one thing that will eliminate the risk of COVID," he said in an interview. "But we also know scientific evidence. And the scientific evidence shows that children are at no higher risk of being in school to be affected by COVID."

Seigel is the chairman of the New York State American Academy of Pediatrics. The group this week pointed to the pandemic having led to isolation for students which in some cases can lead to mental health problems. There has been a rise in childhood depression and suicide attempts. 

Many schools continue to operate on a hybrid model of some students learning from home and others in the classrooms. The New York State United Teachers has urged an expansion of COVID testing as well in order to fully reopen schools. 

"Every day that schools remained closed, every day that students remain isolated on their laptops and iPads, we're losing vital time for kid’s social growth and development," he said. 

Some children will be resilient. But Seigel is worried about the long-term effects of keeping students apart from each other. 

"And only by having these kids in school and being seen and evaluated by the experts, which are the teachers, will we have a handle on which of the kids are not doing well," Seigel said.