The 2020-21 school year will bring a new set of risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students, parents, and schools will face the challenge of balancing educational lessons with health and well-being. Parents, especially, are facing tough decisions as schools reopen. Primarily, should they send their children back to school? With health and safety top-of-mind, there are a few precautions parents can take to reduce students' exposure to the coronavirus. First, parents should never send any child who is symptomatic of illness to school. "This means that parents should develop a routine for quickly checking their child for fever in the morning and also confirm that their child does not have a cough or any other sign of illness," said Michael LaSusa, superintendent of schools in Chatham, N.J., to CNN. Parents also should devise plans to keep homes as clean as possible, such as disinfecting areas after kids return from school and making students immediately wash their hands when entering the house. Just like any new school year, students must be prepared for their studies with a fresh set of supplies — even when attending virtual lessons from home. New school supplies are particularly crucial given new restrictions for schools. "Every student should have their own set of classroom supplies. The schools will not be able to provide communal supplies of basics like pencils, pens, highlighters, etc. due to the need to prevent the spread of the virus," Noreen Lazariuk, superintendent of the Sussex Charter School for Technology in Sparta, N.J., told CNN. The slideshow above spotlights nine student essentials parents should consider for the upcoming school year, according to CNN. |

Student safety

As schools reopen, agents and brokers should assist educational institutions in mitigating new risks brought on by virtual learning and in-person lessons.

Classroom safety

Here are a few essential tips from HealthyChildren.org on how officials can make the return-to-school environment safer for students and educators. |

• Physical distancing: Schools should aim to have desks six feet apart, but research has found that spacing desks at least three feet apart and avoiding physical contact can have similar benefits.
• Classroom changes: Schools should encourage methods that result in as little traffic as possible and should consider having teachers move between classrooms instead of having students travel between periods. Also, students should be allowed to eat lunch at their desks or in small groups inside or outside to avoid a packed lunchroom.
• Face coverings and hand hygiene: Encourage frequent handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and require face coverings.
• Checks and testing: It is not feasible for most schools to test or take the temperature of all students at the schools. Nevertheless, schools should establish ways to identify students with fever or other symptoms of illness.
• Hallways: Schools should mark stairways and hallways with one-way directional arrows to avoid crowding.

Cybersecurity tips for school officials

The CoSN (Consortium for School Networking), a nonprofit professional association for school system technology leaders, offers a few guidelines for school officials to avoid liabilities in a remote learning environment. |

• Avoid using a video conference system that requires students to create accounts.
• Bear in mind federal and state laws and school system policies when audio or video recording an individual.
• Avoid recording classroom discussions that involve students when possible.
• Provide parents with information about the technology used in lessons and how the school will protect student privacy data.
• Give parents the option to opt their child out of video sessions and provide alternative methods of connecting to lessons for students who need it.

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