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Maintain healthy and sustainable learning environments.

Schools play a critical role in promoting the health and well-being of children and adolescents. They support students’ cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development; provide access to critical health services; and help students establish lifelong healthy behaviors. Safe and healthy learning environments and access to health education programs and services can reduce negative risk factors among youth and increase students’ capacity to learn.

Schools should also have plans in place that can help reduce illness and illness-related absenteeism by preventing the spread of infectious diseases. While infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies may be unpredictable, K-12 schools can implement a core set of prevention strategies as part of their normal operations. These include promoting proper handwashing; cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting surfaces and objects; improving indoor air quality; teaching and reinforcing respiratory etiquette; and promoting equitable access to vaccinations. When there is a higher level of illness in the school or surrounding community, schools can work with their local public health partners to implement additional prevention strategies. Schools can also prepare for outbreaks or a pandemic by creating an emergency operations plan with an infectious disease section, which outlines the actions necessary to reduce the impact of the outbreak.

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All Infectious Diseases and Public Health Resources

Access additional resources below to learn more about infectious diseases and public health and related best practices. Use the filters to sort resources based on subtopic and/or preparedness action.

Guidance
Infectious Diseases and Public Health
Keep Children Healthy During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Department of Health and Human Services, June 2020

Based on available evidence, most children do not appear to be at higher risk for COVID-19 than adults. While some children and infants have been sick with COVID-19, adults make up most of the known cases to date.

Guidance
Infectious Diseases and Public Health
COVID-19 Disinformation Toolkit

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, June 2020

This toolkit is designed to help State, local, tribal and territorial officials bring awareness to misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories appearing online related to COVID-19’s origin, scale, government response, prevention and treatment.

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