AAP statement
A follow-up to my post last week RE: COVID19 and kids, as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) made a splash this week.
Some background... The AAP is a professional group made up of 66,000 pediatricians across the nation. They remain the golden standard of data-driven recommendations. They have laid the foundation for childhood safety and health throughout the years.
The AAP published a report advocating “that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.” This INCLUDES children with special medical needs.
They make the argument that the benefits of childhood development outweigh the risks: “Schools are fundamental to child and adolescent development and well-being and provide our children and adolescents with academic instruction, social and emotional skills, safety, reliable nutrition, physical/speech and mental health therapy, and opportunities for physical activity, among other benefits. Beyond supporting the educational development of children and adolescents, schools play a critical role in addressing racial and social inequity.”
Their policy is long, but readable (i.e. not science-y) and have some innovative solutions. Here is the link: https://services.aap.org/…/covid-19-planning-consideration…/
This may be useful, again, to our parents, teachers, and administrators who have been working tirelessly to address the needs of children through this unprecedented time.
I recognize there are many angles to this decision. Including the health of teachers and staff. Although this is a pediatric institution, they do include a large section regarding the health (physical and mental) and safety of staff/teachers.
Love, your local epidemiologist
P.S. If you would like to see the science of COVID19 spread among children, see my post from June 19. For some reason, I cannot reshare. There are some fantastic studies in there regarding kid-to-kid and kid-to-adult transmission.