Please find the ED COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 1: Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools at https://www2.ed.gov/documents/coronavirus/reopening.pdf and the COVID-19 Handbook Fact Sheet.
The COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 1 is the first volume of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) COVID-19 Handbook, a series intended to support the education community as schools reopen. This series will provide tools to aid educators in implementing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Mitigation (Operational Strategy) by addressing common challenges and providing practical examples. This series will be updated as additional scientific evidence becomes available, including evidence related to new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19.
This volume does not have the force or effect of law and is not binding in any way (except where statutory or regulatory requirements are referenced).
Evidence compiled by CDC shows that schools can safely reopen with consistent implementation of risk mitigation strategies by all involved, especially with the universal and proper wearing of masks and physical distancing. Educators and communities should continually collaborate to facilitate safe in-person learning for the greatest number of students feasible in a local context.
ED will release additional volumes within the Handbook providing specific strategies to address the extraordinary disruption created by COVID-19 for students, educators, and parents – especially for historically underserved students and communities that preliminary data suggest have been hit hardest by the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will also be issuing resources to support early childhood education providers.
ED welcomes feedback on this volume, as well as input on topics to include in future volumes, via email to ReopeningK12@ed.gov by March 15, 2021.