Governor Phil Scott discusses the state's Covid-19 response at a press conference on July 1, 2020. Photo by Mike Dougherty / VTDiggerVermont officials continue to prepare for the children to return to the classroom next month, and Governor Phil Scott said at a press conference on Friday that it is "vitally important" to reopen schools. Administration officials and public health experts said Friday that Vermont's situation with Covid-19 continues to support state plans to reopen schools for in-person instruction next month. "Given our current positive trends, we also need to target and plan for school openings," Scott said. "Because if our data shows that we can do it safely, it is the best option for our children." As the Trump administration pushed for schools to open across the country, some districts, including California and Georgia, have postponed the resumption of in-person instruction as Covid-19 cases increase. Scott said he is "concerned" about trends in other parts of the country and fears that could happen in Vermont. "While our trends are still looking really good here in Vermont, we are seeing a wildfire across the south and west," he said. "And I am concerned that it will go back northeast and ultimately affect us in Vermont." However, he and other members of his administration said data in Vermont indicates that the state is in a good position to open schools by the fall, with established guidelines to prevent transmission. "Right now, our Vermont data continues to support the safe opening of schools, and we are ready to reevaluate at any time," said Health Commissioner Mark Levine. Dr. William Raszka, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Vermont Larner School of Medicine, said research shows that children are less likely to be affected by Covid-19, less likely to develop severe symptoms, and less chances of transmitting the virus. Raszka, with his colleague Dr. Benjamin Lee, recently published a comment in the journal Pediatrics on the transmission of the virus by children. VTDigger is subscribed by:Raszka cited research from Switzerland, China, Norway, and other countries showing that transmission tends to be low among children in school settings. In France, an infected 9-year-old boy exposed more than 980; neither contracted it, Raszka said. Research also shows that teachers in schools have the same infection rate as adults in the community, he said. He said mitigation strategies are important to reduce transmission, particularly highlighting the masks. "We believe that universal face cloth liners will be an important part of any school education policy," he said. State epidemiologist Patsy Kelso said Vermont has had experience in recent months with open child care settings, "and we firmly believe in the health department that the data currently supports the opening of the school," Kelso said. In Vermont, children ages 9 and under account for about 3% of all cases in the state, Kelso said; Children ages 10-19 represent 7% of Vermont cases. Kelso said the state-issued guidelines for reopening schools aim to keep the virus out of schools, with strategies such as daily health screenings and preventing it from spreading within schools with physical distancing protocols. Scott said schools, like other entities in Vermont, will function differently due to the virus. “The classrooms may not be full for the foreseeable future. Neither do cafeterias or school gyms, and we hope to use a hybrid model in which remote learning and remote study plans will be an important factor, "he said. Scott emphasized the need for children to have the school structure and interactions with fellow students and teachers for their development. Remote learning has also exacerbated equity gaps, he said. Within Vermont, questions and concerns have arisen as schools move toward reopening next month. Some parents and community members remain anxious about bringing students back to the classroom. Vermont-NEA lobbied the administration to create a new commission to involve more school employees in the planning process, a request that Secretary of Education Dan French rejected, saying that many different players have been included. School districts are now in the process of discovering how to implement the state's reopening guidelines, which include daily health and temperature screenings, required masks, and efforts to encourage physical distancing. This week, the Burlington School District held two public meetings to hear questions from the community and staff about how the new system will work. In Burlington, where a survey found that more than most staff and families felt the school should reopen, questions remain about how long the school day will last, how an alternate daily attendance schedule will work, and much more. VTDigger is subscribed by:On Friday, state officials said that even when regional data shows there has been an increase in cases, Vermont remains within its reopening metrics. The latest state models are available here. Levine also cast further doubt on reports from a local Manchester outbreak clinic. So far, the state has confirmed only two of the 59 cases the clinic reported testing positive for antigen, a new technology that offers faster results. Fifteen of those who tested positive at the clinic tested negative. 📈 Get the latest statistics and live updates on our coronavirus page.📫 Sign up for our coronavirus email list.🗣️ Tell us your story or give your opinion on [email protected]❓ Get answers to frequently asked questions in our Covid-19 knowledge base.🛒 See what's open near you in our business directory.🙏 Support our nonprofit journalism with a donation. If you want to stay on top of Vermont education news, sign up here to receive a weekly email with all the VTDigger reports on higher education, early childhood programs and K-12 education policy. "In war, the first victim is the truth," and now also in a pandemic. Therefore, it is even more important today to support VTDigger's collection of accurate and timely news. Bill Mares, VJT Board Member
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