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Roeder, Phil. (2020). Retrieved from Flickr.
Plexiglass dividers, health screenings among safety measures in districts' reopening plans
Shawna De La Rosa
June 9, 2020
Dive Brief:
Detroit Public Schools recently released a draft of its reopening plan,
based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, that proposes using cafeterias and auditoriums as
classrooms, conducting daily COVID-19 screenings and requiring high
school students to attend school in-person on alternating weeks,
Chalkbeat reports. Elementary and middle school students would attend
class every day, but with social distancing measures implemented.
Among the district's proposed social distancing measures: no more than
20 students in each class, personal protective equipment available to
students and staff, disinfectant wipes available for teachers and
plexiglass barriers erected in high-traffic areas.
Surveys taken in the district indicate 61% of parents want their child
to attend school in the fall, but only 50% of the teachers say they are
ready to return to school. If the plan is implemented, staff must have
a negative COVID-19 test result before returning to school and must
complete training on health and safety.
Dive Insight:
New protocols will be a costly undertaking for districts as they reopen
with new social distancing controls to protect students and staff from
the novel coronavirus. A cost analysis by AASA, The School
Superintendents Association, estimates that implementing safety
measures for reopening will cost an average district $1.78 million.
The most expensive safety measures will be additional staff. Custodians
will cost $448,000, full-time and part-time nurses will cost $400,000
and aides who give temperature checks before students board buses will
cost $384,000. Daily disposable masks for staff will cost $44,415.
Despite the costs, many districts are forging ahead with ways to get
students back into classrooms. California’s Department of Education
recently issued a guide detailing reopening proposals. It recommends
temperature checks be conducted before entering schools or boarding
buses, hand washing throughout the day and social distancing by
students in halls, on buses and at recess. It would also require
students and staff to wear face masks.
Some parents are also asking for continued online learning options, and
the state is encouraging districts to allow that. Ultimately, reopening
decisions will be made at the local level.
Massachusetts, meanwhile, doesn't plan to use temperature checks due to
the high rate of false positives or negatives, but masks will be
required for both students and staff. Parents will be responsible for
providing students with masks, but schools must also have backup masks
in case a student forgets theirs. Classrooms will also have to be
redesigned to allow for six feet of separation at all times, and class
sizes will be significantly smaller.
Meanwhile, statewide budget cuts throughout the country are expected to
be as high as 10% to 25% in the upcoming school year and as much as 35%
in the 2021-22 school year. Los Angeles Unified School District and
five other districts in California said a planned $7 billion budget cut
in California would mean schools wouldn’t be able to reopen in the fall.
In news that could change the trajectory of preparations, the World
Health Organization on Monday announced asymptomatic spread of
coronavirus is "very rare." If so, the finding may call into question
whether the high cost of equipping schools with health and safety gear
and staff is worth the price. According to the WHO report, those
without symptoms are unlikely to pass on the virus based on contact
tracing findings.
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