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K-12 Schools COVID-19 Mitigation Toolkit
This K-12 Schools COVID-19 Mitigation Toolkit is designed for public health officials, K-12 administrators, school district officials, and occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals to assess hazards and implement mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in schools. To protect students, teachers and staff, and the broader community, schools should consider implementing several of the recommended strategies, which will encourage behaviors that reduce the spread of COVID-19.
This toolkit is based on the Operating Schools During COVID-19: CDC’s Considerations and the Strategies for Protecting K-12 School Staff from COVID-19.
This toolkit includes the following materials:
Toolkit Instructions introduce public health officials, K-12 administrators, school district officials, and OSH professionals to the content of the toolkit and explain how to use the materials
At-A-Glance: Mitigation Strategies provide a quick guide for key mitigation strategies based on the evaluation of hazards
Checklists help K-12 administrators and school staff to prepare for facility reopening for in-person or hybrid classes and continued operation
Resources provide access to additional information using hyperlinks, URLs, and quick response (QR) codes
Appendix A – Special Considerations provide information to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 for specific school jobs and positions (e.g., bus drivers, nurses), as well as considerations for students with disabilities or special healthcare needs
Appendix B – Staff Protections describe an approach used to help reduce risk for staff by removing, eliminating, or isolating a hazard; changing the way people work; or protecting staff by using equipment, such as masks and partitions
Toolkit Instructions
K-12 Schools COVID-19 Mitigation Toolkit
The information in this toolkit is based on:
Operating Schools During COVID-19: CDC’s Considerations
Strategies for Protecting K-12 School Staff from COVID-19
Schools are an important part of a community; therefore, this toolkit was designed to assist schools as they reopen for in-person learning. Public health officials, K-12 administrators, school district officials, and occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals can use this toolkit in its entirety or select sections based on local health needs and priorities.
This toolkit provides an at-a-glance resource as well as checklists to prepare schools to open for in-person instruction and to manage ongoing operations during COVID-19. Schools will need to determine how often they revisit these materials as the situation and guidance for COVID-19 changes in their communities.
Important notes:
- Use of this toolkit is voluntary
- This toolkit is not intended to assess regulatory compliance
- This toolkit does not replace federal, state, tribal, local, or territorial health and safety or privacy and confidentiality laws, rules, and regulations with which schools must comply
- This toolkit is not intended to infringe on constitutional and legal protections for religious private schools
- This toolkit may be completed independently by school staff or in consultation with state, tribal, local, and territorial public health officials or OSH professionals
- This toolkit may be tailored based on the local guidance and the school’s need for examining mitigation strategies
- This toolkit emphasizes the importance of reviewing external factors, such as community transmission, when making decisions about school operations
- At-A-Glance: Mitigation Strategies pdf icon[493 KB, 3 Pages]
- Checklist #1: School Demographics, Staff Characteristics, and Community Information pdf icon[137 KB, 1 page]
- Checklist #2: Plan and Prepare: Hazard Assessment pdf icon[83 KB, 1 page]
- Checklist #3: Screening, Testing, and Preparing for When Someone is Sick pdf icon[188 KB, 1 page]
- Checklist #4: Cleaning, Ventilation, and Physical Spaces pdf icon[206 KB, 1 page]
- Checklist #5: Mitigation Strategies pdf icon[144 KB, 1 page]
- Checklist #6: Mental Health and Well-Being Support pdf icon[100 KB, 1 page]
Resources
COVID-19 Resources by School Job/Position
K-12 Administrators
- Considerations for K-12 Schools: Readiness and Planning Tool pdf icon[511 KB, 9 pages]
- Operating Schools During COVID-19: CDC’s Considerations
- CDC Readiness and Planning Tool to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in K-12 Schools pdf icon[629 KB, 9 pages]
- Preparing K-12 School Administrators for a Safe Return to School in Fall 2020
- Guidance for K-12 School Administrators on the Use of Cloth Face Coverings in Schools
- Screening K-12 Students for Symptoms of COVID-19: Limitations and Considerations
- Interim Considerations for K-12 School Administrators for SARS-CoV-2 Testing
- FAQ for School Administrators on Reopening Schools
- Toolkit for K-12 Schools
- Strategies for Protecting K-12 School Staff from COVID-19
Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers
- School Decision-Making Tool for Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers
- Back to School Planning: Checklists to Guide Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers
School Nurses and School Healthcare Professionals
- Information for School Nurses and Other Healthcare Personnel (HCP) Working in Schools and Child Care Settings
- Get Your Clinic Ready for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Information for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- OSHA Healthcare Workers and Employers Guidanceexternal icon
Janitors and Maintenance Staff
- Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes
- What Waste Collectors and Recyclers Need to Know about COVID-19
- CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility website
- EPA List N Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-COV-2external icon
Bus Drivers
- What Bus Transit Operators Need to Know About COVID-19
- CDC COVID-19 Cleaning and Disinfection for Non-emergency Transport Vehicles
- Interim Guidance for Mass Transit Administrators pdf icon[1 MB, 62 pages]
Office Staff
School Nutrition Professionals
- What School Nutrition Professionals and Volunteers at Schools Need to Know about COVID-19
- Food and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- FDA Food Safety and COVID-19 websiteexternal icon
Coaching Staff and Athletic Trainers
COVID-19 Resources to Support Students
Paratransit Operation
Youth Sports
Other COVID-19 Resources
COVID-19 Basics
- CDC COVID-19 website
- COVID-19 prevention
- People Who Are at Increased Risk for Severe Illness
- CDC Considerations for Wearing Masks
- COVID-19 Videos, American Sign Language
- NIOSH COVID-19 website
- CDC-INFO
Everyday Steps to Slow the Spread
- Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes
- Handwashing information
- Use of Masks to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19
Workplace Resources
- CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019
- CDC Prepare your Small Business and Employees for the Effects of COVID-19
- CDC COVID-19 General Business Frequently Asked Questions
Community and Faith-Based Organizations
Mental Health Resources
- CDC Coronavirus (COVID-19) Coping with StressDisaster Distress Helplineexternal icon
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Find Treatmentexternal icon
Tribal Nations Resource
Communication Resources
- CDC Communication Resources
- CDC Social Media Toolkit
- CDC Communication Resources for K-12 schools
- CDC Tools for Cross-Cultural Communication and Language Access
Outdoor Learning Gardens
Other Government Agency Resources
Appendix A: Special Considerations
This appendix provides information to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 at school for specific jobs and positions (e.g., bus drivers, nurses) as well as considerations for teachers, staff, and students with disabilities or special healthcare needs.
Jobs and positions covered in this Appendix:
- Teachers, Substitutes, Paraprofessionals, and Specialists
- Janitors and Maintenance Staff
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) Professionals and School Facilities Staff
- Office and Administrative Staff
- School Nutrition Staff
- School Nurse or Designated Staff
- School Bus Driver and Bus Aides
- Coaching Staff and Athletic Trainers
- Music, Choir, and Performing Arts Teachers
- Teachers, Staff, and Students with Disabilities or Special Healthcare Needs
Printer friendly, fillable version of Appendix A: Special Considerations. pdf icon[659 KB, 11 Pages]
Appendix B: Staff Protections
Controlling exposures to hazards in the workplace is key to help reduce risk and keep staff healthy on the job. To do this, a hierarchy of controls approach is used. The hierarchy of controls helps to determine:
- How to implement feasible and effective control solutions
- Which controls to prioritize when faced with limited resources
Controls in Schools During COVID-19
While these controls are intended to help reduce risk for staff, these controls can also help to reduce risk for students.
Elimination and Substitution involve removing or replacing a hazard with something that is not as hazardous. These controls are typically the most effective at managing hazards. However, elimination is difficult to do and substitution is not possible for an infectious disease, like COVID-19, that has spread in the community or in work settings.
Example:
- The hazard of potential COVID-19 exposures is eliminated in the school setting by engaging in virtual-only instead of in-person traditional classes, activities, and events or elimination of assemblies and activities that promote mass gathering without social distancing measures
Engineering Controls involve changes to the physical environment to isolate or remove staff from the hazard.
Examples:
- Increasing ventilation (outdoor air) and filtration
- Installing barriers
- Rearranging or removing workstations and furniture to allow for social distancing
Administrative Controls involve changes to work practices and behaviors of people to reduce or limit exposure to the hazard.
Examples:
- Policies that prevent the hazard from entering schools
- Encouraging self-monitoring
- Prohibiting individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been recently exposed to someone known or suspected to have COVID-19 from entering the school building or campus
- Policies that encourage or enforce prevention methods
- Cohorting (identifying small groups and keeping them together)
- Wearing masks, physical distancing, using hand hygiene, and cough/sneeze etiquette
- Cleaning and disinfection
- Educating and training staff, students, parents, guardians, and caregivers on hazards and hazard prevention
- Providing signs and visual reminders to encourage healthy behaviors
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the last line of defense and is used after all engineering and administrative controls have been implemented where possible. The right PPE must be chosen for each hazard.
Examples:
- Gloves
- Gown
- Face shield or goggles
- Respirator
- Surgical mask