The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine proposes an ad hoc committee to provide states and districts with guidance about whether and how to safely reopen schools in the 2020-2021 school year. The committee will write a short letter report drawing on evidence from epidemiology, public health, and the social and behavioral sciences. The report will provide guidance on the health-related issues for safely reopening schools and the practices that should be implemented in order to maintain and monitor the health of staff and students. The report will address questions that have emerged from the planning efforts of state and district officials which are currently underway. The committee will address the following questions:

1. What indicators can state and district leaders use to determine if it is safe to reopen schools?
2. When schools reopen, what are the practices for maintaining and monitoring the health of staff and students that will be effective and practical? What are the risks and trade-offs if some practices cannot be adopted, or can only be partially adopted?
3. How can safety decisions and practices avoid reinforcing existing inequities in education instruction and facilities? Can new safety practices help reduce inequities?
4. How should affordability be assessed in relation to mitigation recommendations?
5. What provisions should be put in place for high risk staff and students?
6. How will school mitigation be equitably adhered to?
7. How should the health and safety practices take into account the needs of students with disabilities?