The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance on Friday about COVID-19 safety in schools that could open up in-person learning to more New York City students.
The new guidelines indicate that, in most cases, it’s OK for kids to stay three feet apart instead of six, as long as everyone is wearing a mask. The CDC suggests that only middle and high school students remain six feet apart in higher-risk circumstances—specifically, in communities where COVID-19 transmission is abundant, and classmates cannot stay in bubbles where they only see the same peers and staff throughout the day.
At his daily press conference yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city would open up a new window for families to opt into in-person learning during the current school year if the CDC updated its distancing guidelines. The mayor has not yet announced a new opt-in window. Gothamist/WNYC has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
“We’re starting planning now to be ready for the possibility that the CDC will change the standard,” de Blasio said Thursday. “If there is a change from six feet to three feet, that will absolutely be the reason for an opt-in because we would want to give more kids the chance to get back to school quickly.”
Asked about the new CDC guidance on the Brian Lehrer Show Friday, the mayor said it was good news, but he wasn’t ready to incorporate a new opt-in window just yet. He said that there were staffing and other logistical issues to figure out.
“I’m very happy to hear this news. We’re evaluating it right now...and we need to see the actual documents, the actual standards,” de Blasio said. “We are preparing for the possibility—but we’re not there yet—for the possibility of an opt-in.”
Since the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the CDC has been adjusting its guidance on COVID-19 safety in schools to reflect emerging evidence from around the world. This research shows that schools have not significantly contributed to the spread of COVID-19 and that closing them, more often than not, may not be worth the knock-on harms such as domestic abuse and the erosion of family mental health.
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The CDC says that schools should focus on public health measures such as testing, contact-tracing, proper ventilation, mask-wearing, and vaccinating teachers. Meanwhile, the city has already announced the return of sports in public schools this spring, despite the CDC’s evidence indicating that it may be one of the higher-risk activities.
The mayor said Monday that he’s reevaluating the 2-case rule—the city’s current policy of closing down any school building where two or more people have tested positive for COVID-19 when the cases are not contained within a single classroom. The restriction has resulted in frequent closures, frustrating many parents.
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“My kids, like most kindergarteners, don’t sit well in front of a screen,” said Sarah Whitlock, who has twins at P.S. 139 in Brooklyn. She says the two-case rule results in closures every week or two, and the longest they’ve been able to go to school consecutively is two weeks in a row. “They have grown so used to being disappointed.”
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew continues to stand by the two-case rule, saying it has worked so far.
“The rules we have in place have kept students and educators safe,” Mulgrew said in a statement to WNYC/Gothamist. “Any changes in the two-case rule or social distancing guidelines, whether now or for September, need to be based on what medical experts recommend.”
The CDC’s latest guidance says a school may need to be temporarily closed if it’s “experiencing an active outbreak” or located in an area where there’s been a rapid rise in cases or a high burden on the health care system.
“These decisions should be made based on careful considerations of a variety of factors and with the emphasis on ensuring the health and wellness of students, their families, and teachers and staff,” the federal health agency states.
