CDC Issues Roadmap for School Reopening
On February 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidance providing a “roadmap” to assist school districts and educators in making decisions on whether to fully or partially reopen schools and the type of safeguards needed to keep students, teachers, and staff safe during the pandemic.
The CDC guidance indicates that schools can safely reopen as long as they are in an area considered low to moderate transmission and if a number of precautions are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The update is based on data, building on earlier recommendations on the most effective safety precautions including masks, physical distancing, hand washing, respiratory etiquette, contract tracing, ventilation, and building cleaning.
The guidance notes, “If mitigation strategies are strictly adhered to, K-12 schools can safely open for in-person instruction and remain open. In addition, the association between COVID-19 incidence and outbreaks in school settings and levels of community transmission underscores the importance of controlling disease spread in the community to protect teachers, staff, and students in schools.”
The CDC reiterated that states should prioritize teachers for vaccination but with the proviso that such vaccinations are not required for reopening.
The newly-released guidance does not vary widely from previously-issued CDC recommendations. It does, however, include a color-coded chart / fact sheet with four zones that, depending on the color, provides recommendations for a school district’s re-opening options. Blue indicates districts with low community spread of the coronavirus and yellow is for districts with data showing moderate transmission. These areas are encouraged to consider full reopening.
Schools in areas with substantial transmission – the color orange – could consider limited reopening – but only in combination with significant classroom safety strategies. Red is for areas with the highest transmission. In these communities, limited reopening remains an option for elementary schools with strict physical distancing, but the CDC recommends middle and high schools be remote-learning only -- unless significant mitigation measures can be implemented. For further information:
The U.S. Department of Education has also released guidance. NAMM will continue to closely monitor this important issue.