A new study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly suggests that in-person instruction at schools is safe when proper precautions are taken.

The study, released by the CDC on Tuesday, was conducted in 17 Wisconsin schools among students grades K-12. During the 13-week study, there were just 7 school-attributed coronavirus infections among the 4,876 students and zero infections among the 654 teachers and other staff. During the survey, teachers reported that 92% of students wore masks, students were kept in small groups, staff kept a distance of at least 6 feet, and both staff and students quarantined after exposure to the virus.

The study bolsters the demands from many advocates of in-person instruction, who argue that the benefits of being taught in-person far outweigh the risks of contracting Covid-19. Additionally, many point out that mental health issues have spiked considerably among school-age children over the course of the pandemic, with psychiatric emergency room visits setting records in 2020. In Las Vegas, schools are returning to in-person instruction after a spate of suicides among its student body, as children experience the severe mental repercussions of social isolation.

Some are wondering whether the CDC’s study will have any impact on teacher’s unions across the nation, who have been fighting against in-person instruction at least until teachers are vaccinated. In Lakewood, where the teacher’s union has fought to keep schools closed, there has not yet been any indication that the union is willing to change its stance based on the evidence provided by the CDC.