In Depth: The challenge schools face major test in providing safety amid spread of the delta variant

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Tue, 2021-09-14 21:44 — mike kraft

Delta variant stress tests back-to-school plans A Washington Post survey of the 20 largest school districts found that few are offering robust coronavirus testing amid vague guidelines and a surge of cases that few anticipated. Washington Post

As more than 55 million children and teens pour back into classrooms this fall, a real-life experiment is taking place: Can schools stay open safely amid the aggressive spread of the delta variant?

President Biden said he would do everything in his power to get as many students as possible back in school. But that promise is being tested by the highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus, which has infected more kids in the opening weeks for some schools than in all of last year while forcing nearly 1,700 temporary closures, according to Burbio, a data firm that tracks school reopenings.

The Biden administration crafted its guidance for schools before the delta variant began ripping through the country this summer, upending months of progress. Senior administration officials said they are confident schools that follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can remain open safely, even with the spread of delta. Officials in New York City, where the nation’s largest district began school Monday, said they are confident they can operate safely.

But a quarter of the nation’s 200 largest school districts are ignoring the agency’s No. 1 recommendation to mandate masks, according to Burbio. Even some compliant districts are struggling to implement what they say are vague guidelines on testing and quarantining — and many are not rigorously adhering to the federal recommendations.

“It’s critically important for CDC to be engaging on a regular basis with schools that are trying to do the right thing — to identify where the shortcomings are because any plans you put forward will have shortcomings and will need to be adjusted and adapted,” said Richard Besser, former acting director of the CDC and chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest health-care philanthropy.

Meanwhile, some health experts and school officials worry the guidelines, which were devised before the delta variant became dominant, are insufficient to protect students, teachers and others. ...

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