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COVID-19-associated school closures and related efforts to sustain education and subsidized meal programs, United States, February 18-June 30, 2020

Journal Article · · PLoS ONE
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4]
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA (United States); OSTI
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA (United States); Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. Kapili Services, LLC, Atlanta, GA, (United States)
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Pre-emptive school closures are frontline community mitigation measures recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for implementation during severe pandemics. This study describes the spatiotemporal patterns of publicly announced school closures implemented in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and assesses how public K-12 districts adjusted their methods of education delivery and provision of subsidized meals. During February 18–June 30, 2020, we used daily systematic media searches to identify publicly announced COVID-19–related school closures lasting ≥1 day in the United States (US). We also collected statewide school closure policies from state government websites. Data on distance learning and subsidized meal programs were collected from a stratified sample of 600 school districts. The first COVID-19–associated school closure occurred on February 27, 2020 in Washington state. By March 30, 2020, all but one US public school districts were closed, representing the first-ever nearly synchronous nationwide closure of public K-12 schools in the US. Approximately 100,000 public schools were closed for ≥8 weeks because of COVID-19, affecting >50 million K-12 students. Of 600 districts sampled, the vast majority offered distance learning (91.0%) and continued provision of subsidized meal programs (78.8%) during the closures. Despite the sudden and prolonged nature of COVID-19–associated school closures, schools demonstrated flexibility by implementing distance learning and alternate methods to continue subsidized meal programs.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Kāpili Services; USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0014664
OSTI ID:
1904956
Journal Information:
PLoS ONE, Journal Name: PLoS ONE Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 16; ISSN 1932-6203
Publisher:
Public Library of ScienceCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
COVID 19
education
human learning
influenza
pandemics
school closures
schools