The universal forcing of distance learning on every child in 2020 was obviously not ideal or a viable long term policy. But, I think the crux is that for some students distance is a preferable option, at least some of the time and going forward, providing a more flexible education model should be considered.
For the student you described, wouldn’t it be great if that choice offered at the college level was available in high school? Why should a kid have to share a class room with kids they hate? Why can’t they pick which classes to attend ?