As part of our blog series on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, we offer insights on COVID-19’s impact on the nation’s public schools. While a graduate student at Emory University, Cassie Kersten, now aBooz Allen policy and operations specialist, worked with a team of researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess public school district pandemic preparedness policies and the implications for COVID-19 response activities. Their research was recently published in the Cambridge University Press Journal of Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. Subscribers can access the full article through the Cambridge University Press website.
Evaluating K-12 pandemic preparedness and response
To help understand the preparedness policies in place across the U.S. public school system prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cassie Kersten and a team of CDC researchers worked to determine school district preparedness for closures and other relevant pandemic response strategies. This research can be used to further understand the factors associated with comprehensive emergency plans and help decision makers allocate resources for future pandemic planning.
Recently published in Cambridge University Press, the project analyzed the responses of a random sample of 957 public school districts across the country to the 2016 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) focused on three main topics: 1) healthy and safe school environment, 2) nutrition services, and 3) health services.
Pandemic Preparedness at the Nation’s Public Schools
School closures are recommended mechanisms to “flatten the curve” during pandemics before widespread viral transmission occurs. However, school closures also have secondary social and economic implications. Cassie and her team found that the majority of U.S. K-12 school districts had procedures that would facilitate the implementation of closures prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (89%), but fewer school districts had plans for ensuring continuity of education (43%) or feeding students during closure (34%).
“I have played an active role in the COVID-19 response at both the state and federal levels. It has been so meaningful to work alongside a wide array of inspirational public health professionals and I am proud to support the mission to defeat the pandemic.”
- Cassie Kersten, Booz Allen policy and operations specialist
These findings indicate that many school districts in the U.S. may have been underprepared for closures due to COVID-19. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of preparedness plans to mitigate the disruption of school closures on society—particularly for continuity of education and meals.
As the country continues to determine the best strategies for returning to in-person learning among the ongoing pandemic, points highlighted in the data can help local decision makers create solutions in the best interest of their communities.
