The reopening of schools is no small feat. It involves multiple stakeholders, including students, teachers, parents, administrators, school board members, mayors and governors, and local governments. It also requires planning, coordination, and the implementation of a comprehensive set of mitigation strategies. These strategies include ensuring school buildings are prepared, offering remote learning and in-person instruction on a hybrid schedule, and requiring all educators to adhere to strict work rules that protect them during in-person teaching.
As a result of this intense and complex process, many schools are now ready to open their doors to students. This week, New York City schools, the largest in the United States, begin reopening for students to attend in person. The reopening is a big test for Mayor de Blasio and schools commissioner Richard Carranza, who promised the city’s students would return to class with all the proper safety precautions in place.
But not everyone is convinced. “People are still a little bit nervous,” says Donna Rivera, a pre-K through fifth grade teacher at PS-139 in Flatbush. She is one of the educators assigned to teach in the classroom this year, but has been working remotely for weeks, and is now returning to her building.
Rivera and the other teachers she works with are relying on research showing that schools that implement stringent mitigation measures are not only safe for students, but also can reduce transmission in the community. This is especially important because studies show that schools are often where the most COVID-19 cases occur, and are more likely to infect adults than other workplaces.
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