New CDC Research Backs Biden Push for In-Person Schooling
By Sarah D. Sparks & Mark Lieberman — January 26, 2021 8 min read
A staff member holds the door open for students on the first day of school at Goodwin Frazier Elementary School in New Braunfels, Texas, last August.
Mikala Compton/Herald-Zeitung via AP
Research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is adding fuel to the Biden administration’s push for school districts to return to in-person instruction, even amid the latest wave of the pandemic.
However, at least one of the new studies warns against governors’ moves to restart high school indoor sports in several states.
A handful of new studies, including one released Tuesday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, add to evidence that students and teachers may be able to safely return to in-person instruction, even in communities with widespread coronavirus infection, if the schools use key health and safety practices such as mask-wearing, social distancing, sanitation, and keeping students in small groups or “cohorts” to limit interaction.
“As many schools have reopened for in-person instruction in some parts of the [United States] as well as internationally, school-related cases of COVID-19 have been reported, but there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission,” wrote CDC researchers led by Margaret Honein in an accompanying viewpoint essay in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
“The preponderance of available evidence from the fall school semester has been reassuring insofar as the type of rapid spread that was frequently observed in congregate living facilities or high-density worksites has not been reported in education settings in schools.”
Schools used clear health protections
NOTE
The Tracy Learning Center Schools have been open for in-person since October and early November. We have approximately 45% of our students back on campus. We follow safety guidelines and are proving to be a safe place. In all these months, we have had four positive COVID cases which resulted in closing a room or a school for the quarantine time. None of the cases traced back to exposure at school.
PCS
Happy Monday! We will be passing along more info as we get closer but we have our PCS picture day scheduled for Wednesday, February 24th.
DCS
Welcome to week 24 parents/guardians and students!
Please visit our website to find our most current Nest standings (Leadership page), our class updates (56 and 78 pages), information about ‘your circle of control’ (Counseling Corner), and information on ELPAC practice meetings (EL Program).
MHS
MHS FALL 2020 HONOR ROLL!! Congratulations to all of the MHS Falcons who are on the Honor Roll for Fall 2020! Please see the attached list of recipients! Honor Roll GPA’s are based on Fall Semester Total Unweighted GPA’s, which can be found on student report cards in Aeries. (Delta College classes are not included.) Students Attending On-Campus: Your honor roll certificate and a treat will be delivered to you on Thursday, February 4th! Students Attending Distance Learning: Certificate (And Treat!) Drive-Through Pickup When: Friday, February 5th between 11:00am-12:00 noon Where: High School Staff parking lot / car line near the basketball courts How: Students and parents, please remain in your car and wear a mask – our high school staff will hand you your certificate and treat through the window! **If you are unable to pick up your certificate at this date/time, it will be mailed to you.**
English Language Learners – ELPAC testing starts next week. We encourage you to take a moment and explore the test using the link below. As with any test, you do better when you practice.
https://www.elpac.org/resources/online-practice-and-training-test/