Education Week - August 26, 2020 - 15

normal, but social distancing and other precautions will still be in place.
Lessons for U.S. Schools: Parents and teachers

were anxious about returning to school in April,
Lockett said, but the peninsula nation's relatively
low number of new cases kept the fear from becoming too overwhelming. She attributes the relative
stability of the reopening process, in part, to the
country's small size and its universal health care and
abundant free child-care options, achieved through
some of the highest taxes in any country.
"We're not so worried about how to pay for
things as people in the States are," Lockett said.
For teachers, Lockett recommends trying to put
on a happy face and be willing to talk about the
virus if students want to.
"If they hear adults being really moody and
stressed, then they're going to feed off that," she
said. "We just tried to do our best with the circumstances to show that things were going to be OK."

SOUTH KOREA
How Reopening Worked: The school year was
set to begin in March, but got delayed three months
due to the pandemic. The government's plan in
June established phases of reopening for different
grade levels: high schoolers first, then younger
students gradually over the next several weeks.
Schools that recorded a new COVID-19 case were
required to close once again for cleaning. Teachers
were required to enforce requirements including
using designated stairways and doors, refraining
from hugging, and keeping desks separated. Some
schools were forced to close as soon as one day
after reopening, due to a confirmed COVID-19
case.
On-the-Ground Perspective: Gyungbuk Girls'
High School, located near the center of the country's COVID-19 outbreak, placed red and blue tape
on floors, and staff members rehearsed the flow
of foot traffic in the school before it reopened, ac-

cording to an account in the Los Angeles Times.
Students were so excited to return to school that
some of them quickly violated the social-distancing requirements. "Kids will be kids," principal
Nam Young-mok told the Times.
Another school in Korea delayed the lunch
period until 1:40 p.m., after classes ended, to
prevent students from congregating maskless
with each other after eating.
Lessons for U.S. Schools: Bringing students
back in smaller groups could soften the blow
if a school has to close once again shortly after
reopening. Widespread use of masks in the country, as well as widely available COVID-19 tests
and contract tracing operations, has helped ease
the transition back to in-person schooling.
Even countries that appear to have gotten the
virus under control can experience unexpected
surges. A few weeks ago, the country reported
113 new infections-the first time that number
soared above 100 in four months.

ISRAEL
How Reopening Worked: Emboldened by a
persistent drop in new cases and enthusiasm for
restarting the nation's economy, leaders in Israel
fully reopened school buildings in May. Children
older than 7 are required to wear masks when
they're outside the classroom, and children in 4th
grade and above are required to wear masks all
day, but enforcement has been inconsistent.
But during that first week, one school reported
more than 250 students and staff had contracted
the virus. The reopening coincided with a heat
wave that forced classrooms, already cramped
with students in close proximity, to close the windows, reducing ventilation. Close to 250 schools
in the country were forced to shut down again
after reopening, and experts believe the school
reopenings contributed to a "second wave" of
COVID-19 cases in the country at large.

Jeanne McCabe, who
lives in suburban
Philadelphia, is weighing
whether to form a
"learning pod" with other
families in order to

The coronavirus pandemic demands bold,
innovative, and responsive district leadership.
support her twin children
Nicholas and Veronica

when school resumes.

But the possibility leaves
her conflicted.

Bryan Johnson

On-the-Ground Perspective: On May 17, the

day the government reopened schools and urged
people to resume daily life outside the home, a 7th
grade student at Gymnasia Ha'ivrit high school
reported to the school that he had tested positive
for COVID-19. One day later, another student
tested positive. The number of infections at the
school quickly soared to 154 students and 26 staff
members, The New York Times reported.
Upon learning of the first case, teachers and students who had come in contact with the infected 7th
grader were urged to quarantine. After the second
case was confirmed, the school closed. A few teachers were hospitalized, while 60 percent of the students were asymptomatic, according to a report in
the European infectious disease journal Eurosurveillance. The most common symptoms were cough,
headache, fever, sore throat, and muscle pain.
"There was a general euphoria among the public,
a sense that we had dealt with the first wave well
and that it was behind us," Danniel Leibovitch,
Gymnasia's principal, told the Times. "Of course,
that wasn't true."
By the next month, 87 people who had come in
contact with students or staff from the school also
tested positive, according to the Eurosurveillance
report.
Lessons for U.S. Schools: The Eurosurveillance

report ends with a blunt set of recommendations:
"COVID-19 prevention in schools involves studying in small groups and minimizing student mixing
in activities and transportation. Teachers and
parents should lead by wearing face masks, hand
hygiene, keeping physical distance, etc. School attendance should be avoided at any sign of illness."
Modest numbers of COVID-19 cases in a given
community shouldn't prompt schools to relax or
abandon precautions. Improving air circulation is
also a priority that shouldn't be overlooked amid
the partisan battle over school reopenings.

Education Week
wants to know who
is leading the way.

Hamilton County Schools, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Expertise: Career and Technical Education

"
qu

JESSICA CALARCO

Nellie Aspel

Cleveland County Schools, Shelby, N.C.
Expertise: Special Education

Marsha Francis

Associate professor of
sociology at Indiana University

Fulton County Schools, Atlanta, Ga.
EXPERTISE: Teacher Support

Nolberto Delgadillo

Tulsa Public Schools, Tulsa, Okla.
Expertise: Finance

Nominate next year's showcase
leaders by Sept. 15, 2020.

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Education Week - August 26, 2020

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