Opening Schools--​A Balancing Act​Difficult decisions for schools and families, read all about it!

The new academic year is about to start, but will schools be open or not? The summer was all too short and the progress of the virus too unsteady to make this an easy decision. If they reopen, schools will have to implement new arrangements for students without knowing whether bringing students together will increase the spread of COVID-19 among the students or to the wider community.


Effectively educating all children in their homes has already proven to be challenging, leading many education and health experts to suggest that returning to school has substantial benefits for educational and social development and for mental health. Schools play critical roles in the community beyond their role to educate K-12 students.


Schools can tip the balance toward a safer environment with advance planning, adequate classroom space for physical distancing, and sufficient staff resources for smaller class sizes and reduced interaction on campus, along with adequate ventilation and outdoor activities—recognizing that these requirements were rarely needed pre-pandemic and may be difficult to implement while the pandemic continues.
 
What about the potential to increase the spread COVID-19 if schools reopen? First, age makes a difference. Adolescents aged 10-17 seem to be more likely to become infected than children younger than age 10, but neither group appears to have a high risk of developing a severe case of the virus. Younger children also seem less likely to transmit COVID-19 to others. Second, there are countries where schools reopened and transmission rates went up, and countries where schools reopened and transmission rates declined. Re-openings are generally safer in areas with low transmission rates in the community as a whole, reminding us that schools are not sealed off from the wider community. For the balance to shift toward opening schools, necessary precautions (physical distancing and face coverings) are required of everyone who has contact with children, teachers, staff and their families.


In reopening a Children’s Center that serves preschool children and school-age children in May, the Board I lead was assessing the following factors:

• Health and safety guidance from federal and state resources
• Community spread in the area
• The risk of the virus from and to children of different ages
• The willingness of teachers to implement health protocols, to reduce class size, and to minimize interactions between classes
• The willingness of families to trust their children to our Center

Cleaning and disinfecting the facility was only a starting point; all the other assessments required willing providers, trusting families, and engaged children who love to come each day in spite of the restrictions. One other factor is behind every reopening decision—the ability to pay the costs when revenue has declined. This factor will have to be considered at every level of the educational system.

A school may not be a breeding ground for the virus or, as yet, a safe haven for the students. Should schools re-open, they will reflect the communities in which they serve. In the absence of good research, schools and families will have to assess a changing balance between educational opportunities and health risks that is unique to each locale. It is hoped that the decisions reached on opening will prove to be the best ones for all involved.

Prepared by Mary Deming, MOTAL Board member


References:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Preparing K-12 School Administrators for a Safe Return to School in Fall 2020,” Updated August 1, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/prepare-safe-return.html
• Science, 17 July 2020, “Not Open and Shut: School openings across the globe suggest ways to keep the coronavirus at bay, despite outbreaks,” by Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, Gretchen Vogel, and Meagan Weiland, pp. 241-245.