Background: Disparities in school attendance exist for children with medical complexity (CMC) due to COVID-19. Longitudinal changes in family-reported school safety perceptions and predictors of full-time, in-person school attendance are unknown. Methods: This was a prospective, longitudinal cohort study with 3 survey waves (June 2021-June 2022)…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions provides on an update on progress toward safely getting back to work and back to school after COVID-19. Opening statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Lamar Alexander, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and (2) Honorable Patty Murray, Ranking Member, a…

When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, public safety departments at four-year institutions of higher education in the U.S. were vulnerable. This vulnerability was because of the limited time they had to initiate their pandemic response to help protect their campus communities, and the need to create or revise institutional emergency response…

Background: Ongoing masking of K-12 children has not been universally accepted despite recommendation from public health authorities. In states without universal mask mandates for schools, district administrators are forced to make masking decisions under significant local political pressures. There is a call for endpoints to masking to allow…

In recent times, the world has witnessed an unprecedented global crisis with the outbreak of COVID-19. This pandemic has not only brought about a paradigm shift in our daily lives but has also significantly impacted various sectors of society, including the education system. K-12 schools are a major concern for viral transmission due to the close…

Local Education Agencies (LEA) must plan to provide full-day, full-time, in-person instruction and operations for the 2021-2022 school year. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) and New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) worked collaboratively to develop the following guidance to operationalize that goal. This guidance includes a range…

Background: Case investigation and contact tracing (CI/CT) are important public health tools to interrupt COVID-19 transmission. Our study aims to understand how parents and school staff perceive COVID-19 CI/CT. Methods: Using a mixed methods approach, we distributed a community survey and conducted 15 focus group discussions (FGDs) in English and…

During the advancement of COVID-19, many safety protocols, including facial masks, were incorporated into public settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2021), due to safety regulations, recommended wearing face masks when in close contact with other people in public environments, such as in a classroom, where social…

Background: "Test-to-stay" (TTS) is an effective approach for keeping students in school post-exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To prepare for school-based SARS-CoV-2 testing, we implemented formative research to gather perspectives on school-based testing among school personnel, as well as…

Background: Universities are at risk for COVID-19 and Fall semester begins in August 2020 for most campuses in the United States. The Southern States, including Mississippi, are experiencing a high incidence of COVID-19. Aims: The objective of this study is to model the impact of face masks and hybrid learning on the COVID-19 epidemic on…

The National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness provides a roadmap to guide America out of the worst public health crisis in a century. It outlines an actionable plan across the federal government to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including twelve initial executive actions issued by President Biden on his first two days…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of school districts in California will not have in-person teaching in fall 2020. Over the months ahead, parents, educators, and the public will have to navigate uncertainty in weighing the costs and benefits of opening schools versus supporting learning remotely. This brief offers the questions…

Objective: To assess the frequency of preventative COVID-19 behaviors and vaccination willingness among United States (US) college and university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Participants (N = 653) were [greater than or equal to]18 years old and students at institutions for higher education in the US in March 2020. Methods:…

Background: Test-to-stay (TTS) is a strategy to limit school exclusion following an exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We evaluated the use of TTS within universally masked kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) school settings following household SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Methods: Three hundred twenty-two…

As school buildings plan to fully reopen according to decisions made in collaboration with local public health departments, education agency leaders and safety planning partners are implementing protocols for preventing or mitigating infectious disease transmission. Federal agencies have created a variety of resources and tools to help…