California debates the return to face-to-face classes 5:49
(CNN) -
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will release this week a long-awaited new guide for bringing children back to school during the coronavirus pandemic. .
The Joe Biden administration is pushing to reopen schools, an issue some see as linked to the reopening of the economy and a return to normal life in the United States.
A government official told CNN that the CDC's five key strategies for reopening schools include hand washing, use of masks, physical distancing, cleaning and ventilation, as well as contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.
The guide will not suggest that staff are required to be vaccinated, but rather describe vaccination as another "staged" strategy, as many schools were able to safely reopen before vaccines were available, the official said.
The guidelines will also state that screening - testing people for asymptomatic cases or in people who are infected but have not yet become ill - can improve case detection.
advertising
Biden wants to return to face-to-face classes, but the US must "make the investments" necessary to return safely, says White House secretary general
How to go back to school in the USA?
5:54
But some teachers and unions are rejecting the reopening plans.
Many ask for vaccines and more supplies.
The National Education Association (NEA) surveyed 3,305 of its members and said Tuesday that 82% have yet to receive the covid-19 vaccine.
As of Monday, at least 26 states and Washington said they would allow some or all teachers and school personnel to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Some have also raised equity concerns, noting that current access to funds and supplies necessary to meet safe reopening standards often leans toward wealthier jurisdictions.
Face-to-face classes resume in Italy after six months
Georgia: back to class reactive local economy 3:19
"Most schools, especially those attended by poor black, brown, Indian, and white students have very outdated ventilation systems and there are no testing or tracking programs to speak of," said NEA President Becky Pringle.
Pringle noted that the messages from the CDC and other leaders carry weight and she hopes the new guidance will be supported by funding from federal and local entities.
"We need to make sure we have the additional funding to help our most underserved students and schools, because we are digging a hole here," Pringle said.
"Here we are with outdated ventilation systems, damaged buildings, to which we want to send the children back with the coronavirus still in full swing."
President Joe Biden's pandemic crisis relief proposal would include $ 170 billion for schools, kindergarten through 12th grade colleges, and universities that could be earmarked for mitigation measures.
What does science say about going back to face-to-face classes?
Experts say that with proper precautions, a return to in-person learning can be safe, even before all teachers and staff are vaccinated.
"Schools should be the last places closed and the first places open," said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a briefing at the White House last week.
"Our goal is to make sure that children go back to school and to do it safely for children and teachers."
USA: 5 CDC Strategies for Back to School 1:00
Walensky previously said that vaccinating teachers "is not a prerequisite for the safe reopening of schools."
Some schools have managed to implement full or part-time face-to-face learning, without the kind of covid-19 spread seen in crowded offices or long-term care facilities.
Transmission has occurred, but CDC researchers say there is little evidence that it contributed significantly to further spread in the community.
In a CDC study, mitigation measures, including physical distancing, contact tracing, and wearing masks, provided to students through a grant from a private foundation, helped 17 rural schools in Wisconsin, to achieve transmission rates 37% lower than those of the general community.
Of 191 covid-19 cases, only 3.7% were contracted at school.
Those mitigation measures can make a big difference.
Another CDC study detailed how two Florida high school wrestling matches, a high-contact sport that does not allow for mask wearing or physical distancing, became super-spreading events that led to the loss of approximately 1,700 days. -Students in person.
Previous CDC Tips for Schools
After COVID-19 began to take hold across the United States, the CDC offered some considerations for closing schools in March of last year, noting that suspending in-person learning for eight weeks or more would likely have more impact on mitigation. of community spread than shorter closures in response to positive cases.
Some schools switched to virtual learning for the remainder of the academic year.
Before the start of the new school year in August, the CDC advised communities to weigh the benefits of in-person learning against the risks of reopening schools amid a pandemic.
The agency advised jurisdictions to make in-person learning decisions based on its level of community outreach.
For schools that allow in-person learning, the CDC emphasized the importance of maintaining a clean environment, wearing masks, and physical distancing.
Schools were told that they should try to keep students and teachers in separate groups during the day and eat lunch outside when possible.
Experts have warned that learning during a pandemic can be difficult for students.
The agency advised schools to maintain mental health services and offer distance counseling.
How are American schools preparing for the coronavirus?
California registers decrease in rate of covid-19 cases 2:13
In the months since, schools have adopted various approaches including in-person learning, online learning, and a hybrid of the two.
Staying aware of transmission rates, and perhaps the presence of variants of the virus, will help people manage anxiety and make informed plans about reopening schools, said Dr. Stuart Ray, professor of Disease Medicine. Infectious from Johns Hopkins University.
Dashboards and other tools to assist in data collection can help jurisdictions stay informed.
Testing will also be a valuable tool, Ray noted.
"It makes a big difference to do some tests and not just symptom-based screening, particularly when children are less likely to have symptoms than adults," he said.
As for teachers and school staff, Ray said there is no question that there is some level of risk related to returning to learning in person before everyone has been vaccinated, but tools like personal protective equipment they can help make everyone safer.
“We need some guidance on how to factor Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) effectively so that people who are not vaccinated can still be safe, as we showed healthcare workers could be in 2020, before there are a vaccine available, "he said.
One of the most effective ways that people can help make teachers, staff and students safer inside schools is by helping control the spread of the virus outside of schools, Ray said.
"If people are very careful and wear masks and practice physical distancing outside of schools, schools become safer," he said.
- CNN's Ben Tinker, Jen Christensen, Jacqueline Howard and Meridith Edwards contributed to this report.
Face-to-face education back to school