While the Petri dish effect of children gathered in schoolrooms is commonly accepted, state laws authorizing school closures in times of pandemics and emergency could leave room for viruses to grow, according to a recent report commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report, Legal Preparedness for School Closures in Response to Pandemic Influenza and Other Emergencies, examines laws and pandemic flu preparedness and response plans from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. While 47 states allowed for short-term closure of schools during epidemics and other disasters, agencies weren’t authorized to approve longer closures needed to prevent the spread of disease. Adding to that lack of foresight, only four states gave health and education departments joint authority for school closures and no state emergency management departments were given authority until after a state of emergency had been declared.
The report authors, based at the Center for Law and the Public’s Health at Georgetown and John Hopkins Universities, concluded the lack of standardized authority could lead to delay in action during a pandemic while officials struggle to overcome confusion or disagreements about what agency is responsible for closing schools. The full report can be downloaded from the CDC website.
Jolie Breeden is the lead editor and science communicator for Natural Hazards Center publications. She writes and edits for Research Counts; the Quick Response, Mitigation Matters, Public Health, and Weather Ready Research Award report series; as well as for special projects and publications. Breeden graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.