CDC Eases School Distancing Guidelines, What Does It Mean For PA?

PENNSYLVANIA - President Joe Biden is pushing, along with parents in the Keystone State, to get students back in their classrooms, and a change to the social distancing guidelines made by the Centers for Disease Control on Friday could make it possible sooner.

Many public schools in Pennsylvania are finding it difficult to accommodate a full return if 6 feet of social distancing is required. This sticking point is often pointed out as a main contributor behind many schools offering hybrid schedules and cohorts.

The new CDC guidelines state that most students can now sit 3 feet apart instead of 6 feet as long as they are wearing masks. This would mean more desks can fit in the classrooms and more students can return to in-person learning.

The change could allow those all-virtual districts to begin hybrid cohorts and those already hybrid to begin in-person instruction five days a week. The revised COVID-19 recommendations is a change from the 6-foot standard that has forced some schools to stagger scheduling, remove desks and classroom furniture, and take other steps to keep students away from one another.

The new recommendation is for all K-12 students, regardless of whether community transmission is low, moderate or substantial, the CDC said. However, in communities where transmission is high, the CDC recommends that middle school and high school students remain at least six feet apart if schools aren’t able to keep students and teachers in assigned groups.

What hasn't changed is that the CDC continues to recommend at least 6 feet distance between adults in schools and between adults and students as well as in common areas, when eating or participating in in-door activities outside the classroom.

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