The public health emergency may be over, but COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are back on the rise as the winter cold and flu season approaches and school is back in session.
Experts say families and schools can stay healthy by going back to basics — hand washing, ventilation, vaccines, masking and staying home when needed — and that schools should be prepared to respond to possible outbreaks.
More than 6.5 million children miss 15 days of school or more per year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. School absenteeism has been linked to a number of negative health and socioeconomic outcomes.
So far this school year, at least two school districts have had to cancel classes due to respiratory illnesses in Texas and Kentucky.
“We know that healthy students are better learners and that kids who have the opportunity to be in school and engaged with their