CLEVELAND, Ohio — University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center recently created multiple playbooks filled with guidelines for nursing homes and other businesses to safely operate during COVID-19. 

Its latest one is the "Healthy Restart Playbook for Reopening Schools," which a free, downloadable toolkit to support K-12 educators. 

What You Need To Know

  • University Hospitals latest playbook acts as a guide for schools as they prepare for fall

  • Cleveland Metropolitan School District has been one of the districts utilizing the playbook

  • Experts said encouraging best practices, the "ABCD's" of COVID-19, will go a long way

“Because we have Rainbow, our children's hospital (and) our expertise in children. The schools have been reaching out to us to ask about these things like cleaning practices, how to help children mask (up), how to physically distance in their classroom, those types of things,” said Dr. Joan Zoltanski, University Hospitals’ Community Reactivation director.


The Healthy Restart Playbook includes the "ABCD’s" of COVID-19.

Screenshot of the playbook

 "They really fall under these four safety categories. So the 'A' is 'always mask.' The 'B' is to 'be aware of the symptoms of COVID.' The 'C' is to 'clean your space or your hands' and then the 'D' is 'distance physically,' but for kids, we say not socially,” said Zoltanski

The Cleveland Metropolitan school District is utilizing the playbook.

“It has very, very practical applications about how do you minimize risk, how do you practice social distancing within whatever the environment is for your school community,” said Karen Thompson, chief of staff for the district.

Thompson credits the playbook for offering new ideas implemented in the schools.

“Having the opportunity to take it from theory or paper to practical application was really, really critical and University Hospitals has been a great partner in doing that.”

Cleveland Metropolitan schools will do the first nine weeks of the year online, but for other districts possibly going back to school in person as soon as next month, Zoltanski stresses the importance of masks.

“I know that masks are political, but for us, they're medical. And so we talk about parents modeling that behavior and also not waiting till the night before to try on the mask”

She said it's about leading by example and creating a new culture in the classroom.

“We know that it won't be perfect—children won't adhere to this 100 percent of the time but the more we encourage them, the more that we can help with a culture of physical distancing this year.”