Schools Are A Crucial Part Of Plans To Relax Stay-At-Home Restrictions. How Are States Prepping To Do That Safely?
The options to get kids back into schools safely involve staggered start times and a rethinking of mass gatherings such as assemblies, recess and gym time. Meanwhile, some universities start thinking about pushing off in-person classes until 2021.
The Associated Press:
California Schools Will Look Very Different When They Reopen
Staggered school start times. Class sizes cut in half. Social distancing in the hallways and cafeteria. These are a few of the possible scenarios for California schools that Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out as part of a roadmap for reopening the state amid the coronavirus. The timeline for reopening schools remains unclear, as it does for reopening California society at large. But Newsom said Tuesday that when the state’s 6 million students do return, things will look dramatically different. (Gecker, 4/15)
Politico:
California Prepares For Socially Distant Schools In The Fall
Newsom said "we need to get our kids back to school; I need to get my kids back to school" but that the state would be "very, very vigilant" in how they do so, including deep cleanings. "What physically do those schools look like? Can you stagger the times that our students come in so you can appropriate yourself differently within the existing physical environment by reducing physical contact?" Newsom said as he unveiled benchmarks for the gradual reopening of the state on Tuesday. (Mays, 4/14)
CNN:
Universities Begin Considering Canceling In-Person Classes Until 2021
A number of universities are beginning to consider the possibility that in-person classes may not resume until 2021. Boston University has already canceled all "in-person summer activities" on its primary campus. But the school's coronavirus recovery plan includes protocols should officials deem it not safe to return in-person for the fall semester, and says classes would continue to be held remotely through the fall semester. (Ries and Wagner, 4/15)
PBS NewsHour:
What An Interrupted School Year Means For These College Students
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the academic year of some 20 million college students as campuses are shuttered nationwide. Many of these young people are continuing their studies through online classes -- but the transition is not easy for all of them. (Yang, Frazee and Lane, 4/14)
