Why Is School Closed Today? Unplanned K-12 School Closures in the United States, 2011–2013

PLoS One

Kimberly Lane¹  Jeanette J. Rainey²  Jianrong Shi²  Karen K. Wong²  Yenlik A. Zheteyeva²  Amra Uzicanin²  Hongjiang Gao²  Daphne Copeland²  LaFrancis McMurray³  Kellye Sliger³  Jennifer Hendricks³ 

[1] Chenega Government Consulting, Chesapeake, Virginia, United States of America;Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America;Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America

关键词: Schools;    School closures;    Natural disasters;    Influenza;    Teachers;    Seasons;    Winter;    United States;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.pone.0113755

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

Introduction We describe characteristics of unplanned school closures (USCs) in the United States over two consecutive academic years during a non-pandemic period to provide context for implementation of school closures during a pandemic.Methods From August 1, 2011 through June 30, 2013, daily systematic internet searches were conducted for publicly announced USCs lasting ≥1 day. The reason for closure and the closure dates were recorded. Information on school characteristics was obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics.Results During the two-year study period, 20,723 USCs were identified affecting 27,066,426 students. Common causes of closure included weather (79%), natural disasters (14%), and problems with school buildings or utilities (4%). Only 771 (4%) USCs lasted ≥4 school days. Illness was the cause of 212 (1%) USCs; of these, 126 (59%) were related to respiratory illnesses and showed seasonal variation with peaks in February 2012 and January 2013.Conclusions USCs are common events resulting in missed school days for millions of students. Illness causes few USCs compared with weather and natural disasters. Few communities have experience with prolonged closures for illness.

【 授权许可】

CC BY