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In recent times, the world has witnessed an unprecedented global crisis with the outbreak of COVID-19. This pandemic has not only brought about a paradigm shift in our daily lives but has also significantly impacted various sectors of society, including the education system. K-12 schools are a major concern for viral transmission due to the close social interactions between children, crowded institutional environments, and suboptimal vaccine coverage. Children have close interactions with their household members, who are active in all sectors of society. The K-12 educational landscape has faced an array of challenges in the face of managing the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating multifaceted approaches to mitigate its effects and ensure the safety and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Having a thorough understanding of safety operations in K-12 schools is crucial. This dissertation, titled "COVID-19's Impact on K-12 Schools and Children," aims to comprehensively explore the multifaceted challenges posed by COVID-19 in the context of K-12 education. The research employed various methodologies such as scoping review, rapid review, implementation science, and both quantitative and qualitative research. These approaches allowed for a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature on the topic, including an exploration of effective disease control strategies implemented by institutions. More specifically, the dissertation examined the effectiveness of a novel Bluetooth contract tracing device. Additionally, it investigated stakeholders' attitudes and emotions which play a crucial role in successfully implementing these studies. Recognizing the complex and dynamic nature of the pandemic, this study takes inspiration from the Swiss cheese model, advocating for the use of multiple, interconnected approaches to control the spread of the virus within K-12 schools. To thoroughly investigate and offer practical insights into managing COVID-19 in K-12 schools, this dissertation adopts a structured five-chapter approach, encompassing both top-down and bottom-up perspectives. The first three chapters take a top-down approach, studying the current available evidence and institutional disease control strategies. The latter two chapters focus on individual stakeholder attitudes, areas of concern, and mental health. The chapters are as follows: Chapter 1: "COVID-19 and K-12 Schools: A Global Scoping Review of Major Themes, Study Regions, Population, and Methods" -- This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on COVID-19's impact on K-12 education. The proposed study is the first and only scoping review to thoroughly provide inventory of current studies on the impact of COVID-19 on K-12 schools (primary and secondary schools) and key stakeholders. The purpose of this study is to identify the contents and themes that have been researched, and to analyze the quality of evidence. The goal of the scoping review is to identify and analyze the existing knowledge gaps regarding school safety during a viral respiratory pandemic and to serve as a precursor to future research in this field. We first presented the protocol of the scoping review, and then the analysis from the review. For Chapter 1.A, the paper was published in BMJ Open on February 2, 2022 while Chapter 1.B was completed in October 2023. Chapter 2: "Rapid review on intervention strategies in K-12 schools during COVID-19" -- This chapter explores the various strategies and interventions that K-12 schools could employ to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. This study was done right at the beginning of the pandemic, predating the advent of vaccines and pharmaceutical treatments. The chapter with these details got published in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology in May 2021. Chapter 3: "Implementation of a Hardware-Assisted Bluetooth-Based COVID-19 Tracking Device in a High School: Mixed Methods Study" -- This study addresses the challenges of traditional interview-based contact tracing (TCT) by introducing a Hardware-Assisted Bluetooth-based Infection Tracking (HABIT) device developed by the Yale School of Engineering. The study evaluates HABIT's performance and implementation in a high school environment. The research involved a pilot implementation study, including mock case simulations comparing TCT with Bluetooth-based HABIT for contact tracing. It also utilizes interventional surveys and focus group interviews to study the implementation outcomes of the device. This study has been published in JMIR Formative Research on April 7, 2023. Chapter 4: "K-12 Parents and Faculty Attitudes, Behaviors, and Feelings during the Early Stage of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Survey Study" -- This chapter focuses on the perspectives and emotions of parents and faculty members regarding the pandemic's impact on K-12 education. We also suggested a framework to solving the school-parental communication problem identified from the survey. For Chapter 4.A, this study was completed in 2021 while Chapter 4.B was completed in 2021 and subsequently submitted to Medical Research Archives. This study was completed in 2021 and is accepted at Medical Research Archives. Chapter 5: "K-12 Student Attitudes, Behaviors, and Feelings during the Early Stage of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Survey Study" -- This chapter delves into the experiences and emotions of students during the pandemic. Moreover, this chapter put forward a recommendation for employing multi-tiered support strategies to address these challenges and promote psychological well-being within educational settings amidst crisis. For Chapter 5.A, this study was completed in 2021 while Chapter 5.B was completed in 2021 and subsequently submitted to Medical Research Archives. This study was completed in 2021 and is accepted at Medical Research Archives. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]