As schools return to normal operations, they must be prepared to support students’ learning and well-being. School reopening requires robust, multilayered mitigation strategies that protect in-person learning from the virus, including masking, vaccination, testing and contact tracing. These approaches must also be tailored to students’ developmental needs and teachers’ professional judgments.
To foster a sense of trust and safety, schools must communicate and engage with families. This includes sharing data and providing clear and transparent information through multiple channels, including standing teacher and student cabinets; district leadership teams; the local teachers union and principals association; social media and direct messaging apps to parents, students and staff; and a community survey that reached 15,000 people in Tulsa. District leaders must also maintain a steady flow of updates to provide context for school reopening decisions and help families make informed choices.
The New York City Department of Education has been able to reopen its 1,800 buildings in a matter of weeks and to reintroduce in-person learning for children across the nation’s largest school system. In “Reopening,” The New York Times takes readers inside C.S. 55, where kids like first grader Kasiyah Daley flourish in Vanessa Veerasammy’s class.
As districts across the country reopen schools, it is important to remember that the reopening process is only one step in the long journey to a healthy school. To sustain safe, effective and equitable school operations, district leaders must focus on equitably distributing funding for remote learning, implementing public health practices in both in-person and virtual learning, supporting families through flexible policies around parental absences, and prioritizing student and educator well-being.
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