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THREAD: This is a critical, must-read, nuanced document from @AAPNews (the American Academy of Pediatrics) that is strongly supportive of in-person instruction. I'm going to quote several important segments.
https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/
https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/
First, here's the headline: with certain principles in mind (flexibility based on community transmission, etc.): "[T]he AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school. "
Why? B/c of the huge negative impacts on keeping kids home while "SARS-CoV-2 appears to behave differently in children and adolescents than other common respiratory viruses, such as influenza, on which much of the current guidance regarding school closures is based."
The AAP also importantly offers an alternate perspective to the CDC on physical distancing and group size caps: "For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that schools "space seating/desks at least 6 feet apart when feasible." In many school...
...settings, 6 feet between students is not feasible without limiting the number of students. Evidence suggests that spacing as close as 3 feet may approach the benefits of 6 feet of space, particularly if students are wearing face coverings and are asymptomatic...
...Schools should weigh the benefits of strict adherence to a 6-feet spacing rule between students with the potential downside if remote learning is the only alternative. Strict adherence to a specific size of student groups (eg, 10 per classroom, 15 per classroom, etc)...
... should be discouraged in favor of other risk mitigation strategies." HOWEVER, as I've been saying, protect adults from one another! Given what is known about transmission dynamics, adults and adult staff within schools should attempt to maintain a distance of 6 feet from...
...other persons as much as possible, particularly around other adult staff." The AAP also draws a key distinction between age groups: "There is likely a greater impact of physical distancing on risk reduction of COVID in secondary schools than early childhood or elementary ed."
I'll stop there, but any stakeholder involved in early care & ed / K-12 should read this guidance. It's sensible, balances the real tensions that exist, and responds to all contemporary evidence about kids and COVID-19. It should be shared widely.
CC: @anya1anya
CC: @anya1anya
