LANSING, Mich. — We know many parents and grandparents are agonizing over the upcoming school year. we want to help you and your family make the best decision about going 'Safely Back to School' all week, we'll be sharing different ideas to help you decide what's best for your family.
Tonight, Chris Conte show us a specific, scientific number that that many experts believe is key metric to measure safety and parents you can see this number too.
It's daunting for sure the decisions you have to make. A summer of social distancing is giving way to a fall of uncertainty. For Courtney Noffsinger and her family, "We had no idea, no idea we'd still be battling this in July heading into the next school year, it's mind blowing."
Courtney has spent the last few weeks agonizing over her daughter and the start of the coming school year. "It's been lonely for me, I kind of miss all my friends and it's weird to say this but I miss learning too."
Like so many students, 11-year-old Presley Noffsinger wants to go back. Leaving families across the country at a critical crossroad. As their parents we want to give them what they want but we're fearful especially when the data keeps changing.
So where can parents turn for guidance? MIT has created the COVID-19 Projection Machine. It give parents an interactive map to work with. As you scroll over each state you can see current case numbers. Pay attention to this one number though, the positivity rate. Health experts say once a state's positive rate crosses five percent, parents should take note.
"Parents don't like to hear me say it but we will be undertaking a whole series of experiments across this country." Dr. William Schaffner is one of the country's leading infectious disease experts. He wants parents to be flexible if cases in your district start rising, prepare to pivot.
That school system will have to figure out if there's a trigger point there where they call a time out and everyone stays home and the learning becomes virtual. Dr. Schaffner also says in-person learning will be more successful if parents model good behavior at home. "Wear a mask when in public. Show your kids what socially distancing looks like constantly." If you do that in your family already it'll be easier for the child to understand what's happening in the school.
As for Courtney Noffsinger she's decided to let her kids go back on a hybrid schedule. But is emphasizing safety. Keep coaching them, keep putting the thoughts in their heads that they have to wash their hands they have to wear their mask going in and out of the building and why.
Like so many other parents just trying to get safely back to school.
So here's the rebound rundown the key number for parents is that positivity percentage the number of COVID-19 tests that come back positive. Some health experts find it concerning when that percentage is above five.
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