The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday agreed with the Trump administration’s pronouncement that schools should reopen for in-person classes this fall.
The CDC also issued updated guidance which now aligns with recommendations made by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) — schools should reopen with limited exceptions.
The decision is also said to resolve the alleged conflict between the White House and the CDC.
“The best available evidence from countries that have opened schools indicates that COVID-19 poses low risks to school-aged children, at least in areas with low community transmission, and suggests that children are unlikely to be major drivers of the spread of the virus. “Reopening schools creates opportunity to invest in the education, well-being, and future of one of America’s greatest assets — our children — while taking every precaution to protect students, teachers, staff and all their families,” the CDC said.
The Trump administration has been pressuring schools to resume in-person learning as soon as possible. The Education department even threatened to strip federal funding from school districts that refuse to open back up in the fall.
Schools in verified coronavirus hotspots are exempted from reopening.
Democrats, teachers unions, and others have expressed their strong opposition to the administration’s strategy.
“Everyone wants schools to reopen, but we don’t want to begin in-person teaching, face an explosion of cases and sickness, then be forced to return to distance learning,” teachers argued.