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Despite the omicron, most schools remain open after the holiday: NPR

A classroom in Hollywood, California, is empty in August 2020. At least 2,750 schools in the United States have announced that they will be canceling in-person learning this week.

Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images


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Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images


A classroom in Hollywood, California, is empty in August 2020. At least 2,750 schools in the United States have announced that they will be canceling in-person learning this week.

Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images

As the pandemic enters its fifth semester, US leaders are less likely to want schools to attend school in remote areas than ever before, despite cases – and with them hospitalizations of children. em – is increasing. Follow to Burbio, an organization that tracks the websites of individual schools and districts, the majority of schools in the United States remained open for in-person learning this week.

However, Burbio reports that at least 2,750 schools around the country have announced that they will be canceling in-person learning. Some have announced closures for a week. That includes Atlanta and Fulton County in Georgia and Ann Arbor, Mich. Others will be closed for two weeks, including schools in Newark, Paterson and Elizabeth, NJ; Mount Vernon, NY; Pontiac, Mi .; and Prince George County in Maryland.

Most school districts cite increased cases, but school leaders in Greendale, Wisc., tell family They simply have too many quarantine officers to keep the school district open on Mondays, and so does Pittsburgh closing dozens of individual schools due to lack of personnel.

Leaders determined to keep schools open

Across the country, mayor, governor and the US Secretary of Education have been vocal in support of keeping schools open.

“Our expectation is that schools are open full-time for face-to-face students,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said. said on Fox News Sunday.

Meanwhile, some teacher unions are pushing for the delay and stronger safety measures. Some parents and students are also worried.

Kathryn Rose, a substitute teacher at Chicago Public Schools, teaches at a high school Monday. She said, “We did a class on how [the students] feel about being in the building. Many of them say they don’t feel safe.”

Chicago’s teachers union is set to vote on Tuesday on Will distance learning start on Wednesday? – without the permission of the city.

New York City, home to the largest school district in the country, reports about 31,000 cases a day. The head of the city’s teachers union, Michael Mulgrew, said in an open letter on Sunday that he advised the mayor that temporarily returning to remote areas would be the safest course of action.

There are no dice. Mayor Eric Adams, who was sworn in on New Year’s Day, began his first Monday in office with A press conference held at an elementary school in the Bronx. “We are really excited about the opening of our schools,” he said. “And we want to be extremely clear: The safest place for our children is in a school building, and we will keep our schools open.”

Schools are turning to vaccines, shifting quarantines, and tests, tests, exams

Compared to previous semesters, some schools are adjusting the way they use vaccines, tests and masks to keep schools open safely.

Vaccine available for children 5 years and under. FDA also authorized booster shot for some immunocompromised children aged 5-11 years and for all children 12-18 years of age. New Orleans pioneered among counties in announcing Vaccination duties for students under 5 years old, effective February.

Schools are also increasingly relying on rapid tests, which give results in as little as 15 minutes. They can be used both for detecting cases and for keeping children in school after exposure, according to a protocol The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls it a “trial to stay.” Governor of California said The state will send 6 million of these tests to schools. New York State officials are sending 3 to 3.5 million won, with 2 million kits for New York City schools. Connecticut is providing 2 million tests to schools; and Massachusetts more than 227,000 won.

While these numbers are large, they are not enough to test everyone multiple times a week, which is a protocol adopted in some workplaces and private schools.

Public health experts are also advising people to upgrade their masks. Los Angeles County is tell the school staff use of medical masks and New York City officials said they will provide KN95 masks to school staff. But there are few calls to replace cloth masks among students. And more than a third of the counties in Burbio’s sample of 500 large counties have there are no mask quests at all.

Even in places with mask regulations, two enduring concerns are high school athletics — particularly sports like wrestling — and lunch time. “There’s going to be a huge amount of contagion by lunchtime if people aren’t careful with omicrons,” said Dr. Danny Benjamin of the ABC Science Collaborative, which advises counties on safety procedures.

While the experts make their recommendations, Kathryn Rose, who is six months pregnant, says she will continue to attend classes. So did her three children, all of whom attended Chicago Public Schools.

“Turn on the air purifier to boost the pressure, put on your mask. I feel that it’s important to put the students in the rooms together, talk, laugh, and ask questions.”

It was a calculated risk, she said.

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