Rebound Kern County: Parents can use state-specific modeling data to help make schooling decisions

As COVID-19 cases spike across the country, parents are struggling with whether or not to send their children back to school this fall.

There are tools that can help make that decision though, like state-specific modeling data.

OVER THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.WE WANT TO HELP YOU AND YOURFAMILY MAKE THE BESTDECISION ABOUT GOING SAFELYBACK TO SCHOOL.ALL WEEK, WE'LL BE SHARINGDIFFERENT IDEAS TO HELP YOUDECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR YOURFAMILY.THIS MORNING SCRIPPS REPORTERCHRIS CONTE SHOWS USA SPECIFIC... SCIENTIFIC NUMBERTHAT MANY EXPERTSBELIEVE IS A KEY METRIC TOMEASURE SAFETY.(COVER FIRST BITE) SOT (NELSON )00 IT'S DAUNTING FORSURE THE DECISIONS YOU HAVE TOMAKE (SLOW PUSH TOOUTSIDE OF HOUSE) A SUMMER OFSOCIAL DISTANCING ... ISGIVING WAY TO A FALL OFUNCERTAINTY, FOR COURTNEYNOFFSINGER AND HER FAMILY.(NELSON ) SOT 35SOT - PRESLEY (NELSON ) 26 IT'SBEEN LONELY FOR ME, I KIND OFMISSALL MY FRIENDS AND IT'S WEIRD TOSAY THIS BUT I MISS LEARNINGTOO LIKE SO MANY STUDENTS, 11-YEAR-OLD PRESLEYNOFFSINGER WANTS TO GO BACK.LEAVING FAMILIES ACROSSTHE COUNTRY AT A CRITICALCROSSROAD.(NELSON ) 43/26 AS THEIR PARENTSWE WANT TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEYWANT BUT WE'RE FEARFULESPECIALLY WHEN THE DATA KEEPSCHANGINGGRAPHIC SO WHERE CAN PARENTSTURN FOR GUIDANCE?MIT HAS CREATED THE COVID-19PROJECTION MACHINE.

IT GIVEPARENTS AN INTERACTIVE MAP TOWORK WITH.

AS YOU SCROLLOVER EACH STATE ... YOU CAN SEECURRENT CASE NUMBERS.

PAYATTENTION TO THIS ONE NUMBERTHOUGH, THE POSITIVITY RATE.HEALTH EXPERTS SAY ONCE ASTATE'S POSITIVE RATE CROSSESFIVE PERCENT, PARENTS SHOULDTAKE NOTESOT - DR. SCHAFFNER 44 PARENTSDON'T LIKE TO HEAR MESAY IT BUT WE WILL BEUNDERTAKING A WHOLE SERIES OFEXPERIMENTS ACROSS THIS COUNTRYDR. WILLIAMSCHAFFNER IS ONE OF THECOUNTRY'S LEADINGINFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERTS.

HEWANTS PARENTS TO BEFLEXIBLE ... IF CASES IN YOURDISTRICT START RISING, PREPARETO PIVOT.SOT - DR. SCHAFFNER 37 THATSCHOOL SYSTEM WILLHAVE TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S ATRIGGER POINT THERE WHERETHEY CALL A TIME OUT ANDEVERYONE STAYS HOME AND THELEARNING BECOMES VIRTUAL DR.SCHAFFNER ALSO SAYS IN-PERSON LEARNING WILL BE MORESUCCESSFUL IFPARENTS MODEL GOOD BEHAVIOR ATHOME.

WEAR A MASK WHEN INPUBLIC.

SHOW YOUR KIDS WHATSOCIALLY DISTANCINGLOOKS LIKE CONSTANTLY.SOT - DR. SCHAFFNER 50 IF YOU DOTHAT IN YOUR FAMILYALREADY IT'LL BE EASIER FOR THECHILD TO UNDERSTANDWHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SCHOOLAS FOR COURTNEYNOFFSINGER -- SHE'S DECIDED TOLET HER KIDS GO BACK ON A HYBRIDSCHEDULE.

BUT IS EMPHASIZINGSAFETY.

SOT - COURTNEY (NELSON )45 / 30 KEEP COACHING THEM, KEEPPUTTING THE THOUGHTS IN THEIRHEADS THAT THEY HAVE TOWASH THEIR HANDS THEY HAVE TOWEAR THEIR MASK GOING INAND OUT OF THE BUILDING AND WHYLIKE SO MANY OTHERPARENTS ..

JUST TRYING TO GETSAFELY BACK TO SCHOOL.

I'M CHRISCONTE REPORTING.NOW -- EXPERTS SAY THE KEYNUMBER FOR PARENTS IS THATPOSITIVITY PERCENTAGE -- THENUMBER OF COVID-19 TESTSTHAT COME BACK POSITIVE.SOME HEALTH EXPERTS FIND ITCONCERNING WHEN THATPERCENTAGE IS ABOVE FIVE.WE'VE PUT A LINK TO THE TRACKINGMAP ON OUR WEBSITE.JUST LOOK FOR THIS STORY IN THEREBOUND SECTION ON THEWEB OR OUR MOBILE APP.AND WE'LL BE BRINGING YOUMULTIPLE STORIES ALL WEEK TOHELPYOU AND YOUR CHILD TO GO SAFELYBACK TO SCHOOL.OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS SCHOOLDISTRICT