COVID-19 Resources

National/State Published Reopening of Schools Guidelines

For the most up-to-date information, check for the latest information from the sources listed below.

• The Importance of Reopening America’s Schools this Fall – CDC Update July 23, 2020
• CDC Guidance and Tools for Reopening
• US Department of Education: COVID-19 ("Coronavirus") Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel
• Arizona Department of Education: Roadmap for Reopening Schools
• Georgia Department of Education: Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools
• Louisiana Department of Education: Strong Start 2020
• Maryland State Department of Education: Recovery Plan for Education
• Missouri School Boards' Association's Center for Education Safety: Pandemic Recovery Considerations
• Montana Office of Public Instruction: School Re-entry & Recovery After a Pandemic Event
• South Carolina Department of Education: AccelerateED Task Force – Fall / Spring Recommendations
• South Carolina's Greenville County Schools: Attendance Plan for Social Distancing
• Australian Government: Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for schools and students

CDC Launches Online PECAT
Are you aware that healthy students are better learners? It's true! Physical education and physical activity is a critical component section in the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child framework. In fact, long-term studies have demonstrated that increases in physical activity, resulting from more time spent in physical education, were related to improved academic performance including better grades, standardized test scores, and behavior.

CDC Healthy Schools has launched an online version of the Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT) – a free self-assessment and planning guide that helps school districts and schools conduct a clear, complete, and consistent analysis of physical education curricula.

The online PECAT is aligned with the National Standards for K–12 Physical Education and has streamlined the assessment process with easy-to-use navigation and automated scoring.

Learn more about the PECAT and help us spread the word by sharing the PECAT promotion video.

Resources from Trusted Organizations

• Outdoor classes are safer. How can teachers make it happen?
• The Back To School Facilities Toolkit Helps Visualize School Design After COVID-19
• Key Messages and Actions for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Schools
• CDC Guidance: Childcare, Schools, and Youth Programs
• UNICEF Framework for Reopening Schools
• Safely Back to School After Coronavirus Closures
• How Hong Kong Reopened Schools — And Why It Closed Them Again
• Sen. Lamar Alexander Estimates K-12, Higher Ed. Need $50 Billion to $75 Billion to Reopen Safely
• A Third of K-12 Students Aren't Adequately Connected for Remote Learning, Report Says
• Now is the Moment to Lean into Student Agency
• Too Expensive to Re-Open Schools? Some Superintendents Say It Is
• How CDC Guidance Could Shape What Back-to-School Looks Like in the COVID-19 Era
• WHO Guidelines for Schools
• Pennsylvania Department of Education: Phased Reopening of Pre-K to 12 Schools
• School Ventilation for COVID-19
• EPA Webinar: Indoor Air Quality in K-12 Schools: Addressing the Concept of Layered Risk Amidst COVID-19

Reopening of Schools

• Road Map for Return: K-12 Education from Perkins + Will
• AIA Reopening America: Strategies for Safer Schools
• Inter-Agency Standing Committee: Interim Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Schools
• Safely Back to School After Coronavirus Closures
• John Hopkins Public Health Principles for a Phased Reopening During COVID-19: Guidance for Governors
• K-12 Demand for Mobile Devices ‘Skyrocketing’ Due to COVID-19 Remote Learning
• Serving Students Who Can't—or Won't—Return to School
• Outdoor Classrooms in the Age of COVID-19: Pros and Cons
• Clear Creek ISD – An in-depth look at how CCISD plans to safely reopen in August
• Teachers grapple with safety concerns as reopening plans move forward
• Classrooms without masks or online learning: California school reopening plans vary greatly
• California county votes to reopen schools with no mask mandate to ‘model courage'. But that doesn’t mean it will happen.
• Santa Ana Unified School District Changes Fall Reopening to an All Distance Learning Model
• What Are Orange County School Districts’ Plans for Reopening in Fall?
• Masks for kids? Schools confront the politics of reopening
• Analysis: As coronavirus surges, new pressure on Gov. Newsom for a schools reopening plan
• San Francisco public school students likely on screens rather than in seats: ‘It’s not safe to go back’
• Getting Back to School–K12: Responding to COVID-19
• Effective approaches to reopening schools – international examples and lessons
• Strategies to support school re-opening
• How to Reopen Schools: A 10-Point Plan Putting Equity at the Center
• Imagining September: Principles and Design Elements for Ambitious Schools Curing COVID-19
• Schools for Health: Risk Reduction Strategies for Reopening Schools from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Pandemic v Schools: States must guide schools on reopening, slowing spread of virus from the Coalition for Healthier Schools
• PK12 Reopening Workbook from the National Council for School Facilities
• Thriving Schools Reopening Playbook from Kaiser Permanente & Partners
• Guidance for Reopening K12 Schools from the National Academies of Science
• Reopening of Schools and Universities from ASHRAE
• Outdoor Learning, Leave the Classroom Behind

Pandemic Related Issues

• Texas Superintendents: Equal Internet Access is Crucial to Kids
• Catholic School Closures Rise in Wake of COVID-19, Recession
• How Do We Teach Literacy During a Pandemic When Access and Equity Are an Issue?
• Atlanta Mentorship Program Encourages Diverse Students to Pursue Architecture
• School Reopening Plans Could Worsen Inequities
• The Case For Reimagining School
• Boston Society of Architects/AIA: Race and Architecture Series Resources

Planning & Design Implications

• AIA Re-occupancy Assessment Tool V2.1
• Education Today Equals Opportunity Tomorrow
• BCSD school year to begin in distance learning format
• SJ school districts update fall plans as virus cases surge
• Large Sacramento suburban school district will start fall with distance learning only
• Lodi Unified to start school year with distance learning
• Six Feet Apart Together
• SLAM – Operations Planning Toolkit for Safe-Distance Learning at Public Schools
• WOW Wireless on Wheels: Keeping Students Connected