Elementary schools look safe

A few months into the semester, a pattern is emerging: K-12 schools do not seem to be stoking community transmission of the coronavirus. Elementary schools in particular seem to seed remarkably few infect....

“A couple of months ago, we really couldn’t be sure that elementary schools could reopen safely, even though the data was hinting at that,” our colleague Apoorva Mandavilli said. “Now, we have real-world data that seems to suggest that’s really the case.”

Middle and high school students might be more contagious. And overall, evidence is far from conclusive, and much of the research has been tarnished by flaws in data collection and analysis. Still, a growing pile of research suggests schools may be able to contain the virus if prevalence in the community is low and administrators take proper precautions.

Research suggests that children rarely spread the virus to adults, as long as basic safety measures are in place. One study published in the journal Pediatrics surveyed more than 57,000 child care providers across the nation and found that they were no more likely to become infected with the virus than other adults in the community.

“It’s clear that kids are not superspreaders,” Apoorva said. “Even if they are contributing to community spread, which maybe they are, a little bit, it’s not going to be more than what’s coming from restaurants or gyms or any other adult activities.”

Young children can become infected with the virus, but they have a remarkably low risk of severe symptoms. Weighed against the substantial harms to children and parents from keeping schools closed, the data so far suggests that elementary schools, at least, should offer in-person learning.

“This is a message to communities: If they prioritize schools, they can have their kids go back,” she said.