A study conducted in a childcare facility as well as primary school showed that when the class size was doubled from 8-15 to 30, the outbreak size and the number of student days lost also doubled in certain scenarios. To combat this increase in COVID-19 transmission and case numbers, experts propose that reducing the child:teacher ratio, as well as grouping siblings or members of the same family together, could enhance safety for reopening childcare centers. 

University of California, Davis

Social distancing protocols for reopening schools should involve creating more space for children in the classroom (e.g., spacing desks 6 feet apart), keeping groups of children together throughout the day to limit mixing, staggering schedules, closing common areas, adding transportation options to increase spacing (such as on buses), limiting nonessential visitors, and canceling extracurricular activities that require close contact.

Social Distancing Through Space Reallocation in Schools

Phillips, B., Browne, D., Anand, M., &amp; Bauch, C. (2020). Model-based projections for COVID-19 outbreak size and student-days lost to closure in Ontario childcare centres and primary schools. doi:10.1101/2020.08.07.20170407

Model-based projections for COVID-19 outbreak size and student days lost to closure in Ontario childcare centres and primary schools 

Many community schools may not have the necessary resources or space for social distancing. In these cases, schools are advised to prioritize the children who are most affected by remote learning, such as children who experience barriers to remote learning, students who receive special education services or nutritional support at school, and younger children (for whom online learning may be particularly challenging). School districts and individual schools within districts that have greater numbers of such children should be provided with additional resources for ensuring safety when reopening.

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