Table 3.

Themes arising from focus group discussions in a study of social distancing practices in US schools, grouped by broad category.

Communicating with diverse stakeholder groups to secure buy-in
Theme 1: “Communication is huge”: Transparent and effective communication with all stakeholders is critical.
Theme 2: “We would have a lot of convincing to do”: Schools must partner with parents and teachers to obtain necessary buy-in.

Mitigating adverse impacts on students
Theme 3: Social distancing practices can have negative impacts on mental health, social development, and students receiving special services.
Theme 4: Ensuring student safety is critical.
Theme 5: Consider the impact of combining different practices.

Additional resource requirements
Theme 6: Enforcement is challenging and requires additional resources.
Theme 7: Lack of funding for school nurses hinders schools' ability to implement social distancing measures.

Role of schools in a public health emergency
Theme 8: It is challenging to reconcile different views about the role of schools in protecting public health.
Theme 9: Strong partnerships across the education and public health sectors are needed to ensure behaviors continue beyond school settings.

Decision-making
Theme 10: Decisions regarding social distancing should be made collaboratively.
Theme 11: There is tension between standardization of public health guidance and flexibility to adapt to local contexts.