email article Last week's revised CDC guidance on how schools may operate during the COVID-19 pandemic got generally good marks from pediatricians and public health specialists -- even though teachers' representatives were less than enthusiastic. The new guidelines tie decisions around phased reopenings to rates of COVID-19 transmission in the community and prioritize masking and physical distancing over other mitigation measures. Danielle Dooley, MD, a pediatrician at Children's National in Washington, D.C., and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), applauded the guidance for underscoring the importance of in-person learning for students. "I think the CDC is really taking a holistic look at how children are doing throughout the pandemic and recognizing the huge impact that school closures are having on kids," Dooley told