FILE – In this Feb. 2, 2021, file photo, students wear masks as they work in a fourth-grade classroom, at Elk Ridge Elementary School in Buckley, Wash. Amid mounting tensions about school reopening, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention planned to release long-awaited guidance Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, on what measures are needed to get children back into the classroom during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
The nation’s top public health agency has released a roadmap for reopening schools in the middle of a pandemic. It emphasizes mask wearing and social distancing and other actions but saying vaccination of teachers is important but not a prerequisite for reopening.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the long-awaited update Friday. The CDC cannot force schools to reopen, and agency officials were careful to say they are not calling for a mandate that all U.S. schools be reopened, reported Collin Binkley and Mike Stobbe of the Associated Press. But they said there is strong evidence now that in-person schooling can be done safely, especially at lower grade levels, and the guidance is targeted at schools that teach kindergarten up to 12th grade. Reported Collin Binkley and Mike Stobbe, Associated Press.
JUST IN: As negotiations continue on in person teaching in California schools, Governor Newsom’s administration launches interactive map to show the status of school reopenings:https://t.co/QkRt0JPsOC
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) February 12, 2021
The Safe Schools for All Plan’s interactive Safe Schools Reopening Map shows how districts are adapting to #COVID19, including safety planning & implementation, while helping school staff & families make informed decisions as we safely reopen schools. https://t.co/meQ1RoeBWQ
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) February 12, 2021