New School Guidance
Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen announced the release of the updated StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (Toolkit) to help schools across the state prepare for the upcoming school year. The Toolkit has been updated to align with the CDC’s July 9th Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 schools and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ updated school guidance. It includes a number of preventive measures, including that all schools should require all children and staff in schools K through 8th grade and all unvaccinated students in staff in schools 9th through 12th grades wear face coverings consistently when indoors.
The Toolkit has also been reorganized to prioritize strategies that have been shown to be most effective in lowering the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread in school sessions and school activities. Research, including studies conducted here in North Carolina, have demonstrated that when prevention strategies- such as those in the Toolkit- are consistently implemented, the risk of spreading COVID-19 in schools is decreased. To help administrators with planning, key strategies have been elevated throughout the document as actions schools SHOULD implement versus COULD CONSIDER adopting.
In-person school is fundamental to children’s development and well-being – especially for younger children. The changes in the toolkit aim to prioritize in-person learning for our students, support working families, and provide more children with the opportunity to access other critical services provided in schools, including meals, regular physical activity, and developmentally appropriate social interaction.
The updated Toolkit is available on the NCDHHS website, as well as a summary of the recent changes. Additionally, NCDHHS has released updated Back to School Operational Guidance for Vaccinations. This guidance includes recommendations for school administrators on how to help get students (age 12 and up) and teachers vaccinated. Getting more North Carolinians vaccinated is the most important thing we can do to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep our kids safely at school.
