The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how schools operate and has illuminated the need to prioritize students’ safety, health and well-being.

As school districts create new instructional models for the 2020-2021 academic year, administrators and educators must consider students’ physical, mental, and social-emotional health above all else. And, an important part of the solution must be health and physical education.

SHAPE America’s 2020-2021 School Reentry Considerations: K-12 Physical Education, Health Education, and Physical Activity is intended to guide administrators, staff, and teachers as they prepare an environment for safe and supportive instruction using one of three models of learning:

  • In-school instruction with physical distancing

  • Distance learning

  • Hybrid learning (defined as a combination of in-school instruction with physical distancing and distance learning)

Regardless of which model is followed, schools must offer physical education and health education as part of a well-rounded education for all students during COVID-19.

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SHAPE America's 2020-2021 School Reentry Considerations: K-12 Physical Education, Health Education, and Physical Activity provides schools with recommendations and school reentry considerations based on the guidance for schools provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as national recommendations for physical education, health education, recess, and classroom-based physical activity.

EDA COVID-19 Guidance