President Donald Trump wants the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise its school reopening guidance, but what’s actually in its original plan?…
President Donald Trump wants the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise its school reopening guidance, but what’s actually in its original plan?
Separated desks, staggered schedules and isolation rooms for sick students.
Trump tweeted Wednesday that he disagrees with the CDC’s “very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools” as the coronavirus pandemic continues, and Vice President Mike Pence said the agency would be issuing new guidelines next week.
However, Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the CDC, said Thursday no change was coming but that instead “additional reference documents” would be issued.
To better understand any possible update, USA TODAY reviewed several documents and guidelines on the CDC’s website of the guidance already issued to K-12 schools.
The CDC says these documents should supplement but not replace state and local guidance, laws and other regulations.
Throughout the guidelines, the CDC also says that schools should be in regular contact with state and local health officials on their plans and review local laws and rules.
Pence: CDC changing school reopening guidelines after Trump called them ‘tough and expensive’
Here’s a look at what the CDC says:
The CDC establishes a set of guiding principles to start its guidelines that broadly lays out the risks of three scenarios.
The lowest risk is school returns in a virtual-only setting in which students and teachers meet for classes, activities and events online.
More risk is associated with small, in-person classes, activities and events. Under this general scenario, students are divided into small groups that don’t mix, stay six feet apart and don’t share items.
The scenarios with the most risk is a return to school as it was before: Full, in-person classes, mixing of groups, no distancing, and shared objects.
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The CDC guidelines also describe basic cleanliness and safety procedures that schools should follow. They are similar to what public health officials say all people should follow.
Wash hands regularly, stay six feet apart and wear a mask.
“Face coverings should be worn by staff and students (particularly older students) as feasible, and are most essential in times when physical distancing is difficult,” the CDC says.
