Given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated the guidance for fully vaccinated people. CDC now recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.

To access the CDC guidance page, click here.

With the first day of the 2021-22 school year approximately one month away, the departments of Health (PDH) and Education (PDE) are offering recommendations to families and schools as they safely prepare for in-person teaching and learning.  

Vaccination
PDH and PDE encourage all eligible students ages 12 and older, and other eligible members of their household, to get their COVID-19 vaccinations before the new school year.  

“There are safe and effective vaccines available to help stop the spread of COVID-19. As students look forward to returning to classes, getting a vaccine should be considered an essential back-to-school item on this year’s list,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. “The COVID-19 vaccine is our best protection from this virus.” 

All Pennsylvanians aged 12 and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Use Vaccine Finder to find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you.  

School Guidance
PDH and PDE continue to advise K-12 school entities to follow current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, to the greatest extent possible, when creating and implementing mitigation policies and practices. A summary of the CDC’s recently updated guidance is available on PDE’s website.   

The American Rescue Plan Act and U.S. Department of Education (USDE) require school entities to develop Health and Safety plans that implement prevention and mitigation policies in line with the most up-to-date guidance from the CDC for the reopening and operation of school facilities. PDE plans to post school Health and Safety Plans on its website later this summer.

Face Coverings/Masks
According to the CDC “Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated. Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained.”

Schools may adopt stricter masking policies. Each school entity must include a locally determined face covering policy in its Health and Safety Plan.

“Our schools have gone to great lengths to help create safe learning environments and protect their communities throughout the pandemic,” said Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. “Acting Secretary Beam and I advise schools to continue to protect their communities by following current CDC guidance, to the greatest extent possible, as they plan and prepare for the new school year. These measures will help ensure students, educators, and school staff experience a safe return to in-person teaching and learning this fall.” 

To access the press release, click here.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on July, 23, 2021 showed the importance of vaccinations for school staff. The report, based on a study of the School District of Philadelphia(PA), examined infection rates in school staff who were vaccinated and unvaccinated. When in-person schooling resumed the week of March 21, 2021, the school district required all employees to have weekly COVID-19 screening tests. The resumption of in-school instruction followed a mass vaccination program using the Pfizer-BioNTech 2-dose vaccine offered under a partnership between the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to all 22,808 School District of Philadelphia employees during February 23, 2021 through April 3, 2021. The percentage of positive test results was lower among persons who reported receipt of two vaccine doses compared with those who reported receipt of one dose or zero doses In fact, there was a 95% lower percentage of positive test results among persons who reported receiving two doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine than among those who were not fully vaccinated.

To view the full report on the CDC website, click here.

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is advising schools that they can use American Rescue Plan (ARP) education funds to improve indoor air quality for in-person instruction, including through:

• Inspection, testing, and maintenance of current ventilation systems and approaches
• Purchasing portable air filtration units, such as HEPA air filters
• Purchasing MERV-13 (or higher) filters for your HVAC system and ACs
• Purchasing fans
• Repairing windows and/or doors so that they can open to let fresh air in
• Servicing or upgrading HVAC systems consistent with industry standards
• Purchasing equipment to run outdoor classes
• Purchasing carbon dioxide (CO2) monitors, air flow capture hoods, and anemometers for custodians and building personnel to assess ventilation
• Paying for increased heating/cooling costs due to increased use of heating/cooling systems
• Other spending that supports inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and non-mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification and other air cleaning, fans, control systems, and window and door repair.

USDE is also providing the following additional resources:

• CDC information on improving ventilation in schools at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/ventilation.html, in buildings at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/ventilation.html, and in homes at  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/Improving-Ventilation-Home.html.
• EPA resources on indoor air quality tools for schools at https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools.
• Resources related to Lessons from the Field webinar featuring CDC, EPA, and U.S. Department of Education, along with district leaders at https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/events/webinar/lessons-field-indoor-air-quality-and-ventilation-america%E2%80%99s-k-12-schools-guidance-and.
• CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report on the efficacy of HEPA filters and masking to reduce exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19 at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7027e1.htm?s_cid=mm7027e1_w.
• ASHRAE guidance for reopening schools at https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/reopening-of-schools-and-universities.
• National Energy Management Institute and U.C. Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute White Paper on Proposed Ventilation and Energy Efficiency Verification/Repair Program for School Reopening at https://ucdavis.app.box.com/v/ProposedVentilationProgram.

For more information from USDE, click here.

On July 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) released a resource that outlines how American Rescue Plan funds can be used to improve indoor air quality in schools. Strategies for Improving Ventilation include the following resources

based on current recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help improve ventilation, such as:

• Bringing in as much outdoor air as possible by opening windows wherever it is safe to do so, including in classrooms and on school buses and other transportation. Where safe, opening doors can also improve airflow. Using child-safe fans in accordance with CDC guidance increases the impact of open windows and doors.
• Holding classes, activities, and meals outdoors when safe and feasible.
• Using heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) settings to maximize ventilation.
• Servicing or upgrading HVAC systems consistent with current industry standards.
• Setting systems to bring in as much outdoor air as the system can safely support, including for two hours before and after occupancy.
• Reducing or eliminating air re-circulation in consultation with an HVAC expert. In consultation with HVAC experts and health officials, considering changing HVAC system filters more often than recommended by normal maintenance requirements.
• Ensuring exhaust fans in restrooms and kitchens are working properly and use them during occupancy and for two hours afterward to remove particles from the air and keeping all fans and filters clean to maximize airflow.
• Filtering and/or cleaning the air.
• Upgrading HVAC filters to minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV)-13, or the highest MERV rating a building’s ventilation system can accommodate to improve air filtration as much as possible without significantly reducing airflow.
• Ensuring HVAC filters are sized, installed, and replaced at least as frequently as according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Considering using portable air cleaners that use filtration technology, such as high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. A July 2021 CDC report shows that HEPA filters can reduce exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19, particularly in combination with universal and correct mask wearing. Select air cleaners of appropriate capacity for the space in which they will operate. Portable air cleaners can go in any room of a school building to serve as an additional safety and mitigation layer, including in areas where airflow may be limited, and/or in areas where sick individuals may be present such as a nurse’s office or sick/isolation
• Considering the use of portable carbon dioxide (CO2) monitors to verify how well air is circulating in classrooms and other spaces.
• Assessing any claims about air disinfection devices to determine whether they have been tested in similar conditions to those where they would be used.
• Communicating clearly to school communities, parents, students, faculty, and staff, in a language they can understand and in accessible formats, including on district webpages, how the school is are assessing and improving ventilation. In all cases, school leaders can share the ways rooms have been prepared to maximize air flow for in-person learning

In addition, the USDE provides information on how ESSER and GEER funds can be used to support these efforts, and school leaders are advised to see questions B-6 and B-7 of Frequently Asked Questions related to the program. For more information on using HEER funds, see question 24 of the ARP HEERF III FAQs.  In addition, for ESSER and GEER, the USDE has provided supplementary information to states and school districts to help them efficiently implement ventilation projects while following applicable requirements. If a school district uses funds for HVAC systems, the USDE’s applicable regulations require the use of current American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards.

For more information or to read the USDE press release, click here.