Planning To Reopen - Our Schools

8/4/2020 (Permalink)

This has been an unprecedented year. Wile things have improved as emergency orders have loosened, the news cycle constantly reminds us that we are not in the clear. On the contrary, one slight miss step and a new COVID-19 "hot spot" emerges on the map. For the vast majority of our "Planning to Reopen" series of blogs our main focus has been on sifting through the tsunami of information and sharing that which would best help the business owners of Commonwealth protect themselves, their employees, and their customers. We feel, now, it is time to pivot. 

Six months ago we were forced to do the unthinkable, close our school systems with the hope that, come fall, we would be able to reopen them and return to our normal. We now know that is not a viable option. 

As the state, communities and families struggle to understand what this all means and the best, safest, course of action to take we will be doing our best to share with our communities the most up-to-date guidance regarding best practices to reopen our school systems as safely as possible.  

As always, work with your local health officials to determine a set of strategies appropriate for your community’s situation.

Below we have provided excerpts from the CDC's white paper weighing the importance of reopening our schools versus the risks of doing so. To view the complete paper, click here. 

(See our "Planning to Reopen series of blogs for more information regarding CDC, EPA, FDA, Mass EEA and OSHA safety requirements). To review the administration's reopening guidance from the state click here. To view Governor Baker's full report click here).

According to the CDC, it is important to consider the full spectrum of benefits and risks of both in-person and virtual learning options. 

Known Physical Risks

The best available evidence indicates if children become infected:

1. They are far less likely to suffer severe symptoms
2. Death rates among school-aged children are much lower than among adults 

Known Non-Physical Risks

At the same time, the harms attributed to closed schools on the social, emotional, and behavioral health, economic well-being, and academic achievement of children, in both the short- and long-term, are well-known and significant. 

The in-person school environment does the following:

1. Provides educational instruction
2. Supports the development of social and emotional skills
3. Creates a safe environment for learning
4. Addresses nutritional needs
5. Facilitates physical activity

Known Inequities

Further, the lack of in-person educational options disproportionately harms low-income and minority children and those living with disabilities. 

COVID-19 and Children

The best available evidence indicates that COVID-19 poses relatively low risks to school-aged children.  Children appear to be at lower risk for contracting COVID-19 compared to adults. 

As of July 17, 2020, the United States reported that children and adolescents under 18 years old account for:

1. Less than 7 percent of COVID-19 cases
2. Less than 0.1 percent of COVID-19-related deaths

Current data collected from scientific studies and international studies suggests the rate of infection among younger school children, and from students to teachers, has been low, especially when proper precautions are followed.  Additionally, there have also been few reports of children being the primary source of COVID-19 transmission among family members which is consistent with data from both virus and antibody testing. This data suggesting that children are not the primary drivers of COVID-19 spread in schools or in the community.

Educational Instruction

Extended school closure can lead to severe learning loss, particularly for students with heightened behavioral needs. We know that, for many students, long breaks from in-person education are harmful to the learning process. Many studies document the adverse effects summer breaks have on students academic progress, this is known as “summer slide.”

The Unfortunate Reality of Remote Learning

Disparities in educational outcomes caused by school closures are a particular concern for low-income and minority students and students with disabilities.  Many low-income families do not have the capacity to facilitate distance learning (e.g. limited or no computer access, limited or no internet access), and may have to rely on school-based services that support their child’s academic success. Data showed that through late April, student progress in math decreased by about half, with the negative impact more pronounced in low-income communities. 

Furthermore remote learning makes absorbing information more difficult for students with disabilities, developmental delays, or other cognitive disabilities.  In particular, students who:

1. Hard of hearing
2. Deaf
3. Have low vision
4. Blind
5. ADHD (and other learning disorders)
6. As well as other physical and mental disabilities 

Social and Emotional Skill Development

In addition to a structure for learning, schools provide a stable and secure environment for developing social skills and peer relationships, particularly the development of language, communication, social, emotional, and interpersonal skills.

In an in-person school environment, children more easily learn how to develop and maintain friendships, how to behave in groups, and how to interact and form relationships with people outside of their family.  In school, students are also able to access support systems needed to recognize and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, appreciate others’ perspectives, and make responsible decisions. Such routine in-person contacts provide opportunities to facilitate social-emotional development that are difficult, if not impossible, to replicate through distance learning.  

Additionally, extended closures can be harmful to children’s mental health and can increase the likelihood of:

1. Lower levels of depression
2. Thoughts about suicide
3. Social anxiety
4. Sexual activity
5. Lower levels of self-esteem
6. Increased likelihood of substance use 

Negative Impacts of Prolonged Quarantine

Studies have conducted on pandemics around the world suggest a strong association between length of quarantine and:

1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
2. Avoidance behavior
3. Anger

Mental Health and Social Services

In-person schooling provides children with access to a variety of mental health and social services, including speech language therapy, and physical or occupational therapy to help the physical, psychological, and academic well-being of the child. School counselors are trained in the mental health needs of children and youth and can recognize signs of trauma that primary caregivers are less able to see because they themselves are experiencing the same family stresses.  

Without in-person schooling, many children can lose access to these important services. For those individuals who have a diagnosable mental, behavioral or emotional condition that substantially interferes with or limits their social functioning, schools play an integral role in linking them to care and necessary support services.

For children with intellectual or physical disabilities, nearly all therapies and services are received through schools.  These vital services are difficult to provide through distance learning models.  As a result, more children with disabilities have received few to no services while schools have been closed.

Safety

Extended school closures deprive children who live in unsafe homes and neighborhoods of an important layer of protection from neglect as well as physical, sexual, and emotional maltreatment and abuse. 

Nutrition

Schools are essential to meeting the nutritional needs of children with many consuming up to half their daily calories at school.  Nationwide more than 30 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program and nearly 15 million participate in the School Breakfast Program.  While schools have implemented strategies to continue meal services during this pandemic the sad reality is that these strategies are not sustainable in the long term. 

Physical Activity

Many children may not be sufficiently physically active outside of the context of in-school physical education (PE) and other school-based activities.  With schools closed, children may not have sufficient opportunities to participate in organized and safe physical activities such as those existing within the within our school systems, such as:

1. Recess
2. Classroom engagements
3. Safe, organized sports
4. After school programs

Conclusion

Schools provide safe, supportive learning environments and critical services for students and families that, studies have shown, can not be equitably duplicated with remote learning. The best available evidence from countries that have opened schools indicates that, in areas with low community transmission, COVID-19 poses low risks to school-aged children and suggests that children are unlikely to be major drivers of the spread of the virus. 

While the administration continues to work with communities to implement best practices and protocols for reopening our schools we will continue to share with you guidance from the CDC, EPA, FDA, Mass EEA and OSHA and the Governor's office to follow as we prepare for the new school year.

Also, we at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley know that not every community has access to the resources necessary to meet the strict cleaning guidelines to ensure a safe environment for our children. For those communities, we are here to help!

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned

The Disaster Remediation Teams at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley are specialists in cleaning services and we adhere to the highest cleaning and sanitation standards. We are prepared to clean and disinfect your schools, according to protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We have years of experience in dealing with biological contaminants, and we will go beyond the scope of work of "normal daily cleaning". Call SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley today for a free consultation - (617) 332-9000.

All of us here at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley want you and your loved ones to stay safe and know that we will make it through this together! Rest assured, we will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date and informed!