Back to School Planning for In-Person Classes Update: At the time of press - the Interim Palm Beach School Superintendent has not decided if Palm Beach County Public Schools will open with a mask mandate or masking optional. Despite a rise in cases, the governor of Florida has signed an executive order banning a mask mandate. The CDC has issued the following statement: Given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, CDC has updated the guidance for fully vaccinated people. CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning with layered prevention strategies in place. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a similar statement. Here are some helpful tips and check list. PB Parenting are not medical experts, this information was complied as concerned parents trying our best to share expert information from the CDC and other reliable sources. Please consult your family physician on the best course of action for your family. Schools are an important part of the infrastructure of communities. They provide safe and supportive learning environments for students that support social and emotional development, provide access to critical services, and improve life outcomes. They also employ people, and enable parents, guardians, and caregivers to work. Though COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred in school 12 August 2021| PB Parenting |
settings, multiple studies have shown that transmission rates within school settings, when multiple prevention strategies are in place, are typically lower than – or similar to – community transmission levels. Checklist: Planning for In-Person Classes Check in with your child each morning for signs of illness. If your child has a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, they should not go to school. Make sure your child does not have a sore throat or other signs of illness, like a cough, diarrhea, severe headache, vomiting, or body aches. If your child has had close contact to a COVID-19 case, they should not go to school. Follow guidance on what to do when someone has known exposure (https://www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/public-healthrecommendations.html) Identify your school point person(s) to contact if your child gets sick. Be familiar with local COVID-19 testing sites in the event you or your child develops symptoms. These may include sites with free testing available. (Palm Beach County Testing sites - https://discover. pbcgov.org/coronavirus/Pages/testing-sites.aspx)
