Students should return to campus if conditions are safe, Cook Children’s doctor says
Students should return to campuses this fall if possible so long as schools can create and enforce safe COVID-19 prevention practices, a doctor at Cook Children’s Medical Center said.
Dr. Marc Mazade, who along with a team of healthcare leaders at the hospital created a page of tips for school districts trying to plan for the next academic year, said the best learning outcomes for most children will be in an actual classroom. For that to be possible, though, he said districts need to create strict guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
He suggests things like serving lunch to students in homerooms, requiring masks, teaching younger children to wash their hands and using appropriate hand sanitizer frequently, regularly cleaning all shared equipment after each use and keeping sick kids home.
In cases where a student comes to school and presents symptoms of COVID-19, they should be separated from students and staff until a parent can pick them up.
“I think that the education is better for the kids in the school building. At least our experience over the last year, starting in March with no preparation time, we lost a lot of students who were not able to connect with the school,” Mazade said.
Many districts across Tarrant County are planning to offer parents an option between online and in-person education. Almost half of Fort Worth parents want their children to continue online schooling, but 57% want their students to be in classrooms, according to Fort Worth school district spokesman Clint Bond.
Mazade said online education works for some students and for some parents, but not for all.
Some parents, especially single working parents, may have a difficult time helping their children with their studies and working, he said. Schools and employers both need to be understanding of that.
School districts considering split days, where students only come to campus on certain days, should also be aware of the hardships parents might face.
If at all possible, parents should keep children going to campus away from older family members. While many children do not present symptoms of the novel coronavirus, they can still carry the pathogen and infect family members.
Teachers should be kept safe, too, with masking and social distancing. School nurses should make sure they wear a medical mask at all times, Mazade said, and partitions should be placed between seating and beds in nurses’ offices to prevent the spread of the virus there.
Mazade said this may make things difficult for students, parents and teachers, but in the end an in-person education can provide the best outcomes for most students. Parents and their students know themselves best, though, and should make the decision based on what is most likely to benefit their education.