CDC's guidelines to reopen schools: Teacher vaccinations are not a must, 6 feet separation advised

WASHINGTON – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says public schools can safely reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic if a host of safety measures are taken, including maintaining 6 feet of physical distancing inside school buildings where possible.

And though vaccinating teachers is important, according to the CDC, it isn't a must for in-person instruction.

The CDC on Friday released new highly anticipated guidelines for reopening schools that are still closed and conducting classes virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic. President Joe Biden has repeatedly pointed to the guidelines as key to his goal of reopening the majority of schools within his first 100 days.

The guidelines – billed as a "road map" and a "one-stop shop" to safely reopen schools – are not federal mandates but rather "recommendations based on the best-available evidence."

"There's more science to rely on, and we've learned a lot from that science," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters. "I can assure you this is free from political meddling."

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Other mitigation recommendations are the "universal" use of face masks, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and maintaining facilities, and contract tracing.

Although the report highlights efforts for better ventilation such as opening windows and doors, it does not specify wholesale structural changes to aging buildings.

The release of the 35-page CDC report comes as many public schools – more than half, according to some estimations – have already reopened, while others, particularly in cities, remain closed. The CDC acknowledged that many of the schools operating in-person are doing so safely.

"Evidence suggests that many K-12 schools that have strictly implemented mitigation strategies have been able to safely open for in-person instruction and remain open," the report says.

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The report says "vaccination should not be considered a condition for reopening schools for in-person instruction" but advises communities to consider giving teachers "high priority" in vaccine distribution.

Walensky said teacher vaccinations can be an "additional layer of protection" but made clear it isn't a necessity. "The science has demonstrated that schools can reopen safely prior to all teachers being vaccinated," she said. Earlier this month, Walensky said teacher vaccinations were not a "prerequisite."

The CDC advises 6 feet of physical distancing "to the greatest extent possible." That's a more cautious recommendation than 3 feet of separation advised by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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To promote social distancing, the CDC recommends strategies such as breaking students into smaller cohorts or pods; staggering schedules; installing physical barriers, particularly in tight spaces like reception areas; and limiting school visitors.

In-person school attendance "is not a primary driver of community transmission," according to the CDC. And while children can be infected and get sick from COVID-19, "evidence indicates that children are less susceptible than adults, and may be less infectious."

"What we are finding from the science-based literature," Walensky said, "is that there is more spread that is happening in the community when schools are not open than when schools are open."

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Union applauds guidelines; GOP pushes Biden to open schools

Debates about school reopening plans have raged for weeks as new variants of the virus spread, as vaccine distribution varies widely, as teachers unions in some cities push back, and as many parents grow exasperated with the lack of an in-person learning option.

School administrators have yearned for more federal guidance and support since the beginning of the pandemic. Under former President Donald Trump's administration, CDC guidance was often vague or conflicting about when schools should open or close.

Biden campaigned on a pledge to reopen the majority of K-12 schools but revised that on his first day in office to focus on K-8 schools.

He's now facing increasing pressure to deliver. Frustrating many parents, his administration this week narrowed the goal further, saying the goal is to open more than half of K-8 schools for at least one day a week of classroom instruction.

Local unions in cities like San Francisco; Philadelphia; Fairfax, Virginia; and Buffalo, N.Y., have resisted reopening, largely because they want vaccines before returning to class or because they don’t trust their districts can implement safety protocols – or both.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, applauded the new guidelines, praising the mitigation strategies and the recommended vaccine priority for teachers.

“Today, 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."

But Republicans said the CDC didn't say much that wasn't already known.

“Today’s CDC guidance essentially reiterates the same guidance issued eight months ago," House Republican Whip Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana said. "It’s time for President Biden to stand up to the unions and reopen schools."

When COVID-19 transmission is safe, unsafe to open

For the first time, the CDC's guidelines define levels of low, moderate, substantial and high coronavirus transmission and suggest what instructional models schools should use for the risk.

The criteria are based on the total number of new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days days and the percentage of positive tests during the past seven days.

The CDC unveiled a color-coded chart detailing the four levels of transmission risk.

Anything below 50 new cases per 100,000 people and below an 8% positivity rate is considered moderate or low transmission. Full in-person learning across all grade levels is recommended when these thresholds are met.

Fifty or more new cases per 100,000 people and 8% or above is considered substantial or high transmission under the guidelines. Schools are advised to use hybrid instruction models that include virtual classrooms at that threshold.

COVID-19 screening welcomed, but not a requirement

The CDC also recommends schools refer any student, teacher or staff member who exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 to be tested for the coronavirus. Health officials suggest local officials confidentially provide information about people diagnosed while following privacy laws.

"Persons with positive test results should isolate, and close contacts should quarantine," the report says.

Although the CDC welcomes schools screening students and staff for the virus, officials stopped short of including the practice in the guidelines. If school districts do take that step, teachers should be given higher screening priority over children because adults are more susceptible to disease.

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Biden has also proposed $130 billion for school reopenings in his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, dubbed the American Rescue Plan, that he hopes to push through Congress within the next few weeks.

In a statement on the new CDC guidelines, Biden pointed to expenses tied to school reopenings: more teachers to ensure smaller class sizes; additional buses and bus drivers to transport students safely; more spaces to conduct in-person instruction; and more protective equipment, cleaning services and physical alterations to limit the spread of the virus.

"These needs cost money," he said. "We know what we need to do. We need to move fast."

Although the U.S. Department of Education is in the process of conducting an official tally of schools that are closed, many districts have already shifted toward in-person classes in recent weeks.

Burbio, a company that aggregates school district calendars, found about 64% of U.S. students are attending schools offering at least some in-person learning – therefore already meeting Biden's goal. About 35% are attending schools with virtual-only plans.

Forty-three of 75 large districts that belong to the Council of Great City Schools, a member organization, are offering some in-person learning, according to a tally kept by Education Week magazine and the Council. The extent of classroom instruction varies widely, however.

Contributing: Erin Richards, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reopening schools: New CDC guidelines for schools in COVID released