CLEVELAND — Just last week, the CDC issued new guidance for students and staff heading back to the classroom this fall, and already it’s leading to confusion for families and school districts.
With summer vacation already half over, school administrators are laser-focused on the upcoming school year. And so is the CDC, it would seem, as the latest guidance prioritizes students learning in the classroom.
“If a school or classroom is not able to maintain at least three feet distancing that should not keep kids out of the classroom,” said Erin Sauber-Schatz, Community Interventions and Critical Populations Task Force Lead for the CDC. “We're focused on getting kids back in the classroom in fall.”
When social distancing isn’t possible, masks are the number one safety measure in play, according to the health organization.
The CDC now recommends that masks be worn by those age 2 and older if they’re not yet vaccinated. Those who are fully vaccinated can lose the masks altogether except when riding public transportation like school buses.
But that guidance differs from what some schools already have planned.
“We explained that masks will not be mandatory in any shape or form in the fall,” said Charles Smialek, Superintendent of Parma City School District. “And that was something that we prefaced a little bit by saying we still would have to watch recommendations or guidelines or mandates from the Ohio Dept of Education or the governor, obviously the CDC.”
Parma Schools administrators issued guidance at the end of June making masks optional for everyone – at a time when schools were given no guidance at all.
“It really has been a very frustrating time for superintendents and principals and teachers and families to really navigate what is often mixed messages,” said Smialek.
His district isn’t alone. Other schools have started to plan for the upcoming school year, some requiring masks and others not mandating them.
The CDC has now given guidance, but so far, the Ohio Department of Health and local boards of health have been silent. Until they weigh-in, the decisions administrators make could change before the school year begins.
Meanwhile, legislators are also working on a house bill that could contradict CDC guidance.
“House Bill 244 coming out of the Ohio legislature specifically says that we cannot treat vaccinated and unvaccinated students in any different way,” said Smialek.
That means schools wouldn’t be able to treat vaccinated and unvaccinated students and staff any differently. If those who are vaccinated don’t need masks, then those who are unvaccinated can’t be required to do so either.
And now, with a little over a month to go before school starts, many of the rules surrounding COVID-19 safety are still undecided. Be sure to check with your district to confirm its plans heading into the new academic year.