Two excerpts from the Federal Public Health Agency’s Guidelines for school administrators:
Reduce risk for people at higher risk of severe illness.
For all ages:
- encourage children/youth, staff or volunteers who are at high risk for disease to consult their health care professional about staying at home
- provide alternative ways to provide programming (if possible) that is meaningful so children/youth do not fall behind in their studies and maintain a sense of meaning/belonging
- accommodations for children/youth with limited access to electronic devices and the internet should be considered
- consideration should be given to the use of masks and face shields (eye protection) as the evidence is evolving on their benefits to the wearer to reduce their risk of infection
- encourage those who are at high risk for severe illness to avoid contact with the school (for example, parents / guardians, grandparents,
- or volunteers who are older adults, or those with underlying medical conditions)
- those who are at high risk of severe illness residing with a child / youth attending school should discuss their risk with their health care professional
Students with disabilities
There is a need to maintain equitable access to education during the COVID-19 pandemic for students with disabilities. The impact of loss of instructional time and related services, including mental health services as well as occupational, physical, and speech/language therapy during the period of school closures is significant for children/youth with disabilities. Children/youth with disabilities may also have more difficulty with the social and emotional aspects of transitioning out of and back into the school setting and may have more difficulties applying some mitigation strategies. Adjusting to new routines can be particularly challenging for children with developmental disabilities. As schools prepare for reopening, school administrators should develop a plan to ensure a review of children/youth who access services to consider how programming can be adjusted to accommodate the lost time of instruction and other related services, while supporting children to adjust to new routines and measures in the COVID-19 context. Administrators should also take steps to ensure that accommodations are made so that children with disabilities have access to the same public health information and mitigation measures (for example, accessible hand washing stations, accessible signage, age and disability appropriate language, assistance with personal preventive measures). School administrators should also develop a plan to ensure that children/youth who are hearing impaired (and others who may rely on facial cues) have their educational needs met if NMMs are worn in their classrooms; this may include the use of transparent masks. In addition, schools can expect a backlog in new child / youth evaluations; therefore, plans to prioritize those for new referrals will be importantFootnote21.