NBC’S JOHN
COSTELLO.
>> Reporter:
SAME STORY WITH
ME.
NATIONWIDE, 90
KIDS AND TEENS
HAVE NOW DIED
FROM COVID-19.
PUBLIC HEALTH
EXPERTS
GENERALLY AGREE,
THEY NEED TO
GET, WE NEED TO
GET KIDS BACK TO
SCHOOL.
IT’S BETTER FOR
THE EDUCATION.
IT’S BETTER FOR
THEIR PHYSICAL
AND EMOTIONAL
WELL-BEING.
BUT IF KIDS
RETURN TO SCHOOL
IN A COVID HOT
ZONE, THE FEAR
IS THAT THE
VIRUS WILL
SPREAD LIKE
WILDFIRE,
ENDANGERING
ENTIRE
COMMUNITIES.
ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, THE
MORNING RITUAL
IS CHANGING
PROFOUNDLY.
FOR 56 MILLION K-
12 STUDENTS, THE
SCHOOL YEAR. FOR
THOSE WHO RETURN
TO SCHOOL IN THE
FALL, FEWER KIDS
ON THE SCHOOL
BUS, FACE MASKS,
TEMPERATURE
CHECKS AT THE
FRONT DOOR,
FEWER KIDS PER
CLASSROOM,
ALTERNATING IN-
CLASS DAYS AND
SPACED OUT
CAFETERIA
SEATING.
>> TO BE ABLE TO
INTERACT, HAVE
THE TEACHER BE
HIS TEACHER AND
NOT HIS MOM BE
HIS TEACHER.
>> Reporter: FOR
MILLIONS OF KIDS
IN TEEN, THE
RETURN TO SCHOOL
WILL BE VIRTUAL.
SEVERAL ARE
RETURNING
VIRTUALLY ONLY.
OTHER SCHOOL
SYSTEMS,
INCLUDING NEW
YORK CITY, THE
COUNTRY IS THE
LARGEST, PLAN TO
USE IN-PERSON
LEARNING OR A
HYBRID MODEL.
STILL, A QUARTER
OF NEW YORK CITY
KIDS ARE OPTING
FOR ALL REMOTE
LEARNING.
NO ONE WANTS IT
TO BE THIS WAY.
PARENTS,
EDUCATORS, AND
STUDENTS WOULD
ALL LOVE TO BE
BACK IN THE
CLASSROOM.
>> I MISS SCHOOL.
I MISS MY
FRIENDS.
>> Reporter:
THESE ARE NOT
NORMAL TIMES.
>> THERE’S A LOT
AT STAKE HERE.
THERE’S A LOT OF
STEAK FOR KIDS
EDUCATION CENTER
SOCIAL WELL-
BEING, AND A LOT
OF STAKES FOR
HEALTH.
FINDING THAT
PLACE IN THE
MIDDLE IS WHERE
COMMUNITIES ARE
STRUGGLING.
>> Reporter:
FIRST, A FACT
CHECK.
AND KIDS
CONTRACT COVID-
19.
THE CDC SAYS
ABSOLUTELY.
MORE THAN
380,000 TEEN’S
AND KIDS HAVE
ALREADY
CONTRACTED THE
VIRUS.
ROUGHLY 9% OF
ALL CORONAVIRUS
CASES.
WHILE MOST WON’T
BECOME SERIOUSLY
ILL, RESEARCHERS
BELIEVE EVEN
ASYMPTOMATIC
YOUNG PEOPLE CAN
ACTIVELY SPREAD
THE VIRUS TO
OTHERS,
INCLUDING
TEACHERS,
PARENTS, AND THE
ELDERLY.
IN CHEROKEE
COUNTY, GEORGIA,
TWO HIGH SCHOOLS
ARE CLOSED AFTER
DOZENS OF
CONFIRMED CASES.
MORE THAN 1200
STUDENTS AND
STAFF ARE
QUARANTINED
DISTRICTWIDE.
45 MINUTES AWAY,
NORTH PAULDING
HIGH SCHOOL
REMAINS CLOSED
WITH 35 POSITIVE
CASES AFTER
STUDENTS PACKED
THE HALLWAYS,
OFTEN WITHOUT
MASKS.
>> I JUST FEEL
LIKE THAT’S A
RISK SOME OF THE
SENIORS ARE
WILLING TO TAKE
TO HAVE OUR
SENIOR YEAR.
>> Reporter:
ACROSS THE
COUNTRY,
TEACHERS ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT
THEIR OWN
HEALTH.
>> YOU ARE
PACKING 300
KIDS, ALMOST 300
KIDS INTO A
SCHOOL.
HOW IS THAT
FOLLOWING THE
GUIDELINES THAT
EVERYONE HAS PUT
OUT?
>> Reporter:
MARCY WARNER IS
RETIRING AFTER
40 YEARS
TEACHING IN
SCOTTSDALE,
ARIZONA.
>> I LOVE THOSE
KIDS AND WHERE I
TAUGHT AND WHAT
I DID.
BUT I’M NOT
QUITE WILLING TO
DIE FOR THEM.
>> Reporter: THE
PRESIDENT IS
STILL PUSHING TO
GET STUDENTS
BACK.
>> ALL SCHOOLS
SHOULD BE MAKING
PLANS TO RESUME
IN-PERSON
CLASSES AS SOON
AS POSSIBLE.
>> Reporter:
PROVIDING
GUIDELINES
SIMILAR TO THE
ADVICE OFFERED BY
HEALTH EXPERTS.
THE CDC IS
PUSHING IN-
PERSON LEARNING
WHEN POSSIBLE.
AMONG ITS MANY
RECOMMENDATIONS,
NO ENTRY INTO A
SCHOOL FOR
ANYONE WITH A
TEMPERATURE OVER
100.4.
KEEP SMALL PODS
OF TEACHERS AND
STUDENTS
TOGETHER ALL
DAY.
PHYSICAL
BARRIERS TO
MINIMIZE THE
TRANSMISSION OF
COST, SEIZES, OR
TALKS.
IN ADDITION,
CONTINUOUSLY
DISINFECT HIGH-
TOUCH SURFACES
LIKE
PLAYGROUNDS,
DOORKNOBS, LIGHT
SWITCHES ON THE
DESKTOP,
COUNTERTOPS, AND
RESTROOMS.
ONE DOCTOR SAYS
SCHOOLS WILL
NEED TO
PRIORITIZE WHICH
SKIDS RETURN TO
SCHOOL FIRST.
>> THE BEST
EVIDENCE IS THAT
YOUNGER KIDS
TRANSMIT LESS.
ALSO YOUNGER
KIDS REALLY NEED
THAT FACE TO
FACE IN A WAY
THAT THE OLDER
KIDS MAYBE WE IT
A LITTLE LESS.
IF I WERE
PRIORITIZING, I
WAS OKAY 35.
>> Reporter: IN
GEORGIA, SCHOOL
RESUMES LAST
WEEK.
MANY KIDS KEPT
THEIR MASKS ON,
STOOD SEPARATED
IN THE HALL, AND
SET DIVIDED BY
PLEXIGLAS AT
THEIR DESK.
NOW IT IS ALSO
REPORTING
POSITIVE CASES.
>> I WAS LOOKING
FORWARD TO
SEEING MY
FRIENDS AND GET
IT BACK IN
SCHOOL.
>> Reporter:
THAT WILL HAVE
TO WAIT FOR THIS
10-YEAR-OLD IN
MARYLAND, WHO
WILL START HIS
GRADE ONLINE.
>> CORONA KID
GRADUATE.
OUR FIRST
GRADUATE OF THE
YEAR.
>> Reporter: SHE
COMPLETED FOURTH
GRADE AT HOME.
HER DAD DOES
CORONA CARE
ACADEMY.
>> YOU SURVIVED
DISTANCE
LEARNING AT HOME
WITH MOM AND DAD.
YOU MUST BE AT
THE TOP OF YOUR
CLASS. YOU ARE
SUPERSMART.
>> I AM.
>> Reporter: HER
DAD WAS ALSO AT
HOME, SERVING AS
A COOK, READING,
WRITING,
ARITHMETIC, GYM
AND MUSIC
TEACHER.
IT WAS ONLY HOME
BECAUSE IN HIS
REAL JOB, HE IS
A TEACHER AT
ANOTHER SCHOOL.
NOW TEACHING
MUSIC ONLINE,
WHICH REQUIRES A
LOT OF PATIENCE
AND FLEXIBILITY.
>> I TELL MY
STUDENTS, I’M
OKAY WITH
EXTENDING
TRADITIONAL
TIMES OF MONDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY
UNDERSTANDING
THAT MY GOAL IS
TO REACH THAT
CHILD.
>> Reporter:
ABOUT A GET IT,
THE 2020 SCHOOL
YEAR IS GOING TO
BE VERY
DIFFERENT.
>> THERE IS NO
WAY TO ELIMINATE
IT.
YOU CAN REDUCE IT
FOR TEACHERS AND
ADMINISTRATORS.
WE HAVE SEEN
FROM OTHER
PLACES AROUND
THE WORLD, THAT
WHEN YOU DO
THAT, SCHOOLS
ARE NOT THE
SOURCE OF
OUTBREAKS.
IT IS GENERALLY
A MANAGEABLE
RISK.
>> Reporter:
SEVERAL DOCTORS
BELIEVE THAT
KIDS IN LOW
COVID EXPOSURE
AREAS SHOULD BE
ABLE TO RESUME
SCHOOL WITHOUT
MUCH OF A
PROBLEM.
BUT IN AREAS
RIGHT NOW THAT