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CDC offers new guidelines for parents, school officials for upcoming school year

PITTSBURGH — It is a tough decision both school leaders and parents have to make. How should kids go back to school? Should it happen online, in person, or a mix of both?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a new checklist to offer guidance to help navigate the process.

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They have created a checklist or decision making tool that lists a series of questions pertaining to your kids, yourself, and where you live. Based on your responses, it helps you determine how you may approach the upcoming school year.

Channel 11′s Mike Holden is asking health officials about ways to ease stress and how to help your kids cope with coronavirus and their peers for Channel 11 News starting at 5.

The checklist weighs the risks of COVID-19.

It asks if your child and school are ready, if they can properly complete school work from home, as well as their social skills and overall well-being.

The CDC also gave guidance to schools, stressing the importance of using social distancing, wearing masks and other preventative measures.

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This all comes on the heels of President Donald Trump saying schools in hot spots would need to delay reopening this fall.

The CDC and health officials suggested schools find open and unused space to help socially distance students once school starts back up.

Dr. Larry Mitnual, a medical expert with the the American Heart Association said this won’t be a one size fits all approach. Parents should prepare their kids for the evolving situation.

“This is a stressful and difficult time. Talk to your kids. Open the dialogue. Say we are going through this together. Address the fact that everyone is preparing for this, and lay out the fact that if you do your part to stay safe it will benefit everyone around you,” Mitnual said.

The CDC says districts should also conduct contact tracking for positive cases, and have detailed plans if someone does get sick.