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Lots of proponents for reopening schools are citing the Sick Kids report as if it were peer-reviewed science or gospel. It's neither of these. A few observations as a population health scholar. A thread 1
The report is explicitly about the potential risks that children face upon returning to school vs. school closure. The report says little to nothing about protecting teachers, staff, and admin. This is worrisome. Who is protecting the adults? 2
The authors also state in the preamble that they are not educators and do not understand the "operational and logistical considerations" of actually running a school. Again, worrisome. And a theme in their guidance recommendations. 3
They also state that the lower infection rates in children may be in part due to the early school closures at the outset of the pandemic. 4
I used to be a substitute teacher and taught everyone. High school kids. Middle school kids. Special needs primary education. The reports 12-point guidance recommendations are out of touch with the realities of teaching and running a school. 5
For instance, how do you screen symptomatic kids (point #1) before they enter school? Where do kids go if they're dropped off and showing cold symptoms? Who watches them? Does this mean that there will be a zero tolerance policy for anyone showing cold symptoms? 6
How do you enforce hand hygiene (point #2) & medical face masks for children (point #3)? I have taught schools at all levels and used to teach kids with special needs. I just don't see how this is practical. Did the authors even think to consult with an educator? 7
The authors say repeatedly that "detailed recommendations are beyond the scope of this document." This is most clear when they describe environmental cleaning (point #6) & ventilation (point #7). How do you reduce the need to "touch objects" or reinforce no sharing of food? 8
The authors are upfront and state that their recommendations to protect staff is also beyond the report. This is clear in the confusing bullet points in point #11. They say in one point that staff shouldn't wear masks because it's important for kids to see their faces. 9
And then the next bullet point says that "if closed prolonged contact with others cannot be avoided, wearing a mask is a reasonable option." Have the authors forgotten what it means to teach kids in a small classroom for multiple hours per day??? 10
I realize that school reopening is important for the mental health and developmental needs of kids and youth, but how can we proceed in good faith without ensuring teacher, admin, and staff safety? 11
My sense is that most schools won't be able to follow even the modest recommendations outlined in this report. For instance, are schools currently building new types of ventilation into their classrooms? 12
I don't know what the answer is, but school boards still have not notified teachers about what mode of teaching they are expected to do. This is unacceptable. And people should know that the authors of this report are upfront about its many limitations 13
Here's a link to the report, which people are citing quite a bit up here in Ontario without attending to its details and explicit limits. https://www.sickkids.ca/PDFs/About-SickKids/81407-COVID19-Recommendations-for-School-Reopening-SickKids.pdf 14
