NASN promotes a decision-making process for a safer return to in-person learning that is based on accurate public health data at the national, state and local levels. The safety of students and staff must take priority in this decision-making. A safer return to schools, one in which students, families and staff will feel confident, requires that prior to a return to in-person learning, schools develop and implement infectious disease readiness and emergency management procedures for students and staff, based on current public health guidance and in which sufficient funding is allocated for the implementation of sanitation and safety protocols, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and the hiring/retention of school nurses to coordinate health and safety procedures.