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Public Health

Returning to School in the Era of COVID-19

Educational Objective
To understand the risks of returning to school during COVID-19

1 Credit CME

JAMA Pediatrics

Published Online: August 14, 2020

Editorial

Article Information and Disclosures

Danielle G. Dooley, MD, MPhil^1,2,3;

Joelle N. Simpson, MD, MPH^1,2;

Nathaniel S. Beers, MD, MPA^1,4

Author Affiliations

¹Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC
²Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University, Washington, DC
³Child Health Advocacy Institute, Division of General Pediatrics and Community Health, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC
⁴HSC Health Care System, Washington, DC

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What was once a routine ritual of returning to school in the fall is now fraught with uncertainty and challenges for families across the US, including the effect on family health, work productivity, and in-person academic, social, and emotional benefits to the child. In what has become a highly politicized arena, the study by Kroshus et al¹ represents an important effort to survey parents directly about their concerns. Parents may be navigating multiple sources of information about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to make the decision that is best for their family. This article finds that fears of COVID-19 or other associated diagnoses such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, confidence in the school system, or ability to homeschool factor into decision-making to return to school.

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Article Information

Corresponding Author: Nathaniel S. Beers, MD, MPA, HSC Health Care System, 1731 Bunker Hill Rd NE, Washington, DC 20017 (nbeers@hschealth.org).

Published Online: August 14, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.3874

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

References

Kroshus E , Hawrilenko M , Tandon PS , Christakis DA . Plans of US parents regarding school attendance for their children in the fall of 2020: a national survey. JAMA Pediatr. Published online August 14, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.3864 Google Scholar

King CL , Chow MYK , Wiley KE , Leask J . Much ado about flu: a mixed methods study of parental perceptions, trust and information seeking in a pandemic. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2018;12(4):514-521. doi:10.1111/irv.12547 PubMed Google Scholar Crossref

Council on School Health. Role of the school nurse in providing school health services. Pediatrics. 2016;137(6):e20160852. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-0852 Google Scholar

Winter A . Experts to Congress: health pandemic will worsen racial disparities in public education. NC Policy Watch. Published June 24, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2020/06/24/experts-to-congress-health-pandemic-will-worsen-racial-disparities-in-public-education/

Dorn E , Hancock B , Sarakatsannis J , Viruleg E. COVID-19 and student learning in the United States: the hurt could last a lifetime. McKinsey & Company. Published June 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Public%20Sector/Our%20Insights/COVID-19%20and%20student%20learning%20in%20the%20United%20States%20The%20hurt%20could%20last%20a%20lifetime/COVID-19-and-student-learning-in-the-United-States-FINAL.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health equity considerations and racial and ethnic minority groups. Updated July 24, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/racial-ethnic-minorities.html

National Center for Education Statistics. Students with disabilities. Updated May 2020. Accessed July 25, 2020. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgg.asp

Kuo DZ , Houtrow AJ ; Council on Children With Disabilities. Recognition and management of medical complexity. Pediatrics. 2016;138(6):e20163021. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-3021 PubMed Google Scholar

AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
1.00 CME points in the American Board of Surgery’s (ABS) Continuing Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.