Video Badger Talks video: When and how should schools reopen?

As schools consider when and how to reopen in the fall, they must remain flexible and transparent, says Malia Jones, associate scientist and social epidemiologist at the Applied Population Laboratory in the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Science.

“Considering whether schools reopen in the fall has to be a decision based on what’s happening in the local area and what’s possible in terms of disease mitigation and keeping families and students safe,” Jones said in our latest Badger Talks video.

There are so many factors to consider. Some say that students need to return to school to start learning again, and to relieve their parents from having to stay home with them, but teachers must be kept safe and COVID-19 must not be allowed to spread.

Schools are considering many modifications that will allow students to be there while not spreading disease, such as masks, distancing and different schedules. “We are going to be dealing with uncertainty for a while,” Jones said.