How Safe Is Your School’s Reopening Plan? Here’s What To Look For

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Rose Wong for NPR

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Rose Wong for NPR

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Rose Wong for NPR

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Rose Wong for NPR

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Rose Wong for NPR

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Rose Wong for NPR

Enlarge this image

Rose Wong for NPR

Rose Wong for NPR

Kids need to run, play and take breaks, says Kullar. And «we know, outdoor time is less risky than indoor time,» she says. Most of our experts agree — recess should take place outside, ideally with enough room for kids to socially distance, so they can remove their masks.

If kids can’t stay six feet apart while on recess, our experts agreed they should not remove their masks, especially if they are inside.

Kullar advises staggering recess times, sending kids out in «small, supervised groups.» And everyone should immediately wash hands when reentering the building, she adds.

Some of our experts recommended not just a single recess, but multiple «mask breaks» during the day. This could increase chances that kids comply with mask use the rest of the time, says Miller.

10) Gym And Sports

Look for: Outdoor activities and no contact sports

Games should be outside and spaced as much as possible, says Miller, adding that kickball is «relatively safe.» Modified forms of no-contact tag, hide-and-go seek, or anything where kids are running around and generally staying away from one another, also work, he says. «If you can’t go outside, use the gym or the cafeteria as a larger play space,» Miller says.

Avoid sports that involve physical contact, cautioned several of our experts. «Contact sports should be suspended until we see a decrease in cases,» says Kullar. This means no team sports like basketball, football, baseball, wrestling, cheerleading, Tan added.

Cross-country running and tennis are safer bets than other sports, says Malani. «With tennis, there’s enough distance, particularly with singles play, that other than making sure that you keep your hands clean, there’s not a lot of additional precautions that would be needed.» Malani says.

Masks can come off if students are breathing hard, as long as they are well distanced, Zerr says.

11) The Missing Ingredient

Look for: A boost in funding

We also asked our experts for other ideas that should be the components of any good back-to-school plan.

The number one answer? Money.

Lily Eskelsen García, president of the National Education Association, says the things schools need to keep students safe and healthy — from face masks to hand sanitizer — «everything costs money.» While recently lobbying for school funding, she recalls one politician complained, «Money, money money, all you guys want is money.» What schools really needed, the politician said, was plexiglass dividers. And Eskelsen Garcia said, «Oh, I had no idea they were giving those away! Put me down for 52 million!»

National education organizations have estimated that schools need as much as $245 billion to reopen safely and plug holes in state budgets caused by the pandemic-induced recession. The White House has recommended allocating $105 billion in current negotiations, but wants to tie much of that money to schools physically reopening.

And of course, some schools have more resources to start with. The bottom line is, wealthier school districts will have an easier time implementing some of these safety measures. Without an influx of funding «inequities that exist now will likely be increased,» Malani says.

• school reopening
• coronavirus in the U.S.