ED COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 1: Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools. OPEPD-IO-21-01

This is the first volume in 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools Through Phased Prevention (K-12 Operational Strategy) by addressing common challenges and providing practical examples. This volume provides applicable strategies to promote universal and correct use of masks in schools by utilizing signage and school announcements to remind students and staff how to use masks. This volume guides educators through working with students with disabilities who cannot wear a mask or safely wear a mask, consistent with CDC guidelines. It also details a variety of practical ways that educators and schools can practice physical distancing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including: (1) grouping students into a pod that stays together all day with their core teacher (and any aide or student teacher who is present), including for lunch and recess; (2) using cafeterias and auditoriums for classes; (3) staggering the use of communal spaces and reconfiguring bell schedules to minimize foot traffic; and (4) for transportation to school, seating one student per row and assigning each bus rider to a designated seat that is the same every day. A successful school reopening strategy requires engaging the entire school community to promote actions that will lead to a safe learning environment for all educators, staff, and students. This handbook lays out a roadmap for who should be at the table and suggests ways that school leaders and educators can conduct individual outreach activities and use surveys and virtual town halls to engage the community in an effort to reopen schools. [For "ED COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students' Needs. OPEPD-IO-21-02," see ED614454.]