Three More Feet in Schools Transform U.S. Reopening Debate

(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration’s newly relaxed social-distancing guidelines could transform the debate over reopening schools -- intensifying pressure on teachers’ unions that are resisting a return to in-class learning.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday cut in half its recommended distance for students in schools to 3 feet (0.91 meters) from 6. That permits classroom capacities near normal, but likely will reignite tensions among unions, parents, teachers and educators.

The issue is a tightrope for President Joe Biden, who has refined his vow that most schools would open within the first 100 days of his administration. That pledge became a majority of K-8 schools, then narrowed further to at least one day a week. As classrooms remain closed, Biden and his fellow Democrats become more vulnerable to Republicans eager to exploit the issue to regain frustrated suburban parents the GOP lost in 2020.

“The Republicans will make it a pivotal issue if we don’t get schools opened,” said Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease doctor and medical professor at the University of California San Francisco. “It doesn’t seem like a Democrat or Republican issue that children need in-person learning.”

The implications go beyond academic performance. The country’s economic health also hinges on reopening. Parents, especially women, lost jobs at greater rates in states where schools were predominantly virtual. Many left the workforce to supervise children struggling to keep up in class, or to care for those mentally burdened by isolation.

Battles over how to reopen have stretched many communities to their breaking point: protests, online fights and Zoom school-board meetings stretching late into the night.

Until now, space constraints were one of biggest obstacles keeping students out of school full time, especially in heavily Democratic, urban areas that have smaller classrooms and can’t accommodate 6-foot bubbles.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio called the CDC’s announcement “a good surprise” and later said schools will expand in-person instruction to include more students. He said the city will begin a new opt-in period next week for all students and their families to elect to finish the remainder of the academic year in person.

“A recovery for all of us hinges on bringing back our schools,” de Blasio said at a Friday briefing. “Parents have been clamoring for this opportunity.”

A growing body of research has shown 3 feet can be just as safe as 6 feet. A recent Massachusetts study found no significant difference in infection rates between 3 and 6 feet when masks were worn. Guidance from the Massachusetts education department in July said schools should aim for 6 feet of physical distancing, with a minimum requirement of 3 feet.

In a separate Wisconsin study of 17 schools, researchers found extremely limited spread in buildings, just seven cases, even as community positivity rates reached above 40%. Most of the elementary students were masked and spaced closer than 6 feet.

“Schools in our country should be open,” said Tracy Beth Hoeg, an associate researcher with University of California at Davis and senior author of the Wisconsin study, which was published by the CDC. “It’s very disconcerting to me, because I feel like we’re missing out on all the health benefits of being in school.”

Biden’s stimulus included about $170 billion for schools, most of which was slated to help cover the costs of reopening and regaining lost academic ground.

Patchwork of Systems

Despite scientific evidence, reopening plans have devolved into political spats. A Gallup poll last week found 62% of Democrats supported a return to in-person schooling, versus 94% of Republicans.

In the absence of clear guidance, a patchwork of systems emerged. Some governors took hands-off approaches, letting decision-making trickle down to districts and counties, while others have mandated returns.

California developed incentives to encourage districts to bring back students more quickly. Massachusetts, on the other hand, gave the education commissioner authority to mandate in-person learning. All its middle schools are required to reopen by April 28.

Teacher unions have been among the strongest opponents to reopening, citing safety concerns. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told The New York Times this week that she was concerned about the possibility of new guidelines, and suggested the CDC was under outside pressure.

Chicago schools, where teachers refused to return without meeting certain health metrics, saw prolonged closures. The district offered an in-person option to pre-K through eighth-grade students this month.

“If we want to make sure that we can get more students back in person, it means we don’t spike the ball on the 20-yard line,” said Kurt Hilgendorf, political director of the Chicago Teachers Union. About one third of employees at Chicago Public Schools have gotten at least one Covid-19 vaccine.

Half of U.S. students were still attending virtual or hybrid school as of March 14, according to Burbio, a website that tracks reopenings. The share learning in person full time is growing, and that rate will accelerate quickly with 3-foot guidelines, said Dennis Roche, the company’s co-founder.

Still, parents are growing increasingly dismayed, a potential threat come midterms if closures stretch into the fall.

“Many of us were optimistic that after Biden was elected, things would change” said Karen Vaites, a parent advocate in New York involved with the Open Schools movement. “For schools stuck in fully remote or hybrid, we know they’ve had the most resistance to reopening, that is why what CDC does is so important.”

In many cases, 3 feet can mean the difference between a chance to return and more weeks of lonely learning in front of a computer screen. “We have tiny buildings, we don’t have a huge staff and we don’t have a lot of extra money,” said Stephanie Guida Teta, a middle-school language arts teacher in Morris County, New Jersey.

About 80% of kids in her district voiced interest in returning full time, which is too many to fit in the classrooms with 6-foot distancing.

“If 3 feet was the CDC new normal, and deemed safe by the CDC, it really does alleviate the issues for us,” said Guida Teta, who received her second vaccine dose late last month.

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