Finally finished reading through the new CDC guidance for schools. It's not perfect, but it is much better than the previous guidance. I encourage you to read it yourself, but here's my breakdown as a NJ teacher.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community/schools-childcare/K-12-Operational-Strategy-2021-2-12.pdf

As teachers have been saying all along, in-person learning should be the priority but that can't happen until certain criteria are met. It's such a relief to see actual data included in the new guidelines.

Here are the major focuses thoughout the document. It's also great to see health equity considerations and students with disabilities being prioritized.

The CDC says these mitigation methods are vital:
•Universal and correct use of masks
• Physical distancing
• Handwashing + respiratory etiquette
• Cleaning + maintaining
• Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine

Yes, yes, yes! So many districts in NJ are openly ignoring social distancing or using 2-3 feet because it's more convenient. There are a lot of districts that are going to need to make major changes, included schedule changes, now.

The new guidelines are also more specific about transmission in schools. They don't say no transmission occurs in school, which is a relief to see. Yes, I realize that sounds crazy, but teachers have been gaslit for months about how Covid doesn't transmit in schools.

The guidelines also say that teachers should be prioritized for vaccination, preferably as one of the first groups in 1B. NJ has placed teachers in 1B but prioritized police, firefighters, and other groups over us (seems a bit sexist, but ...).

I admit I'm (happily) surprised to see a big focus on screening tests in the guidelines. Private schools in NJ have been using rapid tests since Sept, so I have long said schools should do the same for staff, at the very least. This is a major change from previous guidelines.

I'm also relieved to see the CDC acknowledge that middle and high school need to be treated differently from elementary school due to the fact that teens are more likely to transmit Covid.

Let's dig into the mitigation methods. Masking is the 1st one and vital according to the CDC. The new guidelines use much stronger language than the previous guidelines and state that even students with disabilities should be wearing masks. Exceptions should be rare.

Physical distancing is the next mitigation method highlighted and this is huge: "...promote physical distance of at least 6 feet between people." AT LEAST 6 feet. Not "6 feet if feasible". This is going to rock some districts in NJ.

Physical barriers are mentioned briefly but not in the context of students, which leads me to believe the CDC prefers distancing over barriers. Makes sense when we are dealing with an airborne virus.

Handwashing and cleaning seem consistent with what was recommended previously. Cleaning is the only place where ventilation is mentioned, though. I'm not thrilled to see ventilation being glossed over like this when we are dealing with an airborne disease in close quarters.

The link in the ventilation bullet point leads to suggestions (updated 2/9/21). Applicable to schools: suggestions for HEPA purifiers and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation. I hope more districts,especially those where windows don't open), install these. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/ventilation.html

Ok, let's look at contact tracing now. "For schools to remain open, health departments should ensure they have a sufficient number of contact tracers to complete case investigation and notify contacts within 48 hours of a positive test result." Not happening in NJ. Nope.

I don't see mention of schools doing the contact tracing themselves, which is what is happening in most of NJ now. The focus is on DOH doing the contact tracing.

I told you these guidelines use data, so let's look at how that data is used. The two stats are"...total number of new cases per 100,000 persons in the past 7 days; and percentage of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), including RT-PCR tests that are positive" over 7 days

I am so thrilled to see real science being used here. Science! Data! Numbers! Teachers have been begging for consistent, universal guidelines since last spring and I honestly want to cry seeing that they are actually here now.

Look at this! I am SO relieved to see this.

And that Covid data tracker that's mentioned in the figure's footnote? Amazing. Check out your county. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view

NJ has been referencing the CDC throughout the pandemic, so I think it will be tough to start backtracking now. But according to the Covid Data Tracker, my county's numbers are out of control.

But I can not tell you how relieved I am to have all of this data in one place and gathered by the federal government.

Why is this important? Because the CDC designed phased mitigation recommendations based off of it and the recommendations vary depending on the mitigation methods schools use: schools that do not implement screening testing and schools that Implement expanded screening testing.

The new color-coding system is fantastic and there's a version for schools with testing and schools without.

I think I've heard of 1 NJ school district offering Covid testing on-site, so I'm going to focus on the first chart. I find it ironic that so many districts are currently moving to full in-person learning despite outcry from worried educators + now I'm not sure that can happen

My county (and all of NJ as far as I can tell) is considered high transmission.

If that's the case, @GovMurphy better shut down extracurriculars ASAP. Here's what the CDC says: "Sports and extracurricular activities are virtual only" when transmission is high. Even if we move to "just" substantial transmission extracurriculars should be outdoors.

And this "In-person instruction should be prioritized over extracurricular activities including sports and
school events, to minimize risk of transmission in schools and protect in-person learning." YES. YES. YES.

The new CDC guidelines are not perfect by any means. I'd like to see more about ventilation, for sure. But they are a vast improvement over the previous wishy-washy guidelines. Hoping @GovMurphy adapts these ASAP.