C.D.C. scientists pointed out numerous errors in the document and raised concerns that it appeared to minimize the risk of the coronavirus to school-age children, according to an edited version of the document obtained by The New York Times. The C.D.C. was successful in beating back some of the proposed changes, and the line about asymptomatic children was not included in its final guidelines.
But the gist of the mental health agencys position stressing the potential risks of children not attending school became the introductory text of the final C.D.C. policy, leaving some officials there dismayed.
The C.D.C. did not immediately provide a comment.
The internal battle began in July, weeks after a group of C.D.C. career employees began drafting what would become the agencys guidance to assist parents in making decisions about whether to send their children back to school. Mr. Trump had publicly made his preference clear. We want to get them open quickly, beautifully, in the fall, he said, adding that young people do extraordinarily well in avoiding the disease.
One of the guidance documents the C.D.C. produced was a decision-making tool urging parents to consider the full spectrum of risks involved in both in-person and virtual learning options, according to a draft reviewed by The Times that reflected the language later published by the C.D.C.
The seven-page draft conceded that scientists were still learning about how it spreads, how it affects children and what role children may play in its spread, and that limited data suggested that children were less likely to get the virus than adults.
At the same time, it warned of deaths caused by multisystem inflammatory syndrome and of some children being at increased risk of severe illness. It recommended that parents consider whether others in a household might be at increased risk.read more
Behind the White House Effort to Pressure the C.D.C. on School Openings
