In a post last week, I volunteered (I need to stop doing this) to create a one-pager that outlined the current state of affairs and evidence for safely opening schools during a pandemic. Well, I got about a million requests. So, here you go! I hope this helps amplify your voice. Feel free to copy and paste the language and/or disseminate as you see fit. If you’re a paying subscriber, just reply to this email for a PDF.
This is amazing - thank you! And many thanks for the shout out to Families United for Student Safety - folks can learn more at https://www.fuss-texas.org/
Thanks so much for taking the time to put this together! Question: should we also be advocating for some sort of surveillance testing? The Los Angeles school district recently announced they’re going to require weekly testing for everyone.
Do we have any idea how layered approaches will be impacted by Delta? Of course they are still critical - even more so because it is so contagious. But, do we know to what extent Delta may change the game?
Want to let you know the physician moms in Southwestern Ohio are using your template in a fight for safe schools. Thank you for this excellent resource.
I am faced with a decision about whether to send my kids back to school. My school will be dropping the stable cohorts idea for this year.
1. on the one hand, the citations above seem to indicate that masking alone greatly reduces. Though all studies are pre-delta.
2. Given that the probability of transmission is the sum of the probability of each person my child interacts with, I can't help but worry that removing stable cohorts, on the playgrounds will greatly increase the risk.
How important is it do you think stable cohorts are to the safe school strategy? Nice to have or neccessary?
Circling back to the Kid topic with school starting. Kids and Masks YES! But what kind of masks? I see that some of the more reputable masks makers have come out with smaller sized KN95 masks for kids sold at places like Vida and Boneafide. Our kids used the 3 layer surgical disposable masks last year but with Delta I am thinking about looking at these KN95 masks for the school year. My kids are at an in between size and the kids surgical masks are a bit too small and the adult ones too big. I am not super confident in the variety I see kids from school wear with sequence and pom-poms and want my kids to have as good of protection in a mask as possible and tolerable. What evidence or articles have you reviewed with any data regarding types of masks, specifically KN95 versus surgical versus cloth. THANK YOU and appreciate all your communications.
This an amazing resource and was used widely in El Paso, TX as we have been fighting for our mask mandate. The local districts thankfully voted in the mandate this week, but they also quietly dropped the quarantining procedures for children/teachers who have been exposed. I have been looking for guidelines around school quarantines (especially at the elementary level) that could be shared with our districts and keep coming up short. The CDC guidelines are vague and lean heavily on testing, something else that is lacking in our district. I was wondering if anyone could point me in quarantine procedure direction or has seen research that on highly effective quarantine policies.
Do you have a specific little kids kn95 mask recommendation? There are so many out there and I'm not sure I trust that they are all the real deal. I have 3 and 6 (almost 7) year olds, so they are on the small side. Thanks for all you do.
Hi! I just subscribed and wondered how I can get this PDF? I have a group of like minded parents and we are hoping to use this as part of our presentation. Thank you!
These are based on the CDC April 2 and 27 Interim Gudelines PH Recs for Fully Vaxxed People. -> Says the vaxxed can “refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic”.
Also, what do you think of these modified quarantine procedures for unvaxxed students? -> If close contact with positive case, as long as both were masked and the exposed person is asymptomatic, that person can continue to attend school if they are tested twice weekly for 10 days and forego all extracurricular activities.
Thank you!
For those who are interested in the flyer citations are these the correct ones?
Hershow et al
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7012e3.htm
Dawson et al
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7012e4.htm
Falk et al
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7004e3.htm
Doyle et al
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7012e2.htm
lessler et al
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6546/1092
This is amazing - thank you! And many thanks for the shout out to Families United for Student Safety - folks can learn more at https://www.fuss-texas.org/
Thanks so much for taking the time to put this together! Question: should we also be advocating for some sort of surveillance testing? The Los Angeles school district recently announced they’re going to require weekly testing for everyone.
Do we have any idea how layered approaches will be impacted by Delta? Of course they are still critical - even more so because it is so contagious. But, do we know to what extent Delta may change the game?
Thank you! 😘 Do cloth masks work for Delta (or any variant). I thought I heard you say in the interview that they do not. Thank you!
Want to let you know the physician moms in Southwestern Ohio are using your template in a fight for safe schools. Thank you for this excellent resource.
I am faced with a decision about whether to send my kids back to school. My school will be dropping the stable cohorts idea for this year.
1. on the one hand, the citations above seem to indicate that masking alone greatly reduces. Though all studies are pre-delta.
2. Given that the probability of transmission is the sum of the probability of each person my child interacts with, I can't help but worry that removing stable cohorts, on the playgrounds will greatly increase the risk.
How important is it do you think stable cohorts are to the safe school strategy? Nice to have or neccessary?
Circling back to the Kid topic with school starting. Kids and Masks YES! But what kind of masks? I see that some of the more reputable masks makers have come out with smaller sized KN95 masks for kids sold at places like Vida and Boneafide. Our kids used the 3 layer surgical disposable masks last year but with Delta I am thinking about looking at these KN95 masks for the school year. My kids are at an in between size and the kids surgical masks are a bit too small and the adult ones too big. I am not super confident in the variety I see kids from school wear with sequence and pom-poms and want my kids to have as good of protection in a mask as possible and tolerable. What evidence or articles have you reviewed with any data regarding types of masks, specifically KN95 versus surgical versus cloth. THANK YOU and appreciate all your communications.
This an amazing resource and was used widely in El Paso, TX as we have been fighting for our mask mandate. The local districts thankfully voted in the mandate this week, but they also quietly dropped the quarantining procedures for children/teachers who have been exposed. I have been looking for guidelines around school quarantines (especially at the elementary level) that could be shared with our districts and keep coming up short. The CDC guidelines are vague and lean heavily on testing, something else that is lacking in our district. I was wondering if anyone could point me in quarantine procedure direction or has seen research that on highly effective quarantine policies.
Do you have a specific little kids kn95 mask recommendation? There are so many out there and I'm not sure I trust that they are all the real deal. I have 3 and 6 (almost 7) year olds, so they are on the small side. Thanks for all you do.
Hi! I just subscribed and wondered how I can get this PDF? I have a group of like minded parents and we are hoping to use this as part of our presentation. Thank you!
What are your thoughts on California’s quarantine procedures for vaxxed students? https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/K-12-Guidance-2021-22-School-Year.aspx
These are based on the CDC April 2 and 27 Interim Gudelines PH Recs for Fully Vaxxed People. -> Says the vaxxed can “refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic”.
Also, what do you think of these modified quarantine procedures for unvaxxed students? -> If close contact with positive case, as long as both were masked and the exposed person is asymptomatic, that person can continue to attend school if they are tested twice weekly for 10 days and forego all extracurricular activities.
Band camp!! Cloth playing masks, some Instrument “bell”covers (no flute etc bags). At school with some outside some inside! Lunch prob inside!
Then school starts days later. Lunch in school!
Argh!! Help please!
Will you send your children to school before they change the mask mandate?