For Parents

This is a guide for parents with school-age children. Covid-19 poses many challenges.  And this guide will help you navigate.  Also, most content is from the CDC website.

Following are two helpful videos every parent should watch. And they provide key info for navigating Covid.

Checklists

For many families, back to school planning will look different this year than in the past. More, your school will have new policies in place to prevent the spread of the virus. And you may also be starting the school year with virtual learning components. Whatever the situation, these checklists are intended to help plan and prepare for the upcoming school year.

Some of the changes in schools’ classroom attendance or structure may include:

• Cohorts: Dividing students and teachers into distinct groups that stay together throughout an entire school day during in-person classroom instruction. Schools may allow limited or no interaction between cohorts (also sometimes referred to as pods).
• Hybrid: A mix of virtual learning and in-class learning. Hybrid options can apply a cohort approach to the in-class education provided.
• Virtual/at-home only: Students and teachers engage in virtual-only classes, activities, and events.

Planning for in-person classes

Going back to school this fall will require schools and families to work together even more than before. Further, schools will be making changes to their policies and operations with several goals: supporting learning; providing important services, and limiting the spread of the virus.

Teachers and staff can teach and encourage preventive behaviors at school. Likewise, it will be important for families to emphasize and model healthy behaviors at home. Moreover, parents should go over these changes with their children. Even if your child will attend school in-person, it is important to prepare for the possibility of virtual learning. Several factors may lead to this.

Further, the CDC has created a checklist to help with back to school planning. And if your school uses a hybrid model, you may want to review both the in-person and virtual/at-home learning checklists. This is key.

Health Actions to Take

• Check in with your child each morning for signs of illness. And if they have a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, they should not go to school.
• Also make sure they do not have a sore throat or other signs of illness. Also look for a cough, diarrhea, severe headache, vomiting, or body aches.
• If your child has had close contact to a COVID-19 case, they should not go to school. Follow guidance on what to do when someone has known exposure.
• Identify your school point person(s) to contact if your child gets sick.
  • Name of school point person(s)
  • Contact information
• Be familiar with local COVID-19 testing sites in the event you or your child develops symptoms.
• Make sure your child is up-to-date with all recommended vaccines, including for the flu. All school-aged children should get the flu vaccine every season, with rare exceptions. And this is especially important this year.

Preventative Steps

• Review and practice proper hand washing techniques at home, especially before and after eating, sneezing, coughing, and adjusting a mask or cloth face covering. Make hand washing fun and explain to your child why it’s important.
• Be familiar with how your school will make water available during the day. More, consider packing a water bottle.
• Develop daily routines before and after school—for example, things to pack for school in the morning (like hand sanitizer and an additional mask. And also tasks to do when you return home (like washing hands immediately and washing masks).

More Precautions and Key Steps

• Talk to your child about precautions to take at school. Children may be advised to:
  • Wash and sanitize their hands more often.
  • Keep physical distance from other students.
  • Wear a mask.
  • Avoid sharing objects with other students, including water bottles, devices, writing instruments, and books.
  • Use hand sanitizer (that contains at least 60% alcohol.)
• Develop a plan as a family to protect household members who are at increased risk for severe illness.
• Make sure your information is current at school, including emergency contacts and individuals authorized to pick up your child(ren) from school. If that list includes anyone who is at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, consider identifying an alternate person.
• Be familiar with your school’s plan for how they will communicate with families when a positive case or exposure to someone with COVID-19 is identified and ensure student privacy is upheld.

Masks are Key

Masks are key. If your school requires the use of masks, think about the following actions. Consider asking what steps your school will take to minimize the potential for students to be singled out or teased for wearing or not wearing a mask. Appropriate and consistent use of masks may be challenging for some children. 

Wearing masks should be a priority when it is difficult for students. Especially if they will be close to others.

Masks should not be worn by:

• Children younger than 2 years old
• Anyone who has trouble breathing
• Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance

Mask Preparation

• Have multiple masks, so you can wash them daily and have back-ups ready. Choose masks that:
  • Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
  • Completely cover the nose and mouth
  • Are secured with ties or ear loops
  • Include multiple layers of fabric
  • Allow for breathing without restriction
  • Can be washed and machine dried without damage or change to shape
• Label your child’s masks clearly in a permanent marker so that they are not confused with those of other children.
• Practice with your child putting on and taking off masks without touching the cloth.
• Explain the importance of wearing a mask and how it protects other people from getting sick.
• Consider talking to your child about other people who may not be able to wear masks for medical reasons (e.g., asthma).
• As a family, model wearing masks, especially when you are in situations where physical distancing is difficult to maintain.
• If you have a young child, help build their comfort wearing a mask and become comfortable seeing others in masks.
  • Praise your child for wearing a mask correctly.
  • Put a mask on stuffed animals.
  • Draw a mask on a favorite book character.
  • Show images of other children wearing masks.
  • Allow your child to choose their mask that meets any dress requirements your school may have.
  • Suggestions from the American Academy of Pediatrics
• Consider providing your child with a container (e.g., labeled resealable bag) to bring to school to store their masks when not wearing it.

A Word about Social-Emotional Well-being

Since the school experience will be very different from before with desks far apart from each other, teachers maintaining physical distance, and the possibility of staying in the classroom for lunch, it is unlike anything your child is used to. Before school is in session, you may want to talk to your child and explain that all these steps are being taken to keep everyone safe and healthy. 

Furthermore, the list below provides actions and considerations regarding your child’s mental health and emotional well-being as they transition back to in-person school. 

CDC’s Stress and Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic provides additional resources for you and your family. In addition, if your child seems to need mental health or behavioral services (e.g., social skills training, counseling), you may want to ask your school administrator for more information on these services.

Stress and anxiety are a natural reaction to the pandemic.  This short video discusses steps parents can take:

Transportation and Outside Support

• Plan for transportation:
  • If your child rides a bus, plan for your child to wear a mask on the bus. And talk with them about the importance of following bus rules and any spaced seating rules.
  • If carpooling, plan on every child in the carpool and the driver wearing masks for the entire trip. If your school uses the cohort model, consider finding families within your child’s group/cohort at school to be part of the carpool.
• And if your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan or receives other learning support (e.g., tutoring), ask your school how these services will continue.
• If your child receives speech, occupational or physical therapy or other related services from the school, ask your school how these services will continue.
• Or if your child receives mental health or behavioral services (e.g., social skills training, counseling), ask your school how these services will continue.

Additional

• More, your school uses a cohorting model, consider limiting your child’s in-person out-of-school interactions to children in the same cohort or to activities where physical distancing can be maintained.
• Reinforce the concept of physical distancing with your child.
• Talk to your school administrators and teachers about their plans for physical education and physical activity (e.g., recess).
  • Safer options include being outdoors when possible, reducing the number of people in an indoor space, and encouraging students to stay at least 6 ft apart.
• Ask how your school plans to help ensure that students are following practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Anticipate Changes

• Plan for possible school closures or periods of quarantine. And if transmission is increasing in your community or if multiple children or staff test positive for COVID-19, the school building might close. Similarly, if a close contact of your child (within or outside of school) tests positive for COVID-19, your child may need to stay home for a 2-week quarantine period. You may need to consider the feasibility of teleworking, taking leave from work, or identifying someone who can supervise your child in the event of school building closures or quarantine.

Prepare for Challenges

• Preparation is key. Talk with your child about how school will look different (e.g., desks far apart from each other, teachers maintaining physical distance, possibility of staying in the classroom for lunch).
• Talk with your child about how school is going and about interactions with classmates and teachers. Find out how your child is feeling and communicate that what they may be feeling is normal.
• Anticipate behavior changes in your child. Watch for changes like excessive crying or irritation, excessive worry or sadness, unhealthy eating or sleeping habits, difficulty concentrating, which may be signs of your child struggling with stress and anxiety.
• Try to attend school activities and meetings. Schools may offer more of these virtually. As a parent, staying informed and connected may reduce your feelings of anxiety and provide a way for you to express any concerns you may have about your child’s school.
• Ask your school about any plans to reduce potential stigma related to having or being suspected of having COVID-19.

School Support

• Check if your school has any systems in place to identify and provide mental health services to students in need of support. If so, identify a point of contact for these services at your school.
  • Name of school point person
  • Contact information
• More, check if your school has a plan to help students adjust to being back in school. Students might need help adjusting to how COVID-19 has disrupted their daily life. Support may include school counseling and related services.
• Check if your school will provide training for students in mindfulness or support a child’s ability to cope with stress and anxiety. If not, consider asking about ways to add this to your child’s at-home learning.
• You can be a role model for your child by practicing self-care:
  • Take breaks
  • Get plenty of sleep
  • Exercise
  • Eat well
  • Stay socially connected

It is important to plan for the possibility your child will be at home for part of the school year. This section for our guide for parents covers key items and checklists.

Planning for virtual or at-home learning

Virtual learning may be a choice or part of a child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan for some children and families, and it may be necessary if your child has certain underlying health conditions or is immunocompromised. In a hybrid model, learning may occur virtually during part of the week and occur in-person for the rest. 

Or, the school year may start with virtual learning but switch to in-person learning for the remainder or certain times of the school year. Going back to school virtually may pose additional challenges with staying connected to peers, since students may have less frequent or no in-person interactions to each other.

And you may want to talk to school staff to learn more about what they are doing to support connection among students, interactive learning with feedback, building resilience, and social-emotional wellbeing for students who will not be onsite. In addition, if your child receives speech, occupational, or physical therapy or other related services from the school, ask your school how these services will continue during virtual at-home learning.

Likewise, if your child receives mental health or behavioral services (e.g., social skills training, counseling), ask your school how these services will continue during virtual at-home learning.

Virtual or At-Home Learning Checklist

Setting Up

• Try to attend school activities and meetings. Schools may offer more of these virtually. These meetings can be a way to express any concerns you may have about the school’s plans.
• Create a schedule with your child and make a commitment to stick with it. Structure and routine can greatly help your child from falling behind with assignments. Discuss your family’s schedule and identify the best times for learning and instruction, as well as family-oriented physical activity, such as walks outside. A family calendar or other visuals could be useful for keeping track of deadlines and assignments.
• Try to find a space where you live that’s free of distractions, noise, and clutter for learning and doing homework. This could be a quiet, well-lit place in your dining room or living room or a corner of your home that could fit a small table, if available.
• Identify opportunities for your child to connect with peers and be social—either virtually or in person, while maintaining physical distance.

Planning

Actions to take and points to consider

Here are some things to look for when reviewing your school’s plan for virtual or at-home learning. Some of these action items and points to consider might warrant additional conversations with your school administrators or healthcare provider.

Actions to take and points to consider

• Find out if there will be regular and consistent opportunities during each day for staff and student check-ins and peer-to-peer learning.
• Find out if students have regular opportunities for live video instruction by teachers. Or if they will primarily be watching pre-recorded videos and receive accompanying assignments.
• Ask if the school will offer virtual or socially distanced physical activity. If not, identify ways to add physical activity to your child’s daily routine.
• Ask your school what steps they are taking to help students adjust to being back in school and to the ways that COVID-19 may have disrupted their daily life. Supports may include school counseling and psychological services, social-emotional learning (SEL)-focused programs, and peer/social support groups.
• For those that participate in school meal programs, identify how your school district plans to make meals available to students who are learning virtually at home.

Planning: Outside Curriculum

• If your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan or receives other learning support (e.g., tutoring), ask your school how these services will continue during virtual at-home learning.
• And if your child receives speech, occupational or physical therapy or other related services from the school, ask your school how these services will continue during virtual at-home learning.
• More, if your child receives mental health or behavioral services, ask your school how these services will continue during at-home learning.
• If you anticipate having technological barriers to learning from home, ask if your school or community can provide support or assistance. And this may include a computer/laptop or tablet.
• Last, if your school offers a hybrid model, be familiar with your school’s plan for how they will communicate with families when a positive case or exposure to someone with COVID-19 is identified. And to ensure student privacy is upheld.

Athletics & Extracurricular Activities

Sports and extracurricular activities are an important part of the lives of many children. Both parents and children should see this. The videos show key safety practices.

We hope you found this guide helpful. Please bookmark this page. And also see our other guides, too.

Photograph by Lukas