The Pandemic v. Schools - States Must Guide Schools on Reopening, Slowing Spread of Virus

Oct 15, 2026

A policy report outlining why schools are high-risk environments for COVID-19 transmission and why children lack comparable workplace health protections. It calls for a public-health response led by states and tribes, providing authoritative guidance that local PK-12 schools can adopt for reopening. The document emphasizes written infection prevention and control plans covering cleaning, disinfection, sanitation, indoor air quality, occupancy rates, staff vulnerability, and decision processes for access and daily operations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages49

Reading Time2 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

A Public Health Imperative: Keeping Children Safe at School

The State’s Role: Providing Public Health Guidance

The Condition of School Facilities Affects Transmission of the Virus

School Staff Vulnerability, COVID-19, and Schools

School Infection Prevention and Control Plan

First Steps

Schools Pre-opening

School Occupants and Occupancy

Appendix

Appendix 1: School District Response Plan

Appendix 2: Symptoms of COVID-19 Among Children and Adults

Appendix 3: Phased Reopenings: Federal CDC “Decision Tree”

Appendix 4: Federal and Other Authoritative Resources Related to COVID-19

Appendix 5: Sampling of State Plans to Reopen Schools

Appendix 6: Cleaning and Sanitizing and Disinfecting

Appendix 7: Indoor Air, Ventilation, and Aerosol Transmission

Appendix 8: Dampness and Growing Molds in Schools

Appendix 9: Drinking Water

Appendix 10: NIOSH Hierarchy of Controls

Appendix 11: Considerations for School Nurses Regarding Care

NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION The Pandemic v. Schools States Must Guide Schools on Reopening, Slowing Spread of Virus Prepared by Healthy Schools Network New Jersey Work Environment Council With contributions from New Jersey Education Association, Healthy Schools Now (NJ), NEA Healthy Schools Caucus, Learning Disabilities Association of America, National Association of School Nurses, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America 153 Regent Street, Ste. 1050 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 [www.HealthySchools.org](www.HealthySchools.org) New Jersey Work Environment Council 172 W. State Street, Second Floor Trenton, NJ 08608 [www.njwec.org](www.njwec.org) TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 1 A Public Health Imperative: Keeping Children Safe at School 1 The State’s Role: Providing Public Health Guidance 1 The Condition of School Facilities Affects Transmission of the Virus 2 School Staff Vulnerability, COVID-19, and Schools 4 School Infection Prevention and Control Plan 6 First Steps 7 Schools Pre-opening 8 School Occupants and Occupancy 13 Appendix 19 Appendix 1: School District Response Plan for Anticipating, Recognizing, Preventing, and Addressing Coronavirus 20 Appendix 2: Symptoms of COVID-19 Among Children and Adults 24 Appendix 3: Phased Reopenings: Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Decision Tree” 28 Appendix 4: Federal and Other Authoritative Resources Related to COVID-19 31 Appendix 5: Sampling of State Plans to Reopen Schools 34 Appendix 6: Cleaning and Sanitizing and Disinfecting 35 Appendix 7: Indoor Air, Ventilation, and Aerosol Transmission 39 Appendix 8: Dampness and Growing Molds in Schools 42 Appendix 9: Drinking Water 44 Appendix 10: NIOSH Hierarchy of Controls 45 Appendix 11: Considerations for School Nurses Regarding Care of Students and Staff that Become Ill at School or Arrive Sick 46 1 PREFACE A PUBLIC HEALTH IMPERATIVE: KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE AT SCHOOL The 65 million children in schools and child care facilities* every day are 100% of our future. Every state requires children to attend school. Yet unlike the adults at school, they lack federal or state workplace health and safety rights or protections. By their nature, schools are an environment conducive to the spread of COVID-19. They are densely occupied for long periods. In fact, schools are where children spend the most time, other than home—often 30-40 hours per week. Like adults, children may shed and transmit the coronavirus, yet show no symptoms. Except for masks, there is no PPE for children, who breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults; further, children cannot identify or protect themselves from risks. Schools can either slow the spread of the virus or speed it up. If they are to reduce, rather than increase, the risk of new COVID-19 outbreaks and repeated closures, schools will need to adopt districtwide, facility-level written school infection prevention and control plans to address the details of cleaning, disinfecting, sanitation, indoor air, and environmental quality, as well as occupancy rates, occupant behaviors, and how to determine day to day who can enter. Right now, schools across the country are struggling to come up with these plans on their own. COVID-19 is a public health crisis. It demands a public health response. Overburdened local schools are at a disadvantage since they do not have the knowledge, expertise, or resources to develop such a comprehensive response. This report is the national call to action for the public health community—the states and tribes and big city public agencies—to produce guidance, in the form of an authoritative Plan for Infection Prevention and Control in Schools that local schools can adopt as they prepare for reopening. These authoritative state-level plans offered to schools should include detailed recommendations on specific steps that schools should follow and selec

FAQs

Why does the report describe schools as conducive to COVID-19 spread?

Schools involve dense occupancy for long periods and children may transmit the coronavirus without showing symptoms. Children also breathe more air per pound of body weight and cannot reliably protect themselves from risks beyond masks.

What does the report ask states and tribes to do for reopening?

States should produce authoritative, public-health based infection prevention and control plans that local schools can adopt. These state-level plans should include detailed steps and selected options so schools can adapt them to facility conditions and occupants.

What should a school infection prevention and control plan include?

The plan should address cleaning, disinfecting, sanitation, indoor air and environmental quality, occupancy rates, occupant behaviors, and practical rules for determining who can enter day to day.

Oct 15, 2026

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