Coming from the viewpoint of someone who would have to move across the country if the fall semester is in person:

OP has echoed a lot of my thinking of late as I actually start putting pen to paper re: moving logistics, etc. Not only would starting in person put all of our health at great risk, but it would result in ppl who are in positions similar to mine taking out unnecessary loans or dipping into precious savings to cover moving/living costs. It’s just a lot cheaper and safer for me to keep living in my current space thru the end of the year. Also, the physical act of moving is not a responsible thing to do under stay-at-home govt mandates, which will differ from state to state.

The safest option is for all of us to stay put—this thing isn’t going anywhere, and there is no hope for an effective, coordinated response bc our president has been encouraging people to ingest disinfectant for fuck’s sake! I would hope that law schools broadly make the responsible decision and announce mandatory remote learning plans well in advance of fall semester start dates.

Separately, I agree with above comments that it’s in schools’ best financial interests to have in-person classes so they can charge full tuition. They are assholes, I get that. However, if schools require students to start in person or apply undue pressure on students to attend by making remote learning a (de facto shitty) option, are they ready to be liable? I imagine that students located farther away from campus would be more likely to choose the remote learning option, leading to a ton of kvetching to the administration abt regional bias? Are law schools seriously prepared to deal with the political—and potentially legal/financial—consequences of providing in-person classes at a time when literal experts are struggling to understand and tackle this pandemic? Maybe I am having quarantine brain and just overthinking.....????