Addressing Our Nation’s Toxic School Infrastructure in the Wake of COVID-19

Kitzmiller, Erika M.; Rodriguez, Akira Drake

doi:10.3102/0013189x211062846

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“… 10 , 14-19 These processes left school districts differentially equipped to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and concentrated high-risk conditions, such as crowded classrooms and poor indoor air quality due to outdated or absent ventilation or filtration systems, in low-income and Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. 14 , 18 , 19 …”

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confidence: 99%

Lifting Universal Masking in Schools — Covid-19 Incidence among Students and Staff

et al. 2022

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Background In February 2022, Massachusetts rescinded a statewide universal masking policy in public schools, and many Massachusetts school districts lifted masking requirements during the subsequent weeks. In the greater Boston area, only two school districts — the Boston and neighboring Chelsea districts — sustained masking requirements through June 2022. The staggered lifting of masking requirements provided an opportunity to examine the effect of universal masking policies on the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in schools. Methods We used a difference-in-differences analysis for staggered policy implementation to compare the incidence of Covid-19 among students and staff in school districts in the greater Boston area that lifted masking requirements with the incidence in districts that sustained masking requirements during the 2021–2022 school year. Characteristics of the school districts were also compared. Results Before the statewide masking policy was rescinded, trends in the incidence of Covid-19 were similar across school districts. During the 15 weeks after the statewide masking policy was rescinded, the lifting of masking requirements was associated with an additional 44.9 cases per 1000 students and staff (95% confidence interval, 32.6 to 57.1), which corresponded to an estimated 11,901 cases and to 29.4% of the cases in all districts during that time. Districts that chose to sustain masking requirements longer tended to have school buildings that were older and in worse condition and to have more students per classroom than districts that chose to lift masking requirements earlier. In addition, these districts had higher percentages of low-income students, students with disabilities, and students who were English-language learners, as well as higher percentages of Black and Latinx students and staff. Our results support universal masking as an important strategy for reducing Covid-19 incidence in schools and loss of in-person school days. As such, we believe that universal masking may be especially useful for mitigating effects of structural racism in schools, including potential deepening of educational inequities. Conclusions Among school districts in the greater Boston area, the lifting of masking requirements was associated with an additional 44.9 Covid-19 cases per 1000 students and staff during the 15 weeks after the statewide masking policy was rescinded.

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confidence: 99%

Lifting Universal Masking in Schools — Covid-19 Incidence among Students and Staff

et al. 2022

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“…22,23 These forces operate via diverse mechanisms such as household crowding, employment in essential industries, and access to testing, vaccines and treatment, and differentially concentrate risk for both SARS-CoV-2 exposure and severe COVID-19 outcomes among low income and Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. [22][23][24]37,66 Knowledge of these differential conditions may influence support/opposition to COVID-19 mitigation measures and policies in schools, including school masking. 67,68 A growing body of work suggests that knowledge of these inequities may result in increasing support for protective measures among those directly impacted by structural racism and other systems of oppression while simultaneously decreasing support among systematically advantaged groups whose relative position largely insulates them from COVID-19 harms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…23,[30][31][32][33][34][35] These varying school conditions, including crowded classrooms, exposure to toxins and pests, and poor air quality due to outdated or absent HVAC/ventilation systems have left school districts differentially-equipped to respond to COVID-19, with harms concentrated among low income and Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. 30,36,37 Alongside improved ventilation, vaccination, testing, and social supports to minimize the secondary impacts of COVID-19, masking represents an important piece of a layered mitigation strategy in school settings. [38][39][40][41] A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of universal masking requirements in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission both in community and school settings.…”

Section: Manuscript Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…23,30–35 These varying school conditions, including crowded classrooms, exposure to toxins and pests, and poor air quality due to outdated or absent HVAC/ventilation systems have left school districts differentially-equipped to respond to COVID-19, with harms concentrated among low income and Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. 30,36,37…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of Lifting School Masking Requirements on Incidence of COVID-19 among Staff and Students in Greater-Boston Area School Districts: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis

Cowger

Clarke

Murray

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background. In February 2022, following the rescinding of a Massachusetts statewide school masking mandate, only two cities (Boston and neighboring Chelsea) out of 79 school districts in the greater-Boston area, maintained masking requirements in K-12 schools. This provided an opportunity to examine the impact of removing masking on COVID-19 case rates among students and staff in the public-school setting. Methods. We used difference-in-differences for staggered policy adoption to compare incidence of COVID-19 cases among students and staff in greater-Boston area school districts that lifted masking requirements to those that had not yet lifted masking requirements during the 2021-2022 school year. Results. Before the statewide school masking policy was lifted, there was no statistically significant difference in case rate trajectories between school districts. However, weekly and cumulative case rates were significantly higher in students and staff in school districts that removed masking requirements, compared to districts that had not yet lifted requirements. We estimate that lifting of school masking requirements was associated with an additional 44.9 (95% CI: 32.6, 57.1) COVID-19 cases per 1,000 students and staff over the 15 weeks since the lifting of the statewide school masking requirement, representing nearly 30% of all cases observed in schools during that time. School districts that sustained masking requirements for longer periods tended to have older school buildings in poorer condition, more crowded classrooms, higher proportion of low income and English learning students and students with disabilities, and a higher proportion of Black and Latinx students and staff. Conclusions. Masking is a relatively low-cost but effective intervention that can protect students and staff from substantial illness and loss of in-person days in school. Despite compelling evidence that masking significantly reduces the spread of SARS-CoV-2, political will and public adherence to masking has waned. Our study confirms that universal masking requirements can benefit all students and staff, and therefore represents an important strategy to mitigate the impacts of structural racism, ensure health equity, and to avoid potential deepening of educational inequities.

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“…Since that time, news headlines seem to steadily call out the decrepitude of “crumbling” urban public schools in particular, most recently in relation to poor ventilation in aging school facilities as they seek to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within their walls (D’Orio, 2020). Today, when it comes to understanding the nexus between race, education quality, and the built environment, research and advocacy focus heavily on inequitable funding and the harmful outcomes associated with poor facilities (Filardo et al, 2019; Kitzmiller et al, 2021; Uline et al, 2010). By detailing the objective conditions that often shape school quality in this section, I offer context for the wider contributions of this article and provide an alternative conceptualization of school spaces.…”

Section: “Crumbling Schools”: Facility Funding Conditions and Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Space Beyond Equity: A Blueprint of Radical Possibilities in School Design

Syeed

2022

Educational Policy

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School facilities are increasingly seen as essential to achieving educational equity. By foregrounding often taken-for-granted school spaces, this conceptual article seeks to situate school design within broader antiracist efforts in education. To that end, I make a few critical contributions: (a) I shift attention to the social construction and contestation of school spaces; and (b) I develop a framework for dealing with racialized imaginaries of school spaces that goes beyond conventional equity applications. Applying this framework to school design literature and planning documents, I derive a blueprint to examine minoritized school spaces that encompasses aspects of culture, wellbeing, and power.

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Addressing Our Nation’s Toxic School Infrastructure in the Wake of COVID-19

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

Lifting Universal Masking in Schools — Covid-19 Incidence among Students and Staff

Lifting Universal Masking in Schools — Covid-19 Incidence among Students and Staff

Impact of Lifting School Masking Requirements on Incidence of COVID-19 among Staff and Students in Greater-Boston Area School Districts: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis

The Space Beyond Equity: A Blueprint of Radical Possibilities in School Design

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