Students face a number of challenges as they head back to school this fall — from potential exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses to injuries on the playing field.
“This return to school season is like no other,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. “Schools must be prepared to protect children from COVID-19, while also addressing a wide array of other pandemic-related challenges returning students are facing.”
The CDC has specific COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schoolchildren as well as people ages 18 to 24.
READ: 3 Things to Consider About COVID and Back to School
Besides keeping students safe from COVID, adults “will need to provide safe and supportive school environments to promote student well-being and recovery,” Walensky says in a CDC news release.
The pandemic has caused significant stress for kids and their families. Educators can help students’ well-being by creating safe and supportive school environments and referring kids to appropriate mental and physical health services as needed, according to the agency.
Health tips
The CDC is offering the following return-to-school general health tips: