Question: Can the risk of COVID be mitigated for teachers? More broadly, should DC be reopening schools when the pandemic is at an all-time high rate of infection?

Answer: The risk of COVID can be mitigated (but not erased) by implementing a number of protective measures, including masking, podding, social distancing, hand washing, cleaning, screening, and proper ventilation (see Q&A of 9/30).  Of course, vaccination will also be extremely important and our teachers need to be provided vaccinations as soon as possible!  When it comes to whether or not DC should be reopening schools at this stage of the pandemic, clearly there are strong opinions on both sides (reopen or stay virtual), with each side having valid arguments supporting those opinions.  I found this recent article from CDC researchers that JAMA published a few days ago helpful for parsing through what needs to be done, “Data and Policy to Guide Opening Schools Safely to Limit the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.”  I attempted to synthesize the article’s main points and then add my own sub-bullet on areas where DC seems to be succeeding (green flag), those where the city is questionably succeeding (yellow flag), and those where the city seems to be challenged (red flag):

1. Addressing and reducing community spread “through policies to interrupt transmission (eg, restrictions on indoor dining at restaurants).”
   • Red flag: DC’s community transmission rates are still high with 3,125 cases in the last 14 days, equating to 444 cases per 100,000 people over the last 2 weeks.  Per CDC’s school reopening benchmarks, this puts DC in the highest transmission risk category (>200 cases/100,000).  Additionally, DC has recently eased restrictions on indoor dining, allowing for 25% capacity indoors.    
2. Making school spaces as COVID safe as possible, “requiring universal face mask use, increasing physical distance by dedensifying classrooms and common areas, using hybrid attendance models when needed to limit the total number of contacts and prevent crowding, increasing room air ventilation, and expanding screening testing to rapidly identify and isolate asymptomatic infected individuals.”  
   • Yellow flag: It appears that DC is working hard to implement these measures, per its risk mitigation commitments are here (Figure 1).  DC also aims to start vaccinating its public school workforce this month.  However, the teacher’s union is meeting an arbiter to determine if their agreement with the school board was breached as related to safety promises made/delivered. 
3. Providing the option of remote school, “Staff and students should continue to have options for online education, particularly those at increased risk of severe illness or death if infected with SARS-CoV-2.”
   • Yellow flag: Families have the choice whether to send their child to in-person learning. Per DC’s School Chancellor, “Families will always have a choice to have their student remain learning at home, and there is no requirement to accept an in-person learning seat.” However, as well described in this recent Washington Post article, the current reopening plans are spotlighting inequities. “Twice as many families rejected an offer to return to an elementary school in the poorest ward than in the wealthiest one.”  Furthermore, as the article reports, the number of teachers returning to in-person teaching is much higher proportionally than those teaching students learning remotely.  If resources are diverted to better support in-person learning, we’ll have separate and unequal schooling largely divided along racial and economic lines.     
4. Limiting school-related activities “such as indoor sports practice or competition that could increase transmission risk.”    
   • Green flag:  DC public schools have suspended all high school sports and extracurricular activities through March 17th (the current duration of the public health emergency).

Figure 1. DC Public Schools Health and Safety Commitments (from DC Reopen Strong)