GROAN.

Six-foot distancing writes off normal, 5-day school for children in every not-yet-reopened district (35%).

It lacks an evidence base – and ignores the fact that 39% of schools are FT now, apparently w/o issue.

You sure, @CDCDirector? https://twitter.com/boknowsnews/status/1360055419050287109

Let's hear from experts. @j_g_allen:

"Six feet is not a magical cutoff. It has a weak scientific basis, coming from a fundamental misunderstanding going back decades...

2/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/12/three-feet-social-distancing-schools-coronavirus/

"that the tiny droplets we exhale when we breathe and talk will fall to the ground within six feet. The reality is that... There is no bright-line cutoff."

3/

The official Harvard, Brown, New America guidance says 3 feet (few exceptions): https://globalepidemics.org/2020/12/18/schools-and-the-path-to-zero-strategies-for-pandemic-resilience-in-the-face-of-high-community-spread/

The World Health Organization has aligned around 1 meter (~3 feel) since summer.

What EVIDENCE says 6-feet is necessary, @CDCgov?

4/

Social distancing guidelines have long been an area of confusion and misinformation for schools.

Let us not forget the comedy of errors behind the guidance promoted to schools as the year began.

By @davidzweig: https://www.wired.com/story/44-square-feet-a-school-reopening-detective-story/

This is highly consequential, because six-foot distancing is the only thing driving hybrid instruction.

Studies have shown hybrid to have higher rates of COVID positivity in school populations... lower academic outcomes... it's hard on teachers... and hard on parents.

6-foot is also the factor that drives up a theoretical need for more staff.

Given worrisome signals coming from Biden admin this week, and the clear political play for staffing $$$ (read @EricaLG here), the obvious Q is:

Is @CDCgov playing politics? https://twitter.com/karenvaites/status/1360047999242686464?s=20

I'll close with a reality check: in some states, classrooms look like this.

I don't endorse the optional masks, for the record. But this classroom is real.

Europe, where elem kids went back FT (often w/o masks), is a sizable case study.

Months of evidence says: it's going OK.

Just as US eventually realized that Europe/FL/TN/TX/ reopened states got it right for having basic mitigation (usually masks, distancing, hand washing)...it'll become clear that this was a political call, not an evidence-based call.

These are right/wrong side of history matters.

Kids' learning/well-being, teachers' return to normalcy, and parents' ability to return to work normally all hinge on distancing more than any other variable.

American Exceptionalism on this point is a massive mistake.