Why It's Time to Reopen Schools for In-Person Learning

New studies from Germany, Norway and the United States offer yet more data to show that childcare facilities and elementary schools should remain open or reopen to full-time, in-person learning as quickly as possible. Despite these research findings, schools across the U.S. have largely been closed to in-person learning since the COVID-19 pandemic reached critical mass in March 2020.

Listen to a pediatric infectious disease expert discuss the return to in-person learning

In this episode, Sean O’Leary, MD, returns to the podcast to discuss recent study findings and the advocacy needed to support the reopening of schools to full-time, in-person learning. Dr. O’Leary is an infectious disease physician at Children’s Hospital Colorado and Director of the Colorado Pediatric Practice-Based Research Network. He is also a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In this episode, our experts discuss:

• Findings from recent studies of COVID-19 transmission in students and teachers in school settings
• Current status of vaccination efforts for teachers
• Risk of COVID-19 transmission to teachers and children from school settings versus community settings
• How pediatricians can advocate for schools to reopen and remain open
• Expert predictions of what school might look like in fall 2021

Resources for providers:

• Eurosurveillance: Minimal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Paediatric COVID-19 Cases in Primary Schools, Norway, August to November 2020,
• New England Journal of Medicine: Open Schools, Covid-19, and Child and Teacher Morbidity in Sweden,
• Pediatrics: Incidence and Secondary Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Schools