State provides guidance for school to reopen safely
Pennsylvania’s secretary of health and secretary of education on Thursday provided updated guidance aimed at opening schools safely this fall.
Schools across the state were ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf to close their doors in mid-March as part of the attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19. With the entire state now in the leastrestrictive phase of reopening from the coronavirus shutdown, school districts are looking at resuming inperson instruction when the new school year begins.
To make that happen, school districts must come up with health and safety plans that need to be approved by state officials. The Department of Education and Department of Health have previously provided guidance on what those plans should entail and added to that guidance Thursday.
“Our goal is to ensure a safe return to school for students, educators and staff by following best practices to mitigate the spread of the virus, including wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “In those instances when someone tests positive, public health staff from the department will immediately assist the school with risk assessment, isolation and quarantine recommendations, and other infection control recommendations.”
While decisions on if and how to reopen schools will remain a local decision, Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera said the state wants to provide school districts with everything they need to make those decisions.
“The health and safety of students, teachers and staff must be paramount as schools prepare for the upcoming school year,” Rivera said. “The Department of
Education has been focused on supporting schools with resources and best practices to help school leaders make informed decisions within their local contexts and in response to evolving conditions.”
Some of the recommendations include:
• Masks must be worn by students and staff, both in school buildings and on buses. They can be removed to eat or drink.
• Students or their caregivers should do symptoms check leaving for school.
• Students, teachers and staff are “strongly encouraged” to follow social distancing throughout the day, keeping 6 feet of separation between desks or other seating.
• If possible, classes should be held in gyms, auditoriums, other large spaces or outdoors.
• Students should all be seated in the same direction.
• Student interactions should be limited by staggering class times, creating one-way walking patterns in hallways and, if possible, keeping students in class and having teachers rotate instead.
• Individually packaged meals should be considered for breakfast and lunch, and they should be served in classrooms instead of a cafeteria. If meals are served in a cafeteria, students should sit 6 feet apart.
• The number of students on playgrounds should be a daily before limited and social distancing should be encouraged.
• Virtual gatherings, events and extracurricular activities should be encouraged.
Levine also stressed the importance of actions people can take today to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and make reopening schools easier. That includes things like following the state’s mask mandate, practicing social distancing, frequent cleaning, covering coughs or sneezes with an elbow and adhering to proper hand hygiene.
“One of the things we’ve heard is that students are anxious to get back to school,” she said. “But also know that actions we take now will determine what schools look like for them.”
School districts’ individual plans, after being approved by the state, will be posted on school districts’ websites. Having a plan approved is required to reopen schools for in-person instruction.