Parents still skeptical about schools reopening as Trump, CDC talk delayed openings

Debbie Cuevas said she has mixed feelings about sending her children back into school buildings in September.

Remote learning has been no substitute for in-class instruction, said Cuevas, 47, of Rockville Centre. But she worries about exposing her kids to the coronavirus in school and them bringing it home.

"I want to wait and see what the infection rate is on Long Island," she said.

As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in parts of the country, President Donald Trump and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said schools might have to delay reopening in virus hot spots but should otherwise start classes. The statements represent a shift for both Trump and the CDC, as both had been greatly focused on the need for kids to go back into schools.

Trump, speaking at a news conference Thursday, acknowledged what many public health officials have been saying — that those schools in hot spots might have to postpone reopening for "weeks." The virus has surged in Texas, California and Florida, as well as some other states.

Trump continued to push for children returning to school, emphasizing they are less likely to be infected or spread the virus.

“We cannot indefinitely stop 50 million American children from going to school, harming their mental, physical and emotional development,” he said.

 But Trump appeared more flexible about the urgency to reopen schools in areas where the virus is surging. “That’ll be up to governors. The decisions should be made based on the data and the facts on the ground,” he said.

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said he will announce whether schools will reopen this fall the first week of August and that it will be based on infection data.

In the new CDC guidelines posted Thursday, the agency continued to stress the importance of reopening schools. But the new guidelines also recommend that local officials consider postponing the reopening if there is considerable spread of the virus.

“It is critically important for our public health to open schools this fall,” CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield said in a statement announcing the new guidelines. “School closures have disrupted normal ways of life for children and parents, and they have had negative health consequences on our youth."

The CDC guidelines suggest that schools use hand-washing, face masks and social distancing.

"The health, safety, and well-being of students, teachers, staff and their families is the most important consideration in determining whether school closure is a necessary step," said the guidance. "However, if community transmission levels cannot be decreased, school closure is an important consideration."

Joy Connolly, 44, a parent from Point Lookout, said she appreciated the greater emphasis on health.

"I'm pleased that the direction is to lean more toward controlling the virus before we are talking about reopening the schools," said Connolly, who has two children in the school system. 

Still, she said she worries that the new guidance comes so close to the planned opening of schools. "I share the panic of many parents — what do we do?" said Connolly, adding that she is leaning toward keeping her children at home when school begins.

Dr. Sharon Nachman, division chief for pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, said she was pleased that the CDC and Trump appreciate the need to account for what's happening locally.

"It's important to recognize the local picture," she said. "Is the rate so high that it's not practical to open schools? The parents and the school and the district have to work together to see what's best for them."

By Craig Schneider

craig.schneider@newsday.comScraigo

Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.