As some school districts across the country are approaching 1 year of being closed to in-person learning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued a new operational strategy to help schools across the country reopen safely."We wanted to provide a one-stop shop for schools," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, during a press conference introducing the strategy. "But let me be clear, the CDC is not mandating schools reopen."Layered mitigation strategiesThe cornerstone of any reopening should be universal masking for all students, teachers, and staff, she said, followed by "podding," or cohorting, students into small groups that stay together throughout the day—ideally 6 feet apart or "to the greatest extent