CDC sets guidance for schools to reopen safely during pandemic
Schools should use masks and social distancing to safely resume in-person learning as soon as possible, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Friday.
The agency outlined mitigation strategies that include the proper use of masks, social distancing of 6 feet, strict cleaning and maintenance of classrooms, and rapid contact tracing.
CDC chief Rochelle Walensky also urged states to make vaccinating teachers a priority, though she did not call it a prerequisite for reopenings. Schools should also regularly test students and teachers, and do all they can to improve ventilation, she said. While the guidance doesn’t mandate schools be reopened, it notes that the data available show “in-person learning in schools has not been associated with substantial community transmission.”
“It is critical for schools to open as safely and as quickly as possible for in-person learning,” according to the guidance. “To enable schools to open and remain open, it is important to adopt and correctly and consistently implement actions to slow the spread of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, not only inside the school, but also in the community.”
At the same time, the guidelines urge school officials to closely monitor community transmission. In areas with low or moderate spread, all grades can be in classrooms with masking and social distancing in place, according to the CDC.
Meanwhile, in areas with substantial transmission, elementary schools should be in hybrid mode. Middle and high-school students could do the same, or come in with reduced attendance, the guidance suggests. Finally, in communities with very high transmission, middle and high-school students should stay with virtual learning unless all mitigation strategies are strictly maintained.
Whether students should physically attend school has been among the most contentious issues of the U.S. pandemic response. The stakes are high for President Joe Biden, who has made ending the coronavirus crisis a central goal.
Many children in the U.S. have been learning online for almost a year, as last spring many U.S. schools were closed to thwart the spread of the coronavirus. Some teachers have opposed reopening classrooms because of health concerns. States are starting to offer Covid-19 vaccines to teachers, though supplies are limited and finding an appointment can be difficult.
Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, called the recommendations “an informed, tactile plan that has the potential” to help school stay safe.
“The CDC met fear of the pandemic with facts and evidence,” she said. “For the first time since the start of this pandemic, we have a rigorous road map, based on science, that our members can use to fight for a safe reopening.”
Weingarten called on the U.S. Congress and Department of Education to “make this guidance real” by securing funding for districts nationwide.
In some cities, local officials have been fighting teachers unions on how and whether it’s safe for teachers and students to be in the the classroom, leaving students in online limbo as major school districts decide how to proceed.
Schools should be safe for in-person learning if the new guidelines are met, National Education Association President Becky Pringle said in a statement.
“Schools should be the safest place in any community,” she said. “Now that we have clearer CDC guidance, state and local decision makers need to be able to look educators, students, and parents in the eyes and ensure that with full confidence.
Biden, in an interview with CBS News that aired Sunday, reiterated his view that schools should “reopen safely” soon.