COVID-19 Update: School Reopening Debate Continues, Florida Reports Record Cases

The debate on when to reopen school facilities is still ongoing as school districts across the country plan for a new school year that will require new safety and cleaning protocols if and when on-site instruction takes place. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a new statement July 10 on the safe return of students, teachers, and staff to schools based on “science and community circumstances.”

The statement issued along with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA,) and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, comes two weeks after the AAP put out guidance in favor of bringing students back to the classroom this fall. Their initial recommendation that education leaders and policymakers “should start with a goal of having students physically present in school,” was met with criticism for including little about the safety of educators and other school personnel, reports NPR.

The AAP’s new guidance says a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate for return-to-school decisions. “Local school leaders, public health experts, educators, and parents must be at the center of decisions about how and when to reopen schools, taking into account the spread of COVID-19 in their communities and the capacities of school districts to adapt safety protocols to make in-person learning safe and feasible,” according to the statement.

“Science should drive decision-making on safely reopening schools. Public health agencies must make recommendations based on evidence, not politics. We should leave it to health experts to tell us when the time is best to open up school buildings, and listen to educators and administrators to shape how we do it,” AAP stated.

Los Angeles, San Diego Public Schools Will Remain Closed in Fall

On Monday, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LSUSD), the second-largest school district in the country, announced its campuses will remain closed as coronavirus climb in California. The LAUSD issued a joint statement with the San Diego Unified School District, which also announced it will start the school year with online-only courses, reports NBC affiliate Channel 4 of Los Angeles. 

The decision comes  after the union representing the district’s teachers announced results of a poll showing that 83% of instructors opposed returning to in-person classes, Channel 4 reports.

Florida Smashes Daily Cases Record, Disney Word Reopens

After reporting 15,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday—a daily record for any state since the pandemic began, Florida reported another 12,000 cases on Monday. The timing of record cases comes the same weekend Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando opened its doors after being closed for 118 days to the public. Two other Disney theme parks in Florida, Epcot and Hollywood Studios, plan to reopen on Wednesday. Disney employs more than 77,000 workers at its Florida theme parks, including hundreds of custodians, groundskeepers, and cleaners.

As of July 13, the total confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surpassed 3.3 million with 135,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.