Summer School is finally back! But will it be the same? Nothing looks the same during the “new normal”. But still, summer school shows a light at the end of the tunnel we haven’t seen before! Thanks to vaccines being distributed to teachers and staff members, the summer school will reopen for some school districts. So what does this look like?
For starters, 274,411,901 vaccinations have been administered (CDC). Teachers and school staff members have been prioritized as part of the initiative to reopen schools. “Nearly 80% of teachers, school staff, and childcare workers received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine” (CDC). The recommendation for teachers to get back to school depends on their individual health conditions. People with underlying health conditions are suggested to be wary (WHO).
Regarding children and teenagers, everyone from 12 years of age and older is now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination (CDC). This is good news as the CDC states that teenagers are twice as likely to have Covid-19 than children from 5-11 years old (CDC). Kids younger than 12 are shown to have a very low contagion rate. The data shows that children under 18 years represent about 8.5% of Covid-19 reported cases (WHO). Like in adults, reported cases tend to be correlated with underlying diseases.
School districts are suggested to evaluate reopening schools based on a risk-based approach. The World Health Organization recommends reviewing: “The epidemiology of COVID-19 at the local level, the transmission intensity in the area where the school operates, the overall impact of school closures on education and more” (WHO). To read the complete risk evaluation recommended by the WHO, click here.
At an educational level, there is no doubt, children have suffered thanks to the limitations of online learning. This has disrupted the educational system as classes cannot advance at the expected level, and parents have been saturated by having to help their children study.
The hope is that this summer could be used to help stimulate children’s education and help them get back on their feet. “School districts are strengthening their summer learning offerings, and the federal government has given more than a billion dollars to help them do so” (Education Week). It is agreed that this summer should be taken advantage of to restart the education system.
There are several recommendations on how to make the most out of this summer school. First, schools are incentivized to go back to the classroom and not continue online learning. Teachers are incentivized to get vaccinated and return to their current teaching positions. Parents and children are being informed on the benefits of this opportunity to catch up on education. For a suggestion on how to reopen your school districts, we suggest the article “Summer school programs are set to grow. Here are six tips for making them successful”.
At Viafy, our mission is to help you simplify every aspect of school transportation, and we are more than ready to assist you during this summer. We can help you figure out a perfectly safe and efficient routing system, track student assistance by having a database of contact tracing in case of an outbreak. We can help you create, track and audit compliance of protocols to prevent Covid-19 transmission and so much more!
In order to successfully reopen, a team effort is required, and we are on your side! Let us help you get back on track!