A federal appeals court has ruled that a group of Iowa parents of children with disabilities lack the legal standing to sue the state over a law prohibiting schools from imposing mask mandates.

ARC of Iowa, a nonprofit that helps individuals with intellectual disabilities, and the parents of several Iowa children with disabilities, had sued the state over a law that prevents schools from imposing mask mandates on students and staff to combat the spread of COVID-19.

On Tuesday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the state by stating the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to bring such a lawsuit.

The legal battle dates back to 2021, when Gov. Kim Reynolds signed legislation prohibiting school districts from imposing mask mandates on staff and students. That brought by ARC of Iowa and the parents of children who have disabilities or chronic health conditions that put them at greater risk of complications if they contract COVID-19.

The parents alleged the state was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by making it impossible for school districts to make reasonable accommodations for their children through the imposition of mask mandates.

An  preventing the enforcement of the new law, but Reynolds appealed that decision. In 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the injunction, noting that COVID-19 conditions in classrooms had changed since the beginning of the pandemic.

That ruling focused only on the injunction and not on the broader issue of the law鈥檚 legality. Litigation over that issue continued and in November 2022, , noting that doctors for three students had recommended the students鈥� teachers and classmates be masked.

In that decision, the district court stated that the new law could not be cited as the sole basis for denying a school鈥檚 request for a waiver of the mask-mandate law due to the Americans with Disabilities Act and that law鈥檚 requirement that schools provide 鈥渞easonable accommodation鈥� to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

Reynolds appealed the ruling, arguing that ARC and the parents lacked any legal standing to bring their case, and that they had not satisfied all of the requirements of the ADA.

In its ruling on Tuesday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals noted that to establish standing, ARC of Iowa and the parents would have to show an injury tied to the conduct of the state and show that such an injury could be redressed by a favorable court ruling.

The appeals court found that ARC of Iowa and the parents could show no such injury and had simply challenged 鈥渞ights鈥� that they believed schools should have with regard to mask mandates.

鈥淭he crux of any dispute 鈥� if there is one 鈥� appears to perhaps be between the state and the school districts,鈥� the appeals court stated. 鈥淪ince the school districts did not appeal and are not a party before us, the precise nature of any ongoing dispute is unclear to us.鈥�

Citing prior decisions in other jurisdictions, the court said 鈥渢he general risks associated with COVID-19, even though COVID-19 remains an ever-present concern in society, are not enough to show imminent and substantial harm for standing.鈥� Those prior decisions found that the increased risk of contracting COVID-19 was 鈥渋nsufficient鈥� to demonstrate an impending future injury, in part because the odds of contracting COVID-19 and suffering complications would be speculative.

Because ARC of Iowa and the parents of the disabled students 鈥渙nly alleged the potential risk of severe illness should they contract COVID-19 at school, the risk of harm is too speculative,鈥� the court said in its decision Tuesday.

It added that even if the added risk of contracting COVID-19 wasn鈥檛 speculative, the plaintiffs still had not alleged that a school had denied their request for a mask mandate as a reasonable accommodation they were seeking under the rights bestowed by the ADA.

Although the appeals court鈥檚 decision doesn鈥檛 address the merits of a ban on mask mandates, Reynolds and Bird characterized the ruling as a victory for parents and for freedom.

鈥淲hile children were the least vulnerable, they paid the highest price for COVID lockdowns and mandates, but Iowa was a different story,鈥� Reynolds said in a written statement. 鈥淚owa was the first state to get students back in the classroom and we prohibited mask mandates in schools, trusting parents to decide what was best for their children. Elected leaders should always trust the people they serve, and I promise I would do it again.鈥�

In a written statement, Bird said, 鈥淔reedom wins in today鈥檚 court ruling to uphold Iowa鈥檚 law banning mask mandates in schools. Parents have the right to choose what healthcare decisions are best for their kids. As attorney general, I support Iowans鈥� rights and freedoms and will continue fighting to defend them.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

鈥淲e urged our schools and districts to approach their federal funds wisely and with sustainability in mind,鈥� said North Dakota Superintendent Kirsten Baesler. 鈥淲e encouraged them to spend about one-third on meeting immediate needs, one-third on innovation and implementing new ideas, and a one-third on keeping what works going.鈥� The briefs feature specifics about 鈥渂ig-bet鈥� programs in the states that could lead to generational advances in areas like tutoring, teacher training, and summer learning programming. Check out to learn more. 

Elsewhere, districts across the nation are experiencing declines in the number of students getting referred for evaluation for special education services. The shift that students with the greatest need are less likely to receive the help they need emerging from the pandemic. From to to , Chalkbeat reports that referrals for special education services fell by nearly a third after the onset of the pandemic and have failed to rebound as schools approach the end of the second year in pandemic schooling. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to leave a child behind if they need those [special education] services,鈥� said Julie Rottier-Lukens, director of special education for the 90,000-student Denver Public Schools. 鈥淎nd yet we don鈥檛 want to make presumptions based on what we鈥檙e seeing in front of us right now and discount that kids have been through a lot.鈥�

Looking beyond relief funds and special education, here are nine other updates from across the country about how states and school systems are confronting the challenges posed by COVID-19 and its variants 鈥� and working to preserve student progress amid the pandemic:

1 RHODE ISLAND 鈥� State Lawmaker Pushes to Require Measurement of Student Learning Loss

Rep. Julie Casimiro of Rhode Island has introduced a bill aimed at measuring learning loss after concern from local parents about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student achievement. “If we don’t address it as the adults in the room, it’s not going to get addressed. It’s not going to get fixed,鈥� Casimiro said. The legislation in school districts across the state – and then come up with individualized plans to address it.

2 ILLINOIS 鈥� Chicago Public Schools Consider New Vaccine Strategies as Rates Dip for Younger Children

Chicago Public Schools says it continues to explore ways to improve access to vaccines and vaccine uptake after the district reported a sharp drop in the rate of vaccination for 5- to 11-year-olds three months after Pfizer鈥檚 COVID-19 vaccine received authorization from the federal government. At the time of reporting, 鈥� with rates especially lagging in schools on Chicago鈥檚 South and West Side.

3 MICHIGAN 鈥� Data Confirms Extent of Student Learning Loss

Michigan state education officials are reporting marked declines in student proficiency during the pandemic, with . A recent Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) also found schools that kept students in the class year-round fared better than districts that relied more heavily on virtual learning. The data comes as Michigan schools continue to face and as state teachers unions urge leaders to relax attendance requirements for students in the face of continuing virus outbreaks, staffing shortages, and poor weather conditions.

4 NORTH DAKOTA 鈥� Districts Struggle to Find Substitute Teachers

North Dakota school districts are having difficulty finding substitute teachers as people are less willing or less interested in taking on the responsibilities of being a substitute teacher, said Rob Lech, superintendent of Jamestown Public Schools. 鈥淎s our pool of substitute teachers continues to get smaller, the need is spread then really thin,鈥� he said. The shortage of substitute teachers is not a new issue, said Rebecca Pitkin, executive director of the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board. She said .

5 OREGON 鈥� Districts Estimate Continued Enrollment Declines, Brace for Budget Cuts

Portland Public Schools officials are . 鈥淲hile we are forecasting fewer dollars to operate schools generally as a result of declining student enrollment, we are also grateful to have targeted state and one-time federal investments to limit the impact of this enrollment change school districts all across Oregon are facing,鈥� said Guadalupe Guerrero, Superintendent of Portland Public Schools. 

6 ARIZONA 鈥� Families Eye Private Tutoring Options as Pandemic Learning Disruption Draws On

Parents are to keep up with online learning during the pandemic. Natanya Washburn, a Phoenix resident, says all four of her children are still feeling the impact of online learning that began in March 2020, especially her daughter, who is in high school and has special needs. Online tutoring platforms like Varsity Tutors report a huge increase in the number of customers in the Phoenix area, stating demand for STEM tutors is up 62% compared to last year.

7 NEW YORK 鈥� Defying National Trends, New York鈥檚 Graduation Rate Inches Up During Pandemic

Graduation rates across New York City and large parts of the state rose last year, defying national trends of flagging grad rates as the pandemic disrupted schooling. , while the statewide average climbed a single percentage point to 86%. City officials additionally noted that a record number of high school seniors received waivers of typically required Regents exams – 44,545 in 2021 compared to 8,000 in 2020. Statewide, 82% of seniors were granted an exemption from Regents exams last year. 

8 MISSOURI 鈥� State Among the Last to Approve Federal Funding Allocations

The Missouri legislature is targeted to K-12 schools and districts. Facing a March 24 deadline to allocate the funding, Missouri is among the last states in the nation to approve the distributions that will be based on school and district spending plans submitted to state officials. Once approved, the funding will need to be spent before September 2024 – a deadline shared with schools across the nation. 

9 COLORADO – Leaders Debate Changes to Teacher Evals As COVID Policies Shift, Universal Pre-K Begins

A bill being considered by the Colorado legislature by reducing the weight of student academic growth in a teacher鈥檚 evaluation, providing increased training for evaluators, and boosting teacher professional development. 鈥淭he goal has always been to help develop and support excellent teachers,鈥� said Jen Walmer, state director for Democrats for Education Reform. 鈥淭he time is now to help streamline the system, make it less burdensome, restart the evaluation system, and set up the evaluation system to really help teachers grow.鈥� The bill comes as the state prepares to launch a and as state leaders prepare the way for schools to treat COVID 鈥�,鈥� a move some believe will allow schools to place the bulk of school disruptions in the rearview mirror. 

This update on pandemic recovery in education collects and shares news updates from the district, state, and national levels as all stakeholders continue to work on developing safe, innovative plans to resume schooling and address learning loss. It鈥檚 an offshoot of the Collaborative for Student Success鈥� QuickSheet newsletter, which you can . 

It was a busy month here at 蜜桃影视, covering schools and students amid the crisis. Here were our 11 most shared and circulated reports: 

Kids Left Schools Last Year Because of the Switch to Remote Classes; Early Numbers Suggest They May Not Be Coming Back Soon

Enrollment: With the release of new data in recent months, a much clearer picture is emerging of how K-12 enrollment responded to the pandemic. First, a working paper released in August drew a direct line between the reopening choices districts made at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year and families’ education decisions, showing that hundreds of thousands of students left schools that offered remote-only instruction. The findings echo those of other publications, which have pointed to huge enrollment drops from traditional public schools 鈥� heavily concentrated in kindergarten and the earliest grades 鈥� alongside surges in homeschooling, private schooling and charters. What鈥檚 more, the early indicators from several districts suggest that enrollment isn鈥檛 bouncing back to the pre-pandemic status quo. Read Kevin Mahnken’s new report.

Gaggle Surveils Millions of Kids in the Name of Safety. Targeted Families Argue it鈥檚 鈥楴ot That Smart鈥�

School Safety: After a bout of depression and a suicide attempt, Minneapolis student Teeth Logsdon-Wallace shared intimate details about his mental health in a class assignment last month. It was one of thousands of Minneapolis student communications that got flagged by Gaggle, a digital surveillance company hired by the district. The company contacted school officials even though Logsdon-Wallace was making the point that his mental health had improved 鈥� a detail seemingly lost in the transaction between Gaggle and the district. An earlier investigation by 蜜桃影视 exposed how Gaggle, which saw rapid growth after the pandemic forced schools into remote learning, subjects students to relentless surveillance and raises significant privacy concerns. But technology experts and families with first-hand experience with Gaggle鈥檚 surveillance dragnet have raised a separate issue: The service is not only invasive, it may also be ineffective. 鈥淚f it works, it could be extremely beneficial. But if it鈥檚 random, it鈥檚 completely useless,鈥� said a 16-year-old Connecticut student mistakenly flagged for her work as a school literary journal editor. 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Mark Keierleber digs in. 

A New Kind of Curriculum Night: Armed With Protest Signs and Data, Diverse Group of Minneapolis Parents Demands Better Reading Instruction for Their Kids

Curriculum: Frustrated by years of rock-bottom literacy rates, an unlikely coalition of families has begun staging protests at Minneapolis Public Schools headquarters, hoping to push district leaders to acknowledge that the way the city’s schools teach reading runs counter to what science shows about how children learn. While there鈥檚 nothing new about angry parents raising their voices at school board meetings, what鈥檚 different about the situation in Minneapolis is that the protesters are armed with a trove of research, the district鈥檚 own data and an understanding of strategies that have made children proficient readers in other places. In this story, Beth Hawkins describes how families of color, National Parents Union organizers and affluent parents of struggling readers have joined forces to demand change. Read the full feature. 

Exclusive Data: Absenteeism Surged Among English Learners During Pandemic

Chronic Absenteeism: Before COVID-19, Mia Miron almost never missed class. Her parents, who had immigrated from Mexico, instilled in her a belief in the value of education as the path to a better life. But when the pandemic hit, her absences began to pile up 鈥� sometimes because of a faulty laptop charger and sometimes because she was marked absent even when she had logged in. Her grades fell from B’s and C’s to D’s and F’s. 鈥淸School] was no longer our primary concern. We had to do anything to survive 鈥� to pay bills, rent, everything, before anything else,鈥� Miron鈥檚 mother told 蜜桃影视 through a translator. Across the country, the obstacles posed by remote learning appear to have triggered a disproportionate jump in absenteeism among English learners like Miron, new data indicate. The numbers, delivered to 蜜桃影视 through public record requests, offer further insight into the devastating effects of the pandemic on the education of America鈥檚 5 million English learners. Asher Lehrer-Small brings you the exclusive report.

Long-Term NAEP Scores for 13-Year-Olds Drop for First Time Since Testing Began in 1970s 鈥� 鈥楢 Matter for National Concern,鈥� Experts Say

Student Learning: Over the past few years, education observers have grown accustomed to downbeat news from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, with multiple rounds of the test pointing to largely stagnant scores across various subjects. The release this month of results from NAEP’s 2020 long-term trends assessment offers revelations that are startling as well as discouraging: For the first time in the half-century history of that test, reading and math scores for 13-year-olds significantly declined. Black and Hispanic students in that age group both lost ground in math since the test was last given, in 2012, and the lower performance of 9-year-old girls opened up a gender gap with boys that did not exist nine years ago. Worst of all were the plunging scores of low-performing students 鈥� especially those scoring at the 10th percentile, who declined an astonishing 12 points in eighth-grade math. “It’s really a matter for national concern, this high percentage of students who are not reaching even what I think we’d consider the lowest levels of proficiency,” said George Bohrnstedt, a senior vice president at the American Institutes for Research. Kevin Mahnken reports.

鈥榃e Are Going to Hold You Accountable鈥�: Just 1 in 5 Families Was Asked for Input into School Stimulus Fund Spending, New Poll Finds

School Funding: Despite a congressional mandate to draw on parents, students and a broad range of community and advocacy organizations as they draft plans for spending $122 billion in stimulus funds, states and school systems have failed to ask the vast majority of families what their priorities are, according to a new poll. Just 1 in 5 parents queried in a new National Parents Union survey said they were asked for their input by their schools as leaders make plans for spending an unprecedented infusion of recovery funds. Affluent households were more likely to report being consulted than low-income families, while half had heard little or nothing about the money. 鈥淏lack and brown families throughout the pandemic have been more engaged than ever,鈥� parents union President Keri Rodrigues tells Beth Hawkins. 鈥淭o now turn your back on them and say, 鈥榃e鈥檝e got it from here鈥� really underestimates these families.鈥�

How Many Kids Are Attending NYC Schools? As America鈥檚 Top District Refuses to Disclose Numbers, Growing Concerns About a Mass Exodus

New York City: More than a month into the academic year, it鈥檚 still not clear how many students are attending school in the nation鈥檚 largest district. The New York City Department of Education has not yet released data on the number of young people enrolled in its roughly 1,600 schools, nor has it confirmed exactly how many show up each day. Officials say the DOE has the data on hand but is keeping the numbers under wraps amid fears that as many as 150,000 students have not yet set foot in a classroom this year. School officials say they will release the figures after the Oct. 31 deadline for reporting to the state. The nation’s second- and third-largest districts, Los Angeles and Chicago, have already reported drops of over 27,000 and 10,000 students, respectively, compared to last year. Asher Lehrer-Small has the story.

An Experiment at the Crossroads: In Year Two, Pandemic Pods 鈥楩ind Their Legs鈥� 鈥� and Face Their Limitations. Will They Endure Beyond COVID-19?

Learning Pods: Wichita Public Schools lost roughly 2,400 students last year, including Megan Monsour鈥檚 two boys. They joined a nature-focused microschool, where they get one-on-one reading help and have no plans to return to the district. They are among 1.5 million students expected to be participating in pods this fall 鈥� a movement that started in response to school closures but has now expanded to accommodate families’ desires for culturally relevant education and frustration with their children’s public schools. One parent said she鈥檚 gone from 鈥渁 place of extreme anxiety鈥� over her decision to join a microschool 鈥渢o a total place of liberation.鈥� But as pods enter their second year, some organizers are recognizing their limitations and have started linking up with larger, established networks of homeschoolers for support. 鈥淣ow that they have a year under their belt, they are starting to find their legs,鈥� Kija Gray, a coach who advises mostly Black families in Detroit, told reporter Linda Jacobson. But some remain skeptical about pods’ staying power: 鈥淭hey’re not likely to scale substantially post-pandemic,鈥� said FutureEd鈥檚 Thomas Toch. “Free public schools, we learned 鈥� play a central role in most families’ lives.鈥� Read our full report. 

蜜桃影视 Interview: Colorado Springs Superintendent Michael Thomas on Being a Black Leader Working to Change a White System

Equity: When Colorado Springs School District 11 appointed Michael Thomas as its new superintendent, school board members gave him two big tasks. He needed to make the district 鈥� the increasingly diverse center of an affluent city 鈥� more culturally affirming for families. And he had to stop a decade-plus exodus of 700 to 1,000 students a year. A Black man who came up in predominantly white schools and then went on to work in them, Thomas firmly believes that if you take care of the first task and make schools welcoming and relevant, families will stay. As tall an order as that is, the first thing Thomas had to do was to convince the adults in the system that there was a problem. In an interview for 蜜桃影视鈥檚 recent series on the ways in which COVID鈥檚 inequities are showing up in schools, Thomas talked to Beth Hawkins about continuing to push hard changes even in a pandemic, recalling his own George Floyd moment and persisting as a Black leader without 鈥渃ommitting cultural sacrifice.”

鈥擲pecial Report: After a K-shaped recession, a classroom crisis?

When Graduating Isn鈥檛 Enough: New KIPP Scholarship Will Help First-Gen College Grads At Risk of Being 鈥楿nderemployed鈥�

Social Capital: Closing the opportunity gap for low-income, first-generation college students is a moving target. Author and 74 contributor Richard Whitmire has been writing about the evolution for years 鈥� from the initial push to get these students into college, which morphed into getting them through college and is now focused on securing appropriate post-college career paths. To that end, the KIPP charter school network announced the Ruth and Norman Rales Scholars Program, which will provide four years of mentoring, summer internship assistance, financial literacy training, networking advice and funding to defray college costs. The supports are valued at $60,000 per student, and the grant covers 50 students a year, up to 250 students over five years. Whitmire rounds up what some of the nation鈥檚 other big charter networks are doing to help launch alumni careers. Read the full report. 

The Great Shortage: Explore How Districts in All 50 States Are Grappling With Missing Teachers, Nurses, Cooks, Bus Drivers & Other Essential Workers

Interactive Map: A month into the academic year, schools in all 50 states are experiencing staff shortages, 蜜桃影视 has found. The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show there were 460,000 state and local education job openings in July, and schools report that they need more cafeteria and afterschool workers, school safety agents, custodians and nurses. Across the country, schools have asked parents to provide transportation to school for their children and ordered in pizzas when there were no cafeteria workers to make lunch. A bus driver shortage described as 鈥渟evere鈥� pushed one Minnesota superintendent to get her bus driver鈥檚 license, while a Nebraska district canceled class for a 鈥渞est and reset鈥� day due to shortages, burnout and illness. 鈥淚 fear the worst is yet to come,鈥� said Superintendent Susan Enfield of the Highline Public Schools, outside Seattle, where central office staff are filling teaching positions. Scan through a sampling of the staffing shortages districts are currently experiencing nationwide in a new interactive map, compiled by 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Meghan Gallagher.

Go Deeper: Get essential education news and commentary delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here for 蜜桃影视鈥檚 daily newsletter.

The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 5-2 on Oct. 4 to rescind its face mask requirement for students, teachers, staff and visitors that had been in place .

Trustees Al Velarde, Daniel Call, Israel Irrobali, Freddy Klayel-Avalos and Isabel Hernandez voted to do away with the requirement. Trustees Josh Acevedo and Leah Hanany voted to keep it in place.

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The vote came after the 8th Court of Appeals countywide universal indoor face mask mandate on Sept. 30. However, because EPISD remained part of a separate lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott, it could have continued requiring mask use at its campuses and facilities.

EPISD was the only El Paso County district among a coalition of more than 20 districts challenging the governor鈥檚 ban on local governments from requiring people to wear face coverings. A Travis County district court judge granted them a temporary injunction against Abbott in August, which the governor appealed.

EPISD will remain a party to that suit, Board President Velarde said. However, due to the legal uncertainties over whether EPISD could still be sued, Velarde said he favored suspending the mandate.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how protected we are,鈥� Velarde said, adding, 鈥淢y personal opinion is that it鈥檚 high-risk.鈥�

Trustees voted to give interim Superintendent Vince Sheffield the authority to reinstate EPISD鈥檚 mask mandate if the county health authority brings the countywide requirement back.

EPISD teacher Xavier Miranda urged trustees to keep the mandate in place until younger students are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Acevedo said he voted against suspending EPISD鈥檚 mandate to protect unvaccinated and immunocompromised students. 鈥淚 worry about the next few months, especially as it鈥檚 getting colder,鈥� he said of a potential rise in coronavirus cases.

The Food and Drug Administration鈥檚 vaccine advisory committee is scheduled to discuss vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 . The FDA could soon after authorize emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for this age group.

A small group of mask opponents disrupted the start of the meeting, which resulted in Burges High School senior Skyler Brown being handcuffed by EPISD police and forcibly removed from the boardroom.

Brown 鈥渨as taken into custody under the impression that he was a juvenile,鈥� said EPISD spokesperson Gustavo Reveles. Upon police learning Brown was 17 years old, and considered an adult under the Texas Penal Code, he was released to his mother 鈥減ending a paper referral to the district attorney鈥檚 office鈥� on a misdemeanor disrupting a public meeting charge, Reveles said.

Reveles later said EPISD decided not to file charges against Brown. The Class B misdemeanor would have carried a fine of up to $2,000 and up to 180 days in county jail if convicted.

Brown and his mother are part of a vocal contingent of families who have regularly attended meetings 鈥� and begrudgingly put on a mask after being asked repeatedly by district police 鈥� since the mandate took effect

This article originally appeared at .

Under the mandate, all employees of San Antonio Independent School District were supposed to get vaccinated against the virus by Friday 鈥� directly challenging Gov. 鈥檚 ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Then-Superintendent Pedro Martinez enacted the rule in August, drawing lawsuits from Attorney General .

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Supreme Court justices sided with Abbott and Paxton to temporarily block the district from enforcing the mandate while the legal battle over the ban continues, but .

A representative for San Antonio ISD did not immediately return a request for comment.

Abbott has grown increasingly aggressive on cracking down on vaccine mandates of any kind. On Monday, the governor from requiring their workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine 鈥� expanding his ban beyond cities, counties and school districts 鈥� and called on state lawmakers to send him a bill solidifying the prohibition.

This article , the only member-supported, digital-first, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.听

Similarly, from the Center on Reinventing Public Education also shows massive enrollment gains for online virtual schools. Enrollment spikes in nontraditional public schooling options speak to the desire for more options during pandemic school closures, writes 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Linda Jacobson, though it鈥檚 unclear whether such strong trends will continue.

Beyond issues of student mobility and disenrollment, here are 10 other updates from across the country about how states and school systems are confronting the challenges posed by the pandemic and the Delta variant 鈥� and working to preserve student learning amid the pandemic:

ALABAMA 鈥� Schools Struggle to Provide Consistent Meals Amid Food, Supply Shortages

The global disruption of supply lines for everything from computer chips to food products and families. According to the state鈥檚 鈥淣o Kid Hungry鈥� campaign, 1 in 5 Alabama children face hunger, a struggle that was exacerbated by the pandemic. In an effort to address the issue, school districts have tried 鈥減ay raises and partnerships with local farmers,鈥� but unfortunately 鈥渟olutions may take a while to arrive.鈥�

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NEW MEXICO 鈥� New Literacy Instruction Requirements Drive Changes to Teaching Reading

New Mexico students are about to experience a shift in the way they are taught to read in schools, with some educators feeling that statewide changes in instruction could have a significant impact on literacy across the state. Following a 2019 state law, the Public Education Department and local districts Jacqueline Costales, PED鈥檚 division director of curriculum and instruction claims that the structured literacy program 鈥渉as been key in moving toward getting all kindergarten through fifth grade teachers across the state the training that is needed to teach reading in an explicit fashion.鈥�

FLORIDA 鈥� Biden Ed Department to Compensate Districts Punished by Florida Gov. DeSantis

The administration of President Joe Biden announced it would compensate school and district leaders in Florida who were punished by Gov. Ron DeSantis鈥� efforts to prohibit school mask mandates. The Education Department , sending 鈥渟chool officials in Alachua County鈥� a total of $147,719. Alachua is just 1 of 11 FL school districts that went against DeSantis鈥� wishes by instituting mask mandates in schools. 鈥淲e should be thanking districts for using proven strategies that will keep schools open and safe, not punishing them,鈥� said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

MICHIGAN 鈥� State Directs $1.4 Billion to Addressing Childcare Challenges

With the arrival of new federal and state education funds, . Matt Gillard, president of Michigan鈥檚 Children calls the $1.4 billion in childcare funding 鈥渁 huge step in the right direction.鈥� Gillard adds, 鈥渢he need for investment in our public child care systems is clearly being seen.鈥� Funds from the $1.4 billion investment contributes to Michigan鈥檚 鈥淐hild Development and Care,鈥� its largest child care system that provides subsidies and takes on 鈥減rivate care for low-income families.鈥� When the budget is officially passed, state officials will be under the gun to dole out the funds, having just 3 months to allocate 鈥�$700 million in stabilization grants鈥� for child care centers.

NORTH CAROLINA 鈥� Feds Approve NC COVID-19 School Spending Plan

Schools across North Carolina have gained access to approximately $5.5 billion from waves of federal stimulus packages over the last year and a half, . According to WRAL News, about half of the latest $900 million has been put toward devices such as computers and software, while most of the remaining has paid for 鈥渆xtended employment contracts, cafeteria workers, bonus pay, salary supplements and stipends, bus driver overtime and new employees.鈥�

HAWAII 鈥� Native Education Programs Receive Boost With Federal Relief Dollars

Hawaii will direct just over $28 million of its federal American Rescue Plan funding to its Native Hawaiian Education Program, which provides awards and grants to local efforts driving outcomes with native students, including to programs like the Native Pacific Institute for Education and Culture and the Hula Conservation Society. According to Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), 鈥� to support their students in time for the next school year.鈥�

KENTUCKY 鈥� Majority of School Districts Maintain Mask Requirements

All but six of Kentucky鈥檚 171 school districts are maintaining mask mandates . Sarah Wesson, superintendent of Lee County鈥檚 school district stated, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a political decision for us鈥� It鈥檚 just about the safety of our kids, and we are just trying to do the best we can to stay open and keep our students and staff safe.鈥� Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear 鈥渇aulted鈥� policymakers across the state for leaving it up to school boards despite health officials鈥� recommendations.

PENNSYLVANIA 鈥� Pittsburgh to Form Group to Address Pandemic Impacts on Education

The Pittsburgh Public Schools school board is . Data presented to the school board in support of the resolution showed students learning progress lagging compared to past years. If approved, the committee 鈥渃ould have up to 30 members, and each school board member will be able to nominate two members.鈥�

TENNESSEE 鈥� Officials Tout Summer School Learning Gains As Schools Start School Year

State-funded learning-loss recovery programs are responsible for 鈥渓earning gains鈥� made by Tennessee students this summer, says Gov. Bill Lee. Around 120,000 students attended either after the state invested over $160 million in summer programs using COVID-19 relief aid. Summer programs focused on reading, math, STEM, and physical education, with progress monitoring by educators showing student growth of as much as 5.97 percentage points in English and 10.94 percentage points in math.

CALIFORNIA 鈥� State Initiative Aims to Have All Third-Graders Reading by 2026

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced , though the initiative鈥檚 details are being worked out by a panel of educators, parents, and research experts. In his public announcement, Thurmond cited years of lackluster reading progress on the state鈥檚 Smarter Balanced assessments, as well increased challenged associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Assemblywoman Mia Bonta is expected to introduce state legislation that would guide recommendations and investments in a new state reading plan.

Two months into this school year, the number of reported coronavirus cases among students has surpassed the total from the entire 2020-21 school year. Schools are prohibited from taking precautions such as requiring masks, though some are fighting the banning mask mandates. Far more students are on campus, since most districts do not have a remote learning option.

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Every Friday, the releases COVID-19 case counts for students and staff, as reported by the state鈥檚 school districts. Here is the latest situation for the week ending Sunday, Sept. 26:

State data on school cases is incomplete and likely an undercount. TEA suppresses some districts鈥� case counts to protect student privacy, and not all districts report student and staff cases to the state, despite agency guidance requiring otherwise. The agency also retroactively updates its data from previous weeks as more districts report cases.

Some large districts, such as and , have not consistently reported cases to the state since TEA started tracking COVID-19 data on Aug. 2 for this school year. Many districts publish a COVID-19 dashboard that shows cases, and TEA recommends families check for the latest data there.

Entire districts, including Angleton and Lumberton, have without reporting cases to the state. These districts don鈥檛 necessarily report their closures, either, since they are not required to do so. TEA informally tracks closures based on media and district reports, said Frank Ward, an agency spokesperson.

Here are the 10 districts reporting the most cases for the week ending Sept. 26:

Going into the school year, districts had fewer options to slow the spread of the virus and keep students and staff safe.

Last year, school districts were permitted to require masks. This year, Gov. has tried to prohibit . After remaining silent on the issue for weeks, TEA quietly last week to say school districts can鈥檛 require masks, which has drawn a federal investigation for possibly violating the rights of students with disabilities. Still, some districts have continued to contest or ignore the ban.

Before the school year began, the state did not fund online options. Instead, school districts either used federal relief dollars or dug deep into their budgets to provide remote programming for families.

But now, some families and districts may find relief, as Abbott recently signed into law , which expands and funds virtual learning. While advocates for the law say it is a step in the right direction, it excludes students who failed the STAAR test.

In the last school year, almost 40% of students did not pass their math assessment, and nearly a third didn鈥檛 pass reading. Those who failed were disproportionately Black and Hispanic.

This article originally appeared .听

Here were our most popular and important articles of the month:

Student Safety: When the pandemic forced Minneapolis students into remote learning, district officials partnered with Gaggle, a digital surveillance company that uses artificial intelligence and a team of content moderators to track the online behaviors of millions of kids across the U.S. every day. Now, public records obtained by 蜜桃影视 that saw rapid national growth during the pandemic but carries significant civil rights and privacy concerns. The data highlight how Gaggle puts children under relentless digital surveillance long after classes end for the day. In Minneapolis, officials say the tool helps identify youth at risk of suicide. But some worry that rummaging through students’ personal files and conversations on their school-issued Google and Microsoft accounts could backfire. .

鈥擝补肠办蝉迟辞谤测: How the Minneapolis School District is spending big on new student surveillance technology, raising ire after terminating police contract (Read more)

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鈥楨veryone Had Their Heads in the Sand鈥�: Push To Reopen Schools Leaves Many Quarantined Students Without Remote Learning Options

Learning Loss: The Delta variant is spoiling leaders鈥� best-laid plans for a full return to school, with some now shifting back to remote learning and others leaving families hanging over how their children will stay on track. Facing pressure from parents and the Biden administration to get students back in classrooms, state and district leaders, some argue, have now 鈥渙vercorrected,鈥� making it harder to give students in quarantine real-time access to instruction. States, such as Ohio and North Carolina are now considering policies that would bring back remote options, and some districts are tapping federal relief funds for online tutoring programs. But others, such as Texas lawmakers, want to limit virtual options only to higher-achieving students. It鈥檚 a reversal in some ways from where schools were a few months ago, fully intending to leave remote instruction behind. 鈥淚 really can’t believe our schools are as unprepared for remote learning as they seem to be,鈥� Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education told reporter Linda Jacobson. 鈥淓veryone had their heads in the sand, and kids will pay the price.鈥� Read the full article.

Four-Day Work Weeks, Big Signing Bonuses and Paid Moving Expenses: See How Districts Across the U.S. Are Luring Subs, Special Ed Teachers

Interactive 鈥� School Staffing: Districts nationwide are experiencing a shortage of special education and substitute teachers, exacerbated by the pandemic and rolling quarantines. So how are they addressing these challenges? From $15,000 bonuses in Detroit for special education teachers to four-day work weeks in a small Colorado district to extra pay on Mondays and Fridays for subs in Las Cruces, Texas, administrators and state governments are innovating to fill gaps and bring eligible educators into the classroom. Retirees are returning to work in Nevada and California, parents are being recruited for full-time positions in Georgia and college graduates in all fields are in high demand to support students returning to class and prevent school closures. Marianna McMurdock and Meghan Gallagher created interactive maps to show which recruitment and retention solutions are popping up nationally. See our full report.

From Tragedy to Triumph to Failure: How 9/11 Helped Pass No Child Left Behind 鈥� And Fueled its Eventual Demise

20th Anniversary: Two decades have passed since the morning that changed America forever 鈥� a morning that found President George W. Bush in a Florida elementary school, reading with students and attempting to jump-start the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. Within months of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a collective sense of grief and purpose led the federal government to declare war on terrorism, even as it pledged to provide an excellent education for every child. But while it is generally acknowledged that Congress passed the landmark legislation partially as a demonstration of national unity, some believe the Bush administration鈥檚 emphasis on the global war on terror set back the mission of education reform, as attention waned and bipartisanship dissolved. 鈥淭hat whole sweet thing that was put together in the ’80s and came together in various states and then saw this incredible peak in Washington in 2001 鈥� all of that largely fell apart because of 9/11, and the failure of everyone on all sides to hold it together in the wake of 9/11,” former Bush adviser Sandy Kress told 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Kevin Mahnken. Read our full report.

Schools Didn鈥檛 Plan for Online Classes This Year. Then Delta Struck, Demand Is Surging & Districts Are Scrambling for Virtual Options. Will They Be Good Enough?

Student Quarantines: As COVID-19 threatens a return to 鈥渘ormal鈥� for a third academic year, the number of quality online schools is growing 鈥� but not as fast as the number of districts and charter school networks inking contracts with education technology companies to provide services ranging from digital curriculum to 鈥渢urnkey online school systems.鈥� Yes, mask and vaccine mandates and families鈥� reactions to the Delta variant鈥檚 surge are moving targets, say researchers, but unless education leaders make the quality of online instruction a priority, last year鈥檚 lackluster experience with remote learning is likely to repeat itself. Beth Hawkins has some background on why districts are again scrambling to provide online learning alternatives and what the new academic year might look like in places where school leaders started thinking about quality early on. Read our full report.

Curriculum: Arnold Ambers was still a teenager himself when he woke up early each morning and drove a school bus that took local children to a nearby segregated elementary school. Then, he arrived late to his own segregated high school classroom despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found such isolation unconstitutional years earlier. Growing up in the Jim Crow South, Ambers experienced first hand how many white Americans fought tooth and nail to stop integration, a movement that became known as 鈥渕assive resistance.鈥� These days he鈥檚 on edge as racial strife engulfs the country and the community of his childhood 鈥� Loudoun County, Virginia 鈥� , opposition to the catch-all and now-ubiquitous phrase critical race theory. 鈥淚t鈥檚 painful to realize that we鈥檝e come a long way, but in the last five years we鈥檝e really gone backwards quite a bit,鈥� Ambers said. 鈥淎nd I guess the painful reality is that racism has always been there.鈥� 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Mark Keierleber explores the historical connections between education in America post-Brown v. Board and the current controversy, a showdown one Loudoun County official called 鈥渢he massive resistance of our generation.鈥� .

鈥楽taggering鈥�: New Research Shows that Child Obesity Has Soared During Pandemic

Student Health: Since COVID-19 first shuttered schools last spring, K-12 students have been subjected to a kind of natural experiment in inactivity, with exercise and time spent outdoors declining as screen use has skyrocketed. Now, the physical effects are becoming clear: According to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children鈥檚 body mass index (a common measure of weight relative to height) increased twice as fast during the early months of the pandemic as it had previously. The findings match the results of several existing studies, all of which have found that kids are increasingly overweight or obese as they’ve been largely confined to home. Dietitian Michelle Demeule-Hayes, the director of a clinical weight-loss program at Baltimore鈥檚 Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, called the trends 鈥渟taggering鈥�: 鈥淚t鈥檚 never been this bad,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Kevin Mahnken. 鈥淪o the research is definitely accurate.鈥� Read our full report.

As the Pandemic Set In, Charter Schools Saw Their Highest Enrollment Growth Since 2015, 42-State Analysis Shows

Enrollment: Charter schools experienced more growth in 2020-21 鈥� the first full year of the pandemic鈥� than they鈥檝e seen in the past six years, according to preliminary data released today from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. While traditional public schools saw sharp declines in enrollment during the tumultuous year, charters in 39 states saw an influx of 240,000 new students 鈥� a 7 percent increase over last year. 鈥淔amilies are sending a clear message. They want more public school options,鈥� Nina Rees, president and CEO of the alliance, told 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Linda Jacobson. Those options include virtual schools, which in Oklahoma accounted for much of the state鈥檚 nearly 78 percent growth in charter enrollment. While it鈥檚 too soon to tell whether the enrollment shifts will last, the Fordham Institute鈥檚 Michael Petrilli suspects many of the families who opted for virtual charters will find their way back to district schools 鈥� 鈥渙nce things return to 鈥榥ormal,鈥� whatever the heck that is.鈥� Read the full story.

鈥楽omething Was Missing鈥�: 97% of North Carolina Survey Respondents Never Taught About State鈥檚 Grim Eugenics History

History: Down the road from Joseph Palko鈥檚 North Carolina high school stood a spooky, deserted old campus. Classmates would sneak onto the grounds and scare each other with ghost stories about the run-down buildings. His curiosity piqued, Palko turned to the internet for answers and quickly learned that six teenage boys at the reform school 鈥� some as young as 14 鈥� had been ordered to undergo vasectomies by the state’s eugenics board in 1948. 鈥淭hat was really shocking,鈥� Palko told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淚t鈥檚 scarier than anything anyone said was going on.鈥� On further investigation, he found that from 1929 to 1974, the state sterilized over 7,600 people in an effort to weed out so-called 鈥渇eeblemindedness.鈥� But Palko, like the vast majority of North Carolinians, was never taught about the state鈥檚 eugenics past 鈥� and its later, overt targeting of poor, Black women. Previous reporting from 蜜桃影视 uncovered that, despite a 2003 state-level directive that eugenics history be included in North Carolina鈥檚 K-12 curricula, none of the state鈥檚 10 largest districts require that students learn about the tragic episode. Now, responses from 175 individuals to a reader survey by 蜜桃影视 help quantify the impact of those untaught lessons. Read what we found.

鈥擥enocide 鈥業n My Own Backyard鈥�: North Carolina educators ignored state鈥檚 eugenics history long before critical race theory pushback (Read more)

With Up to 9 Grade Levels Per Class, Can Schools Handle the Fallout From COVID鈥檚 K-Shaped Recession?

Achievement Gaps: Wealthy newcomers from expensive cities like New York and San Francisco propelled housing prices in Austin, Texas, into the stratosphere in 2020, pushing out families of modest means and sending demographic shockwaves through the area鈥檚 schools. It鈥檚 just one manifestation of the pandemic鈥檚 K-shaped recession, a downturn barely felt by the affluent people at the top of the K but devastating to the people at the bottom. As schools prepared to reopen in August, research showed COVID has put the most disadvantaged students even further behind while propelling privileged children ahead and hollowing out the middle. Meaning the span of academic mastery in individual classrooms 鈥� seven grade levels in 鈥渘ormal鈥� times 鈥� is likely to widen even further, to as many as nine grade levels. In this installment of 蜜桃影视鈥檚 series examining the link between the pandemic鈥檚 economic turmoil and challenges in classrooms, Beth Hawkins takes you inside an Austin school that鈥檚 poised to meet the needs of its 鈥渂ookend students鈥� 鈥� the kids furthest ahead and behind 鈥� and may be a model for addressing the COVID classroom crisis. Read the full feature.

鈥擡xplore Our Special Report: After a K-shaped recession, how will America鈥檚 schools avert a COVID classroom crisis? (Read more)

Homeschooling Is on the Rise. What Should That Teach Education Leaders About Families鈥� Preferences?

Analysis: With school closures, student quarantines and tensions over mask requirements, vaccine mandates and culture war issues, families’ lives have been upended in ways few could have imagined 18 months ago. That schools have struggled to adapt is understandable, writes contributor Alex Spurrier. But for millions of families, their willingness to tolerate institutional sclerosis in their children’s education is wearing thin. Over the past 18 months, the rate of families moving their children to a new school increased by about 50 percent, and some 1.2 million switched to homeschooling last academic year. Instead of working to get schools back to a pre-pandemic normal, Spurrier says, education leaders should look at addressing the needs of underserved kids and families 鈥� and the best way to understand where schools are falling short is to look at how families are voting with their feet. If options like homeschooling, pods and microschools retain some of their pandemic enrollment gains, it could have ripple effects on funding that resonate throughout the K-12 landscape. Read our full report.

When Climate Change Forces Schools to Close: Fires, Storms and Heatwaves Have Already Kept 1 Million Students Out of Classrooms This Semester

Photo Essay: An elementary school burned to the ground as wildfires scorched Northern California. In New Jersey, a tornado destroyed a high school鈥檚 stadium. Floods from multiple hurricanes and historic storm systems damaged or destroyed school buildings, paralyzed campuses and, in Louisiana, have forced 45,000 students out of classrooms until October. Twenty schools in Columbus, Ohio, had to start remotely because of excessive heat. And just this month, as Hurricane Nicholas shuttered schools in Texas, a mid-September heat wave forced Baltimore to shorten school days for lack of air conditioners. In a third school year already complicated by COVID, as in-person learning resumes, in fits and starts, for the first time in 18 months, extreme weather exacerbated by climate change has led to closures affecting more than 1 million students across the country. 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Meghan Gallagher looks back at the disruptions from the first month of the school year and offers a snapshot of the chaos and obstacles that one California superintendent dubbed the new normal. See our full gallery.

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The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights launched the investigation on Tuesday, just days after the TEA its public health guidance. On Friday, the state agency said that school districts once again can鈥檛 require face coverings, citing that courts are not blocking Gov. 鈥檚 executive order prohibiting local mask mandates.

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The agency did not immediately respond to request for comment or say how or if it will enforce the order or if every school district in the state has been notified of this change.

In a letter to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, federal officials said the investigation will focus on whether or not students with disabilities who are at greater risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are prevented from safely returning to in-person education, which would violate federal law, wrote Suzanne B. Goldberg, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

Goldberg wrote that her office is worried that Texas鈥� mask policy does not allow for 鈥渁n equal educational opportunity to students with disabilities who are at heightened risk of severe illness from COVID-19.鈥�

The education department has launched similar investigations in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. It had not done so in Texas because the TEA was previously not enforcing the governor鈥檚 order while there was .

Disability Rights Texas, an advocacy group, . The group, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of 14 children, says that the governor’s order and the TEA’s enforcement of it deny children with disabilities access to public education as they are at high risk of illness and death from the virus. The group claims that because of this, the state is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which forbids organizations and employers from excluding or denying individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to receive program benefits and services. The lawsuit has not yet been resolved.

Dustin Rynders, supervising attorney at Disability Rights Texas and lead attorney on the lawsuit, said in a statement that the TEA’s latest guidance is “reckless” and that the agency shares culpability for the “dangerous” situation in Texas schools. The organization’s case is set for an Oct. 6 trial.

“The Governor鈥檚 order and the Attorney General鈥檚 enforcement and intimidation campaign are creating an impossible situation for students with disabilities in Texas schools,” Rynders said. “Our state鈥檚 refusal to allow mask requirements is blatantly discriminatory to children with high risk health conditions who can鈥檛 yet be vaccinated.”

The TEA鈥檚 guidance released Friday is the latest development in an ongoing war over coronavirus precautions that has left school officials and parents with whiplash about what requirements are 鈥� or aren鈥檛 鈥� in place.

In early August, the agency had said districts couldn鈥檛 mandate masks because of the governor鈥檚 order. But as the new school year approached, a surge of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations prompted some local officials to buck Abbott鈥檚 prohibition in order to protect teachers and schoolchildren. Coronavirus vaccines still aren鈥檛 approved for children younger than 12.

About a month into this school year, is approaching the total from the entire 2020-21 school year. State data on school cases is incomplete and likely an undercount. TEA suppresses some districts鈥� case counts to protect student privacy, and not all districts report student and staff cases to the state despite agency guidance requiring otherwise.

School districts, cities and counties have fought Abbott鈥檚 order in court, and some have won temporary restraining orders allowing them to require face coverings. Meanwhile, , making good on the state鈥檚 threat of coming after districts that defied the governor.

Those lawsuits aren鈥檛 all yet resolved and some have so far played out in different ways. That鈥檚 created even more confusion as a patchwork of differing local rules have popped up throughout the state.

Shannon Holmes, executive director of the Association of Texas Professional Educators, said in a statement that school districts should be free to make their own decisions to protect students and staff and that includes 鈥減rotecting groups of high-risk students so as to provide the free appropriate public education required under federal law.鈥�

The Texas State Teachers Association said in a statement that it applauds the federal governments investigation into the TEA and the Texas mask policy. Once again, the organization called on Abbott to drop his order so schools can impose a mask mandate.

“Educators and parents want to keep students safe. But the governor cares less about the health and safety of children than he does about his political base,” said organization president Ovidia Molina. “That is not leadership. That is pandering.”

Kevin Brown, executive director of the Texas Association of School Administrators, said in a statement that his organization supports local control of public schools when it comes to making decisions about student and staff safety.

“Texas is a very large state and each community has different situations, needs and expectations, and we think they are uniquely situated to decide what is best for their students and staff,” Brown said.

The Texas Tribune reached out to Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and Round Rock school districts for comment as well as the Texas Association of School Administrators. None immediately responded.

Raise Your Hand Texas, a public school advocacy group, declined to comment.

Brian Lopez is a reporter covering public education , the only member-supported, digital-first, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Disclosure: Association of Texas Professional Educators, Raise Your Hand Texas, Texas Association of School Administrators and Texas State Teachers Association have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .

鈥擟ommunity Schools: A 鈥渇ull court press is underway from the White House, states and education officials鈥� to expand interest and investment in the so-called 鈥榗ommunity schools鈥� model, .

The community school model typically positions schools as hubs of their surrounding communities and seeks to build out school functions to address community needs like basic healthcare, food distribution, housing insecurity, and even clothing or job needs. Camera to address critical student and family needs that only became more acute during the pandemic. Only 6-8% of schools in the U.S. are community schools, though President Joe Biden hopes to significantly increase this number using a significant expansion of funding for community schools, which is proposed in his budget proposal under consideration by Congress.

鈥擫earning Recovery: A seeks to assist schools in directing their American Rescue Plan relief funding toward investments that are likely to drive instruction and improve student outcomes, particularly in the context of accelerating learning in the face of pandemic disruption. The levied to address common concerns, like literacy 鈥� addressed and exemplified by Tennessee鈥檚 Shelby County 鈥� expanding tutoring programs, and procuring high-quality instructional materials.

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Beyond issues of relief funds and community schools, here are eight other updates from across the country about how states and school systems are confronting the challenges posed by the pandemic and the Delta variant 鈥� and working to preserve student learning amid the pandemic:

1 MICHIGAN 鈥� State Test Scores Show Sharp Decline in Student Performance, as Participation Rate Plummets

Michigan officials have released results from the most recent administration of statewide, summative tests, which represent the first time students were tested across the state since the spring of 2019. As expected, In a statement sharing the results, the Michigan Department of Education said scores should be reviewed and compared with caution, as participation rates fell to between 64-72%. 鈥淩esults from the state summative assessments and the local benchmark assessments show that some students were able to make relatively normal gains, while many others will be working with their teachers to accelerate their learning to catch up to where they otherwise would have been in the absence of the pandemic. In Michigan and across the country, we have our work cut out for us,鈥� said State Superintendent Michael Rice.

2 TENNESSEE 鈥� Ed Chief Approves Temporary Virtual Learning Waivers Amid Quarantines

In response to a sharp increase in transmission of COVID-19 in Tennessee as schools opened up for the new school year, Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn announced that individual classrooms and schools or if a student or staff member tests positive. While Schwinn described the approach as a 鈥渟calpel,鈥� say the state should require schools and districts to develop continuous learning plans, as they were obliged to do last school year. 鈥淲e see the data, this COVID surge is horrible in Tennessee 鈥� the state must recognize that systems will have to close due to the delta variant, not just individual schools,鈥� said Danette Stoke, a second-grade teacher and president of Shelby County UEA.

3 HAWAII 鈥� State Education Officials Release Public Data Dashboard on COVID-19 Spread

The Hawaii Department of Education has made a new addition to its website 鈥� . Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi announced that the dashboard was established with parents top of mind. The dashboard includes 鈥減robable case information鈥� spanning 鈥渟tate, district, complex area and school levels.鈥� Hayashi is encouraging people to monitor the dashboard to see 鈥渢hat schools are not amplifiers of COVID-19 transmission because of the mitigation protocols schools are enforcing.鈥�

4CALIFORNIA 鈥� Los Angeles Moves Forward With Weekly COVID-19 Testing for All

The Los Angeles public school system is facing what The Washington Post calls 鈥渁 massive public health experiment unfolding in real time.鈥� , in addition to universal masking mandates and staff vaccine requirements. Despite implementing 鈥渢he most aggressive anti-coronavirus campaign undertaken or announced by a major school district,鈥� the district has seen the vast majority of students and families eager to return to school, with only roughly 3% opting for independent study options at the beginning of the school year.

5 LOUISIANA 鈥� COVID-19 Extending Disrupted Learning Due to Hurricane Ida

According to officials, New Orleans public schools 鈥渟uffered little to no damage from Hurricane Ida鈥� and most campuses announced plans to reopen as soon as power returned. Despite the minimal damage, however, , as staff and students make their way back to school. New Orleans Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. stated, 鈥淲e have to be honest in this moment 鈥� We had a very high peak [in cases before the storm] and we’re not sure what will happen when we come back.鈥�

6 CONNECTICUT 鈥� State Recovery Spending Plan Approved by Feds

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona . The state has established five categories for its plan, which include: 鈥渓earning and enrichment, family and community connections, student and teacher social-emotional and mental health, education technology, and building safe and healthy schools.鈥�

7 KANSAS 鈥� State Applauds Record High Graduation Rate

Kansas Commissioner of Education Randy Watson praised the state鈥檚 graduation rates this past week, . Despite the lauded accomplishment, Watson told reporters that believes there is more progress to be made. Breaking down the graduation rate, Kansas found that the graduation among students with disabilities rose 3.1 percentage points and among English learners increased 6.5 percentage points.

8 WEST VIRGINIA 鈥� Cardona Applauds West Virginia鈥檚 School Vaccination Efforts

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona praised West Virginia鈥檚 push to get teachers, students, and communities vaccinated this month, . 鈥淎nd I鈥檒l tell you, what you did in West Virginia to require the vaccination pop-up clinics – not only did you accept the call to action, you really elevated it and said, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to value this throughout the state of West Virginia.鈥� So thank you for your work on the 鈥業 Got Vaxxed Campaign,鈥欌�� Cardona said in a statement directed toward Gov. James Justice and Superintendent W. Clayton Burch. Cardona鈥檚 praise comes as Justice with recommendations by teachers unions in the state to pass vaccine and mask mandates.

This update on pandemic recovery in education collects and shares news updates from the district, state, and national levels as all stakeholders continue to work on developing safe, innovative plans to resume schooling and address learning loss. It鈥檚 an offshoot of the Collaborative for Student Success鈥� QuickSheet newsletter, which you can .听

President Joe Biden鈥檚 push for more employers to require vaccines is likely to accelerate an already-growing trend in schools.

In the past month, the number of states requiring teacher vaccinations has jumped to 10, including the District of Columbia, according to a new analysis we conducted at the Center on Reinventing Public Education.

Those include roughly a third (31) of the districts in our review of 100 large and high-profile school systems. And Los Angeles Unified鈥檚 high-profile move to require eligible students to get vaccinated suggests vaccine mandates won鈥檛 be confined to school employees.

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Rising vaccination rates are good news for the country鈥檚 students. They increase the chances schools will be able to keep them safe, and keep them learning, all year and in person as much as possible.

But they won鈥檛 totally eliminate other challenges school systems are likely to face. Clarifying quarantine rules, and supporting high-quality instruction for students who are forced to quarantine or isolate because they鈥檝e tested positive or been exposed to the virus, remains a critical task for state and school district leaders.

Right now, the amount of time students can expect to spend in quarantine if they are suspected of being exposed to the virus, and the amount of instruction they can expect to receive, varies a lot depending on where they live.

State quarantine and isolation policies leave districts hanging

Forty-three states and D.C. have updated their quarantine and isolation guidelines for the 2021-22 school year, while seven states offer no guidance and simply link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage.

In 15 states and D.C., schools and districts must follow statewide quarantine guidance, while 29 states offer only recommended guidance. The remaining six states provide very little. , for example, stated that it is 鈥渘ot currently issuing isolation or quarantine orders for COVID-19 positive or COVID-19 exposed individuals.鈥�

Half of the states provide detailed guidance about how long a student should spend in quarantine. Of these, 14 specify isolation periods that range from seven to 14 days for different categories of exposure, and 11 specify periods that range from seven to 10 days.

The other half of states give school districts broad flexibility to determine the number of days students and staff are expected to quarantine, depending on whether they are asymptomatic, vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test.

The result of this loose, varied and minimal state guidance is a wide range of district quarantine policies.

Alaska鈥檚 Anchorage School District allows up to 24 quarantine days for students who live with an infected household member and cannot avoid continued close contact. At the other extreme, Kansas鈥檚 allows exposed students to return to class immediately, provided they wear a mask for 14 days and take daily rapid antigen tests for eight days.

The shortest quarantines are heavily concentrated in Florida, where seven of eight districts in our review allow students to return as early as two to five days after exposure. , which requires a 10-day quarantine, is the exception. Florida state guidance recommends four to seven days of isolation.

When will students and teachers have to quarantine? For how long? It depends

Most states have at least some policies that ease quarantine requirements for students who meet certain criteria.

Thirty-eight states exempt fully vaccinated students from quarantines, 23 provide exemptions if an individual has previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 and 7 exempt individuals if they are asymptomatic. In addition, 19 states include the to determine whether a student counts as having been exposed to the virus.

Easing quarantine rules for vaccinated people can reduce unnecessary learning disruptions and create an incentive to get vaccinated that stops short of a mandate. But some states have tied districts鈥� hands.

In , a state law prohibiting people from being treated differently based on vaccination status means that local leaders cannot use it as a way to shorten quarantines. In Ohio, a outlines 鈥渁nti-discrimination鈥� practices that would prohibit schools from establishing safety precautions specifically for unvaccinated individuals.

Some states devised creative guidance to keep teachers and students in schools as much as possible. The allows for teachers and staff deemed 鈥渆ssential鈥� to keep working if they remain asymptomatic, wear a mask at all times, self-monitor for symptoms and self-quarantine at home when they are not at work. In , local health departments and districts can offer students the option to wear a mask at school for 10 days in place of following quarantine-at-home protocols.

How will students in quarantine continue learning?

Remote learning is a critical tool for keeping students learning during quarantine, but not all students will have access. Eight states 鈥� Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas 鈥� are restricting at least one aspect of remote learning.

In some cases, states outlined these restrictions in their American Rescue Plan documents, which were created before the Delta variant started rampaging across the country. For example, New Jersey states that, 鈥淚n the 2021-22 school year, if buildings are open for in-person instruction, parents or guardians will not be able to opt their child out of in-person instruction.鈥�

Only 17 states have stated they will require districts to ensure that students can access instruction during quarantine or isolation.

Some provide detailed guidance in their 2021 reopening plans about how districts should provide remote learning. explains that schools opting to provide long-term virtual options must commit to quality instruction, state-aligned standards and certified, well-trained staff. The spelled out details about instructional time and enrollment.

Five districts of the 100 we reviewed 鈥� Boulder Valley, Colorado; Houston ISD; Kansas City Public Schools; Metro Nashville; and San Diego Unified 鈥� are offering their remote learning program, or an equivalent, to quarantined students. The rest will likely rely on schools and teachers to create their own solutions 鈥� which, again, means the education students will receive could vary a lot depending on where they live.

Chicago Public Schools expects teachers to provide coursework aligned to the instruction students would have received in class, and for students to receive up to two hours of live, real-time teaching a day while they鈥檙e in quarantine.

In Miami-Dade County Public Schools, teachers will be expected to revive a practice from last year: concurrent instruction, in which some students join class by videoconference while others attend in person.

Vermont鈥檚 Champlain Valley Public Schools distinguish between individually quarantined students and whole-class quarantines. The district will provide remote instruction only if the entire class must quarantine. Otherwise, quarantines will be treated as regular absences, and students won鈥檛 receive instruction.

Most states back COVID-19 testing

The majority of states 鈥� 36, as well as D.C. 鈥� provide schools and districts with both guidance and funding to administer COVID-19 testing. A robust initiative from the Washington State Department of Health, , helps schools provide vaccines and tests.

The remaining 14 states provide either limited or no information about statewide COVID-19 testing. In the “,” testing is mentioned as one of nine key prevention strategies. However, there is no reference to statewide support for districts that wish to establish and run these programs.

This month, a new type of policy, known as test-to-stay, has emerged to limit major school-based outbreaks.

Under 鈥檚 recommended policy, if 30 students, or 2 percent of a school鈥檚 student body 鈥� whichever is lower 鈥� test positive for COVID-19, the school will screen all students. Those who test positive will be required to isolate at home, but those whose results are negative can continue in-person classes.

In , schools can opt in to a test-to-stay protocol in which someone who comes into close contact with an individual testing positive for COVID-19 can receive a negative test and continue to attend classes, but quarantine from all extracurriculars and other activities.

These policies can help catch outbreaks before they spread out of control. But they also underscore the importance of providing instruction to students who are asked to stay home.

Vaccinations necessary but not sufficient

States and districts received a historic infusion of federal COVID relief dollars with the charge to keep kids safe and learning through the 2021-22 school year.

However, emerging fall trends reveal that states鈥� plans are underwhelming and largely miss the mark. Policymakers and education leaders can shift course to ensure students are safe and learning this fall and beyond by reinforcing the things that work:

• Provide districts support for coordinated vaccination and COVID-19 testing. States can give districts a framework to increase vaccinations among staff and students while implementing robust testing programs to catch potential outbreaks. For example, state education and health agencies can develop a network of local health authorities who can facilitate both vaccination and testing in schools.
• Develop a sense of safety by reporting staff vaccination coverage. A  across a state will protect students who are not eligible to be vaccinated and limit learning disruptions. Many states publish COVID-19 vaccination rates for health care professionals by county on public dashboards to establish transparency and trust among those who visit care facilities. Reporting similar data for teachers would help develop a  for parents and students.

• Establish clear, easy-to-follow quarantine rules. Differing federal, state and local policies on quarantine and isolation leave parents and students confused and uncertain about what is safe and what to do next. States can establish clear, straightforward quarantine policies along with streamlined communications efforts to ensure students, teachers and families feel secure about school safety precautions and reduce guesswork for local education leaders.

• Ensure students have access to remote learning throughout the year. States must set clear expectations about enrollment, attendance and quality of remote learning. With many competing priorities, districts need state support to ensure schools are providing high-quality remote instruction to students in quarantine or isolation.

These measures demand stronger action by state leaders. Students cannot afford to lose days or weeks of instruction while school district administrators navigate vague, conflicting or counterproductive guidance from other layers of government.

Christine Pitts is a resident policy fellow at the Centers on Reinventing Public Education. Bree Dusseault is principal at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, supporting its analysis of district and charter responses to COVID-19. 

This the first in a series of weekly analyses of COVID-19 policies in 100 large and high-profile school systems, produced by the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington, Bothell. Get this weekly snapshot, as well as rolling daily pandemic updates, delivered straight to your inbox 鈥� sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter.

The delta variant is driving Texas鈥� case surge, and doctors are seeing more infections in children and more children being hospitalized.

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Here鈥檚 what El Paso parents should know about how to protect their school-aged children from being infected with the virus:

Q: What should parents know about the delta variant?

The delta variant is twice as contagious for children and adults as previous COVID-19 strains, said Dr. Stanley Spinner, chief medical officer and vice president of Texas Children鈥檚 Pediatrics and Texas Children鈥檚 Urgent Care.

鈥淏ecause of the contagiousness of the delta variant, even people that are vaccinated can get infected 鈥� they will either be asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic. But they can still spread the virus to those that aren鈥檛 protected, mainly our kids under 12,鈥� Spinner said.

Q: Should children wear a face covering at school?

Texas doctors emphatically say yes. And that includes teachers and school staff.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends that students, teachers and school staff wear face masks, even if they are vaccinated.

Q: What can teachers do if children remove their mask during the school day?

Teachers cannot ask students to wear a mask because Gov. Greg Abbott forbade schools from requiring them, stressing the need for 鈥減ersonal responsibility rather than government mandates.鈥�

El Paso districts have disposable masks on hand and can offer them to students who request them.

Q: Beyond masking, what else can students do to stay safe while at school?

Good hand hygiene can help protect students from becoming infected. Students should wash their hands before lunch, after using the restroom and before and after touching their face, said Jose Luis Salas, infection control director at El Paso Children鈥檚 Hospital.

Sharing food and drinks with their peers should also be avoided to minimize exposure and cross contamination, Salas said. And when possible, students should put a few feet of distance between themselves and their classmates.

Students should stay home from school if they have potential COVID-19 symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat or fever. They should get tested and not return to school until they receive a negative test result.

Q: Can parents find out whether teachers are vaccinated?

No. Districts are not collecting this information as the COVID-19 vaccine is voluntary and is not a requirement for public school enrollment or employment.

Q: How often should school-aged children be tested for COVID-19?

Students don鈥檛 need to be regularly tested for the virus, Spinner said. They should, however, get tested if they believe they were exposed to the virus. They must quarantine at home, away from others, until they receive a negative test result.

Q: What should parents of unvaccinated children do to keep their children safe?

Parents should wear a mask in indoor public spaces and keep their distance from others, regardless of whether they are vaccinated. That鈥檚 especially important now that the CDC considers El Paso County of community spread. Parents who have not yet been vaccinated should do so as soon as possible.

鈥淯ltimately, defeating COVID is a team sport that鈥檚 going to require the highest number of people possible to adhere to masks, (and) in time the highest number of people to get vaccinated,鈥� said Dr. Glenn Fennelly, chair of the department of pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso.

Mask wearing and vaccination prevent new variants from emerging that could be more contagious, more deadly and less responsive to the vaccine.

Q: Are Texas doctors seeing hesitancy among vaccinated parents to take their children to get the vaccine?

Less than a quarter of 12- to 15-year-olds in El Paso have been vaccinated against COVID-19, which Fennelly says is 鈥渃oncerning.鈥� It鈥檚 not unusual for parents to be more cautious with their children, though the vaccine is just as safe for children as it is for adults, he said. Parents should speak to their pediatrician or family doctor about any concerns they may have.

鈥淭he most important thing they (parents) can do for their child鈥檚 safety is to vaccinate them to protect them鈥� from the virus, Spinner said. When they don鈥檛, they put their child at risk of serious infection and even death.

Q: What are the common COVID-19 vaccine side effects in adolescents?

The common vaccine side effects in adolescents are no different than the ones adults experience. These include soreness at the injection site, muscle aches, fatigue and fever, all of which typically last one to two days.

The risk of adolescents experiencing myocarditis and pericarditis 鈥� inflammation of the heart 鈥� are .

Q: What is the status of the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 12?

The Food and Drug Administration likely won鈥檛 issue an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to be used in children ages 5 to 11 until late fall at the earliest.

This article originally appeared .

Between Aug. 16 and Aug. 22, there were 14,033 positive cases reported among students across the state, 34% more than the week with the most student cases reported last school year, the Department of State Health Services data shows. That week鈥檚 totals also represent a 182% increase from the week ending Aug. 15, though fewer students were in school then.

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There have been 20,256 reported cases among students since the state agency started tracking data on Aug. 2 for this school year. That鈥檚 less than 0.4% of the 5.3 million students enrolled in the state as of January. Districts with the highest rates of cases include Midland, Humble, Conroe, Corpus Christi and New Caney, all of which reported more than 10 new cases per 1,000 students, based on January enrollment numbers.

Out of these school districts, Corpus Christi is the only district with a mask mandate, and it was recently issued for 30 days after school officials saw a rise in cases.

Districts were allowed to require masks last school year. But for the better part of the last month, the rules around masking requirements have gone back and forth in Texas courts.

Gov. has tried to ban mask mandates in schools. But some school districts have decided to continue the masking orders anyway, joining lawsuits that have had varying degrees of success. Meanwhile, the battle has raged in local school districts for weeks as concerned parents on both sides continue to clash. In one instance in Eanes ISD on the outskirts of Austin, the tension led to verbal assault and a parent ripping a mask off a teacher.

State officials said they did not know how many districts have already started school or what share of students those districts serve. At this point last year, districts with slightly less than half of all students had started class, and the state had reported 313 positive cases among students.

Among staff members, there have been 3,425 positive cases reported through the week ending Aug. 22, a 26% increase from the week before.

The rise in cases among students comes as hospitals across Texas continue to fill up and intensive care unit beds become scarce. In more rural districts, schools have already had to shut down because of fears that cases among staff and students could overwhelm already strained hospital systems.

Most school districts are not offering virtual learning for the start of the year, since the state did not fund that option. Some school districts are offering remote learning but are using federal funds to recoup lost dollars.

A COVID-19 vaccine for children under 12 is not yet available. Best-case scenarios suggest it could be late September or early October before one is approved.

Brian Lopez is public education reporter and Kalley Huang is a data visuals fellow , the only member-supported, digital-first, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

It鈥檚 impossible to overstate how controversial school reopening has become in the U.S. this past year. After a spring of universal Zoom school, the country diverged: some administrators, parents, and scientists were determined to get kids back in classrooms, while others prioritized COVID-19 safety above all else.

Reopening debates have dominated headlines. In August 2020, images of maskless crowds in Georgia鈥檚 Cherokee County School District went viral on social media 鈥� and the school just one week after the semester started. That same month In New York City, teachers brought to a protest against Mayor Bill de Blasio鈥檚 reopening plan. Chicago鈥檚 schools remained closed through the fall, and the teachers union during reopening negotiations in early 2021. And districts like Brookline, a liberal Massachusetts suburb, saw over social distancing, vaccinations, and more.

The divided communities made the news 鈥� but not all U.S. schools were fighting grounds. In fact, many districts managed to bring the majority of their students back into classrooms without breeding a dreaded COVID-19 outbreak.

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Here, at the COVID-19 Data Dispatch, we鈥檙e sharing stories from five such communities. The series will be published in installments: one profile a week for the next five weeks, followed by a conclusion with overall insights and lessons for fall 2021.

This project fits into a school of reporting called 鈥渟olutions journalism.鈥� Rather than focusing on uncovering society鈥檚 problems, this type of journalism seeks to identify and uplift responses to these problems. In other words, instead of asking, 鈥淲hy was it so hard to reopen schools in the U.S?鈥�, the CDD is asking, 鈥淲hich schools did reopen, and what made them successful?鈥� The 鈥� which, as you may guess from the name, is a nonprofit that supports solutions journalism 鈥� provided the CDD with a grant to pursue this project, as well as trainings and other guidance.

Identifying Districts that Reopened

Before introducing you to the five districts that we profiled, let鈥檚 talk methodology, also known as how these districts were selected for the project. As we鈥檝e discussed at length here at the CDD, there鈥檚 a lack of good data on . The country is approaching a fourth pandemic semester, but the federal government still does not provide comprehensive information on how many students are attending public school in person or how many of them have contracted the virus. And while the majority of states provide some data on this topic, these data are scattered and unstandardized 鈥� and some at their reporting since the 2020-2021 school year ended.

So, to identify success stories for this project, we relied on two main sources. First, we used a at school districts across the country, covering approximately 94% of districts across 98% of U.S. counties. These data come from SafeGraph, a company that aggregates location data from cell phones; this database was also used in a on disparities in school closures. Using the SafeGraph data, we could see which districts had high in-person traffic numbers in spring 2021 compared to shutdowns during spring 2020, indicating that the majority of students returned.

It鈥檚 important to establish here that the aim of this data analysis was not to identify the districts that had the biggest in-person comebacks or to do any kind of comprehensive ranking. Instead, we looked for outliers: districts that had a larger attendance change than the schools around them.

This geography-based method was important because the 2020-2021 school year looked very different from one state to the next. For example, in New York City, just over one-third of public school families attended school in-person before June 2021, . Meanwhile, in Texas, the majority of schools had at least 70% of students back in-person by spring 2021, according to data from the state department of health.

You can see the variation in the map above, based on a study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention鈥檚 earlier this summer. According to this analysis, every single student in Montana and Wyoming had access to in-person learning five days a week, between September 2020 and April 2021, while in Maryland, just 2.3% of students had that access during the same period.

Comparing COVID-19 Case Numbers

After using the SafeGraph dataset to identify outliers in a given state, we used data from state public health departments to identify districts鈥� COVID-19 case numbers. This step restricted the analysis to states that provided a.) COVID-19 case data by individual district and b.) data for the entire school year. Few states meet both of these criteria. It鈥檚 no coincidence that New York and Texas 鈥� also the only two states providing in-person enrollment numbers 鈥� are both represented among the five focus districts of this project.

You can find more information on state K-12 data reporting .

Over the next few weeks, you鈥檒l learn about how schools from rural Indiana to New York City faced the challenge of bringing kids back to classrooms while keeping their communities safe. Some took advantage of novel COVID-19 technologies, such as tests and ventilation updates. But others utilized less technical strategies such as personalized communication with parents and close collaboration with local public health officials.

As the Delta variant for this coming fall, the stories of these five communities tell us that virus cases can be kept down during in-person learning if administrators, teachers, and families all work together.

These schools are:

• Scott County School District 1 in Austin, Indiana
• Garrett County Public Schools in Garrett County, Maryland
• Andrews Independent School District in Andrews, Texas
• Brooklyn Arts and Science Elementary School in Brooklyn, New York
• Port Orford-Langlois School District 2CJ in Curry County, Oregon

Past K-12 Schools Reporting

• . Unlike other districts in Maryland, Garrett County Public Schools was able to bring the majority of its students back to classrooms during the spring 2021 semester. The district built trust with its community by utilizing local partnerships, providing families with crucial supplies, setting up task forces to plan reopening, and communicating extensively with parents.
• . Scott County School District 1 is the subject of the first profile in the COVID-19 Data Dispatch鈥檚 鈥淥pening鈥� series. While Austin鈥檚 experience with HIV/AIDS is unique, the school district offers lessons for other communities. An open line of communication between Austin鈥檚 county public health agency, school administrators, and other local leaders fostered an environment of collaboration and trust. Plus, the administrators took advantage of teachers鈥� and parents鈥� knowledge of their students to make them an integral part of identifying COVID-19 cases and stopping outbreaks.
• . Many states have paused their school COVID-19 case reporting for the summer鈥攁nd a few have stopped reporting school cases entirely. Hawaii appears to be an exception: this state actually improved its reporting for the new school year.

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Here were our most popular and important articles of the month:

D.C.鈥檚 Missing Students and the Rush to Avert a K-Shaped COVID Classroom Crisis

Achievement Gaps: To judge from the dry run that was kindergarten orientation, 4-year-old Mustafa Fletcher will be wearing crisp chinos, a tidy polo shirt and an irresistible smile when he starts school a few days from now. But after a year isolated at home, logging onto different remote preschools a few minutes at a time, how ready is he really? Last year, some 2,000 D.C. kindergartners and preschoolers didn鈥檛 show up at the start of the school year. Those children come from communities with some of the highest poverty rates in the country; in the public housing complex where Mustafa lives, across the Anacostia River from wealthy Capitol Hill, median family income is less than $20,000 a year. The deficits in academic and social-emotional development such children normally face have been multiplied many times over by the isolation, financial instability, illness and fear inflicted by the pandemic.

This story, about the unprecedented demands the coming year鈥檚 supersized kindergarten classes will place on D.C. schools, is the first in a series of deep dives by 蜜桃影视 examining the impact on America’s classrooms of COVID-19’s K-shaped recession. Before the pandemic, Beth Hawkins reports, Mustafa鈥檚 mother cleaned houses in affluent neighborhoods. But when wealthy Washingtonians, who barely noticed the economic downturn, stopped spending on services like hers, the ripples reached the city鈥檚 littlest learners.

See other parts in Beth鈥檚 series:

鈥� School Funding: Will the financial fallout from the pandemic finally fix Jim Crow-era school funding rules? (Read more)

鈥� Learning Gaps: Now facing up to 9 grade levels per class, can schools endure the turbulence of COVID鈥檚 K-shaped recession? (Read more)

鈥� Career and Technical Education: Recession, recovery & robotics 鈥� Can CTE and Reno鈥檚 reinvented schools avert a post-COVID classroom crisis? (Read more)

鈥� 74 Explains: WATCH 鈥� Why the fallout from the pandemic鈥檚 K-shaped recession may be felt by students for years. (Read more)

鈥� Expert Q&A: Professor John Friedman explains how an economic tracker discovered the K-shaped recession 鈥� and what it means for schools (Watch the full conversation)

鈥� Go Deeper: See the full series 鈥� COVID鈥檚 Classroom Crisis.

Genocide 鈥業n My Own Backyard鈥�: North Carolina Educators Ignored State鈥檚 Eugenics History Long Before Critical Race Theory Pushback

Teaching History: Even as a young girl, the shadow of a dark history hung over Orlice Hodges. At 7 years old, her grandmother offered an explanation 鈥� chilling, in retrospect 鈥� of what happened to young women taken away by social workers: They went to Black Mountain to get 鈥渇ixed.鈥� As she got older, the North Carolina woman would learn the awful meaning. 鈥�’Fixed’ meant sterilization,鈥� said Hodges, who was told by family members that her own aunt had been a victim. From 1929 to 1974, North Carolina鈥檚 eugenics program sterilized over 7,600 people 鈥� in its latter years, disproportionately targeting Black women. To this day, reports Asher Lehrer-Small, none of the state鈥檚 10 largest school districts include the episode in social studies curricula, despite a two-decades-old recommendation from a governor-appointed committee calling on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to do just that. An exhibit that included first-person accounts and victims鈥� medical records commissioned 鈥渢o ensure that no one will forget what the State of North Carolina once perpetrated upon its own citizens鈥� toured colleges and universities for a few years in the early 2000s before being packed away in a state office basement. That North Carolina鈥檚 K-12 schools have almost without exception ignored this tragic history offers a compelling example of how knowledge of racially motivated, government-inflicted harm was suppressed long before the recent debate over critical race theory. Read the full article.

鈥� Related: Critical race theory and the new 鈥楳assive Resistance鈥� (Read more)

鈥� Chaos Theory: Amid pandemic recovery efforts, school leaders fear critical race furor will 鈥榩aralyze鈥� teachers (Read more)

Twitter Breaks, Meditative Walks, Security Guards: How School Leaders are Responding to an Unsettling Season of Public Outrage

School Leadership: During a pandemic recovery task force meeting earlier this year, Virginia Beach schools Superintendent Aaron Spence interrupted the conversation with a personal request. 鈥淲hen are we going to talk about us?鈥� he asked the group. Spence, like superintendents nationwide, had been taking so much heat on social media over district reopening plans that he finally left Twitter for a year. With the added turbulence related to critical race theory, threatening tweets, emails and phone calls not only rattle district leaders, but are contributing to increased security at school board meetings. 鈥淧eople are just so angry right now,鈥� Susan Enfield, superintendent of Washington’s Highline Public Schools, told reporter Linda Jacobson. District leaders aren鈥檛 the only ones under attack. Some of the hateful words are directed at parents who are speaking out against what they view as indoctrination. 鈥淭he temperature and rhetoric is too hot on all sides,鈥� said Erica Sanzi of the nonprofit Parents Defending Education. Experts see the virtual attacks on superintendents as part of a larger trend of threats against public officials. According to Tufts University sociologist Sarah Sobieraj, 鈥淭hings that used to seem like regular good jobs that had a public face now seem like dangerous, high-risk activities.鈥� Read our full report.

Ask the Doctor: With Delta Variant Rampant, How Can Parents Protect Young Kids from COVID this Summer and Fall?

Student Safety: If you鈥檙e the parent of a child under 12, you may feel like you鈥檙e in a tricky spot right now. Spread of the highly infectious Delta variant has driven COVID-19 cases up more than 200 percent in the past month nationwide, with especially rapid transmission in undervaccinated areas. But the most recent vaccination timelines say your child won鈥檛 be eligible for coronavirus shots until midwinter. 鈥�The Delta variant resets the COVID clock back to March 2020 for people who are not yet vaccinated, including children,鈥� Rebecca Wurtz, professor of health policy at the University of Minnesota, told 蜜桃影视. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course on masking recommendations in schools, now urging students and adults in K-12 settings to cover up. In this quickly changing landscape, and as the back-to-school season approaches, 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Asher Lehrer-Small asked health experts how parents of children under 12 can best navigate the months ahead.

鈥� Quarantine Rules: 鈥楤uried鈥� CDC guidance emphasizes universal masking, says properly protected 鈥榗lose contacts鈥� need not quarantine (Read more)

Trailblazing Leader Was Hired to Fix Colorado Springs Schools. Will Doubling Down on His Reforms Avert COVID Classroom Crisis?

Equity: In conservative Colorado Springs, a Black superintendent watched as the pandemic took a disproportionate toll on the low-income students his schools served. Overall, the city is wealthy, but the poverty rate in District 11 schools has risen over the last decade as enrollment has fallen and academic achievement plunged 鈥� trends made worse by the pandemic’s K-shaped recession. So while many school system leaders were scrambling to develop policies about masks and personal protective equipment, Michael Thomas fixed his sights on a much longer horizon and doubled down on a pre-COVID plan to put equity at the center of every decision. Thomas grew up in Minnesota’s Twin Cities and was a frequent target of racial animus, from the teacher who hurled an epithet at him when he was in sixth grade to the cops who pulled him over and chased him out of an all-white suburb when he was a teenager. After George Floyd was killed by a police officer 鈥� on a Minneapolis streetcorner Thomas recognized 鈥� he wrote an open letter to his Colorado Springs community describing his run-in with the cops and explaining its significance to the work he was leading in the school system. The pandemic, he tells Beth Hawkins, did not create the inequities that make it hard for his most underresourced students to flourish. But with COVID-19 throwing the disparities into stark relief, it鈥檚 time to make systemic changes 鈥� and he hopes the community, which has supported him so far, will go along. Read our full profile.

Saturday Science Lessons in the Park: Cleveland School District Sneaks Science Learning into Eye-Catching, Hands-On Experiments at Festival

Summer Science: If you thought science lessons were just for indoor classrooms, take a look at what the Cleveland school district has done this summer. In a city where kids regularly score near the bottom on state science tests, the district conducted eye-catching, hands-on experiments 鈥� including vinegar and baking soda volcanoes; huge, light-refracting soap bubbles; and paper airplanes 鈥� at a weekly summer festival. Students and parents also got take-home kits to do more experiments together. It was a way to spark interest in science, particularly after COVID-19 closed classrooms for more than a year. 鈥淭his is an opportunity to extend learning beyond the traditional means,鈥� said Victoria Weisberg, a preschool teacher in the district who organized the activities, all funded with federal COVID recovery dollars. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to create curiosity about science and engineering and further enhance family bonding.鈥� Read the full story.

鈥擲hipwreck Camp: How a creative Ohio camp is delivering a treasure trove of science with the search for sunken boats in Lake Erie (Read more)

Peering 30 Years into the Future, Economists See Lost Earnings for the Pandemic Generation of Students 鈥� But Summer School Might Help

Future of Work: The year 2050 may seem a long way off, but in 29 years our current crop of K-12 students will be well into their careers. Recent findings from the University of Pennsylvania warn that over the next three decades, our recent COVID-related U.S. school closures, as well as the shift to virtual schooling, could massively impact our national gross domestic product, putting a huge dent in future workers鈥� earning potential. But, as 74 contributor Greg Toppo reports, researchers suggest an expensive remedy: extending the school year. Adding just one month of summer school won鈥檛 be cheap 鈥� about $75 billion 鈥� but the study finds it could help shrink GDP loss about half a percentage point, from 3.6 to 3.1 percent, producing gains of $1.2 trillion over the next three decades. Read our full report.

State of Play: What Researchers Know 鈥� and Don鈥檛 鈥� about Enrollment Declines and Learning Loss as School Year Gets Underway

Learning Loss: With the new school year getting underway, data from spring 2021 should lend urgency to calls to find missing students and assess learning losses, researchers say. The number of third-graders in high-poverty schools at grade level on a nationwide exam fell 17 points, from 39 percent in 2019 to 22 percent last year 鈥� and in Newark, for example, math proficiency was just 9 percent in grades 2 to 8. In Indiana, fewer than one-third of students passed both the state math and reading tests. Overall enrollment was down 3 percent nationwide, and 13 percent of preschool and kindergarten students never showed up. Meanwhile, the number of families homeschooling their kids has mushroomed, fueling historic increases among Black households. Beth Hawkins has some key takeaways.

Amid Historic Federal Windfall, School Leaders Find that Soaring Inflation is Curbing Their Ability to Purchase, Hire and Build

School Finances: School districts have more federal money than they鈥檝e ever had. But with inflation at a 13-year high, educators are slowly awakening to the reality that those funds might not go as far as expected. Delays of supplies and equipment for construction projects and labor shortages are driving up the cost of just about everything schools need to operate. Wages are also climbing, because districts can鈥檛 find enough employees to drive buses or give students additional academic support, and finance directors are wondering whether ongoing revenues will keep pace with expenses. 鈥淪chool districts are like little cities,鈥� Charles Carpenter of the Denver Public Schools told reporter Linda Jacobson. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got food service. You鈥檝e got transportation. You鈥檝e got maintenance. Inflation across the sectors will impact all those areas.鈥� Read the full report.

Go Deeper: Get essential education news and commentary delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here for 蜜桃影视鈥檚 daily newsletter.

Family practitioners with emergency room experience staff the hospital. There are no specialized doctors, no ventilators and no ICU. The closest hospitals with those kinds of services are in Midland, Odessa and San Angelo, all 80 miles or more away 鈥� if hospitals there are accepting transfers, a real question as the latest pandemic wave surges.

So having 50 people in Iraan test positive for COVID-19 in the last few weeks is a very scary thing. Only four of the adults needed hospitalization, but three of them needed ventilators and were airlifted out, said Jason Rybolt, administrator of the Iraan General Hospital District.

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No one in Iraan has died due to COVID-19 and no children have been hospitalized for it. But when Tracy Canter, superintendent of the Iraan-Sheffield Independent School District, looked at the figures and then considered what the return to school could mean for her 335 or so students and 70 employees, the path seemed clear. She announced on Aug. 16 that the district would close until Aug. 30.

Before the shutdown, 23% of the district鈥檚 staff was out either because they had tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to it, Canter said. About 27% of the instructional staffers were already out because of coronavirus and about 17% of students were also out because of either exposure or contracting the virus. Those numbers were more than the district saw for all of last year, she said. And they鈥檙e even worse for a tiny district where employees may perform several jobs. During the day, some teach and then coach and then drive the bus.

鈥淲e felt, based on these extenuating circumstances, that it was best for the safety and security of our students and staff to go ahead and quarantine,鈥� Canter said.

Three other rural districts in Texas have since taken the same route, temporarily closing some or all of their campuses because of the pandemic, due to rising numbers of staffers and/or students out sick with the virus or in quarantine, and, in Iraan鈥檚 case, because of the lack of local medical facilities to deal with those who need hospitalization.

At Morgan Mill Independent School District, southwest of Fort Worth, more than half the staff was out sick, a school official said. The district shut all its campuses through Thursday, Aug. 19 due to COVID concerns. No classes had been planned for Aug. 20 anyway, and officials announced they would evaluate the situation over the weekend. Bloomburg Independent School District in East Texas closed its doors for at least several days the week of Aug. 16. And Waskom Independent School District, also in East Texas, first closed its elementary school for the week and then on Aug. 18 announced it would close all its campuses until at least the 23rd due to COVID-19.

All four districts are in areas where fewer than a third of residents are fully vaccinated, and nearby hospitals that offer critical care are experiencing staffing shortages while the delta variant wages war on the Texas health system.

In Morgan Mill, Superintendent Wendy Sanders said in an email that even though half the school district staff is out sick, many of them do not want to be tested for the coronavirus.

鈥淚t was their personal choice to not get tested,鈥� Sanders said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in taking away personal freedom of choice and enforcing testing.鈥�

Closings of the small districts led the Texas State Teachers Association on Aug. 18 to call, again, for Gov. Greg Abbott to withdraw his order against mask requirements. The group urged all educators and students in the state to wear masks to campuses, as recommended by health care experts.

鈥淯nfortunately, the closure of these small school districts is more proof that the COVID pandemic is still dangerous and needs to be taken seriously by the governor and school officials,鈥� the organization said in a statement. 鈥淧eople must get vaccinated, and educators and students need to wear masks to school.鈥�

But while other districts across the state are battling Abbott over mask mandates, these four small districts will nonetheless follow the governor鈥檚 order. They will not require masks for students or teachers. And they will follow the latest Texas Education Agency guidance.

The Texas Education Agency did not respond to comment about how it is dealing with school districts that have closed.

Kevin Brown, executive director for the Texas Association of School Administrators, said children learn best in person, and after a year of uncertainty, schools were ready to be back in classrooms. But for small communities, someone being sick or in need can take an emotional toll not only on one family but on the whole community, he said.

鈥淭hey are a human being with a name that everybody in the community most likely knows,鈥� he said.

Brown also reiterated that these small districts have limited options in terms of staffing and that big districts can more easily find substitutes or find other ways to not completely shut down. One of the other challenges with rural districts is that one staff member may be doing multiple jobs like teaching and coaching.

Iraan-Sheffield ISD will have remote conferencing for students, as the latest TEA guidance allows.

Like Iraan, Waskom ISD will have remote conferencing options and plans to make up the lost time at the end of the year, said Superintendent Rae Ann Patty. Bloomburg ISD will not offer remote conferencing, and officials are still discussing how to make up for the time lost.

Tracy Jackson, a parent of a senior in Bloomburg ISD, said closing the school was the best decision the district could make for students and staff. While she isn鈥檛 scared for her 17-year-old, she knows the district will do what it takes to make schools safe and not have to go through another closure, she said.

To help reduce the spread of the virus, Jackson 鈥� like others 鈥� said masking and vaccination are the only way to get out of the hole. She worries that closures because of the virus could keep happening.

鈥淚’m hoping that one is enough to clean the school and heal the staff and students that may be sick,鈥� she said.

In Iraan, 50 positive cases out of 119 tests for COVID are concerning for Rybolt, the hospital district administrator, and his staff. It鈥檚 the most positive cases the hospital has seen since Rybolt took on the administrator鈥檚 job in December 2020. If more town residents need to be hospitalized, it could spell trouble since other hospitals in the region are already having staffing shortages.

Russell Tippin is president and CEO of Medical Center Health System, which includes Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, one of the facilities to which the Iraan hospital transfers.

鈥淚t’s a very small hospital,鈥� Tippin said. 鈥淪o when you get one or two, definitely three or four patients in there, that puts them under a lot of stress.鈥�

Tippin said the Odessa hospital could well surpass its peak number of COVID-19 patients and run into more trouble because of staff shortages.

鈥淥ur staff is tired, they’re stressed out,鈥� Tippin said. 鈥淭hey’re tired of seeing these healthy 20-, 30-year-olds come in with COVID and either being on a ventilator and being very, very sick or passing away.鈥�

Don McBeath, director of government relations for the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, said he鈥檚 seen a drop in the number of nurses employed in rural hospitals because of the hardships endured over the last year. There are than there are nurses seeking to fill them, according to a labor analysis by the Texas Workforce Commission.

鈥淲e have nurses that retired and said, 鈥業鈥檓 too old for this,鈥欌�� McBeath said. 鈥淲e probably have some younger nurses that just said, 鈥楾his is not what I bargained for.鈥欌��

Brian Lopez is a reporter covering public education , the only member-supported, digital-first, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Disclosure: The Texas Association of School Administrators and Texas State Teachers Association have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .

The El Paso Independent School District鈥檚 Board of Trustees late Tuesday voted 6-1 to follow Dr. Hector Ocaranza鈥檚 health order announced Monday requiring people 2 years and older to wear face coverings in most indoor settings, including schools. Masks will be required in EPISD buses and schools beginning Thursday.

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The motion approved by the EPISD board also committed the district to joining a pending lawsuit by La Joya Independent School District and others in Travis County challenging Gov. Greg Abbott鈥檚 ban on local mask mandates. Trustee Daniel Call cast the only dissenting vote on the motion to require masks and sue the governor.

The El Paso City Council voted 5-3 Monday to file a lawsuit against Abbott to protect Ocaranza’s mask mandate. On Tuesday, County Court-at-Law No. 7 Judge Ruben Morales issued a temporary restraining order finding that Abbott’s executive order barring mask mandates exceeded his authority, the city said in a news release.

After local judges in Bexar and Dallas counties issued similar rulings, the Texas Supreme Court earlier this week .

Call said the litigation before the state鈥檚 high court factored into this decision.

鈥淭he likelihood of a mask mandate standing up to scrutiny with the Texas Supreme Court is very small, so if there is a mask mandate it probably will not last very long,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o me, judicial activism is not something that I think a school district should be involved with.鈥�

But Trustee Israel Irrobali said decisions about what鈥檚 best at the local level shouldn鈥檛 come from lawmakers hundreds of miles away.

鈥淎t the end of the day, local control should be supreme and I believe that we should have the power in this situation to make that decision,鈥� said Irrobali, who has said he . 鈥淚t shouldn鈥檛 be left up to individuals in Austin that don鈥檛 know how it is in El Paso and have not been down here in quite a while.鈥�

About a half hour later, the Socorro Independent School Board of Trustees voted unanimously to follow Ocaranza鈥檚 mask mandate unless it was struck down by a court. The order from Ocaranza, who briefed the Socorro board Tuesday night on current COVID-19 data, takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Socorro trustees voted without comment after getting a closed-door briefing from their attorney, Steve Blanco, about current litigation and other legal issues regarding mask mandates.

The votes followed hours of public testimony before both school boards from a divided constituency whose members included parents who advocated for more protection for students amid an increase in the cases of the delta variant of COVID-19, and others who said masks were detrimental to the mental and physical wellbeing of their children.

The votes were another attack on Abbott鈥檚 statewide executive order issued late last month that stripped local governments and school boards from making decisions about their own jurisdictions. Several large districts, including Dallas Independent School District and the Austin Independent School District, have mandated masks and smaller districts in rural areas have followed .

This article originally appeared .

Everyone recognizes the benefits of in-person learning, but to get there requires some tough and important decisions. Former officials from the last five Administrations and health experts have joined together across political parties and sectors to lay out the best response by creating .

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Colleges and universities are well positioned to help communities and the country beat this pandemic. Higher education institutions employ over 3 million Americans and are attended by more than 19 million students. Youth ages 18-24 have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation. College campuses, by their nature, are 鈥渃ongregate settings鈥� at high risk for infectious disease transmission, and especially those not protected by vaccines are becoming infected faster, from more limited contact.

The Delta variant represents a more dangerous threat to campus health and safety, operational continuity, and ability to meet the safety expectations of faculty, staff, students, and their parents. Campuses must re-visit 2020 strategies; last year鈥檚 plan may not prevent outbreaks from this year鈥檚 variant. 

We are asking college leaders to require vaccination. A vaccination requirement is the best way to protect students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. It is encouraging that nearly 700 higher education institutions already require vaccination this fall, most with some medical and religious exceptions. For campuses with medical centers and clinics, vaccination is particularly important for those who come in contact with patients. High vaccination rates provide a greater assurance of safety in other high-risk settings, where distancing or reduced contact is difficult to achieve, including residence halls, classrooms, and public indoor events.

For those colleges and universities that are unable or choose not to require vaccination, we are asking leaders to take every step possible to get as close to 100 percent of their students, faculty, and staff vaccinated early in the academic year. Colleges and universities can make vaccination easy with pop-up vaccine clinics to meet students as they return to campus, including at move-in, orientation, football games, tailgates, and other student life events. Colleges can offer paid leave for staff and faculty to get vaccinated and in the event of side effects. One of the most powerful ways to increase vaccine uptake is to engage student leaders in peer-to-peer vaccination education efforts.

Layered mitigation strategies are needed to keep students, faculty, and staff safe as they return to campus. We recommend these concrete steps:

鈥� Screening for Infectiousness. Particularly for unvaccinated individuals, colleges and universities should require a protocol for routine COVID-19 testing, typically twice weekly. With high COVID-19 rates in their communities, many colleges are also starting to screen the vaccinated, since they too can spread the virus. More frequent testing should be done in higher-risk settings where appropriate and practical.

鈥擳racking Vaccine Status. As many higher education leaders have shared with us, tracking the vaccination status of their campus population, including an attestation component, is critically important and helps colleges and universities assess community immunity and adjust the campus response accordingly.

鈥擡ncouraging Mask Use. Mask use should follow the latest CDC recommendations, which currently advise face coverings in public indoor settings in substantial or high prevalence zones, including for vaccinated individuals.

鈥�Planning to Pivot. Building on the best practices emerging around the country, higher education leaders are adapting for rapidly-evolving fall 2021 situations. As in the 2020-21 school year, leaders should ensure they have the right people at the table and make data-driven decisions. For additional guidance, The American College Health Association (ACHA) provides .

These COVIDSafeZones strategies are not a broad vaccination mandate and are consistent with established public health precedent and can be highly beneficial, including in states that prohibit vaccination requirements in their public colleges and universities. State laws that challenge any of these steps should be examined carefully, both for legality and consistency with campus safety. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision appears to give broad support for vaccination requirements.

We recognize that any protocols create burdens and costs for colleges and universities and their students, faculty and staff. Still, higher education leaders also realize the much higher costs of ongoing disruption and uncertainty in campus operations, student learning, and people鈥檚 lives.

With bold leadership from our nation鈥檚 higher education presidents to confront the Delta challenge, campuses can remain open, students can continue to learn, and we can edge closer to beating this pandemic.

Dr. , a professor and founding director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University, headed the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for President George W. Bush, and is an independent board member for Cigna and Johnson & Johnson. 

Andy Slavitt, the author of “,” was President Joe Biden’s White House senior adviser for COVID response until June and ran the Affordable Care Act and CMS from 2015 to 2017 for President Barack Obama. 

John Bridgeland (), co-founder and CEO of the , was director of the Bush White House Domestic Policy Council.

Public health experts, scientists and former elected officials of both parties have signed an open letter urging America’s higher education leaders to implement #COVIDSafeZones.

Her 7-year-old son, Reid, had a liver transplant when he was 10 months old, leaving him immunosuppressed and more at risk for complications from COVID-19. Even before the pandemic, it was hard for Reid to fight off viruses.

Her other son, 11-year-old Reece, isn鈥檛 under the same predicament. But with COVID-19 surging once again, masking optional at his school and vaccines not available for children under 12, he runs the risk of passing the virus along to his brother. So Robertson is scrambling to find a safer option for her kids.

That scramble is being replicated across the state by school administrators, teachers and other parents. For the second straight school year, schools must worry about how to keep their staff and their children safe and ensure that they鈥檙e providing the best possible education during a pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Texans. Complicating the matter this year: Gov. has banned mask mandates in schools and the state will not provide funding for remote learning.

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It鈥檚 still unclear when vaccines will be available for those under 12, but best-case scenarios suggest it could be late September or early October before they鈥檙e approved.

Worried parents across the state found some hope last week as big-city school districts such as Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio and other Bexar County schools opted to defy Abbott and require masking for everyone on campus.

Under Abbott鈥檚 executive order, districts or government entities can be fined $1,000, but it is unclear how this would apply to school districts. Abbott, along with Attorney General , made clear last week that they plan to take school districts to court if they don鈥檛 comply with his order.

And Paxton on Wednesday told Dallas radio host Mark Davis that Texas could go the route of Florida, where the GOP governor there, Ron DeSantis, has threatened to pull the funding of school districts that violate his ban on mask mandates. Paxton said the Texas Legislature would have to be involved, but he thinks there are 鈥渄efinitely avenues [Abbott] will look at 鈥� we鈥檒l look at with him 鈥� to enforce these laws.鈥�

In El Paso, where school started more than a week ago, Jewel Contreras sends her young daughters to school with masks, even though El Paso ISD is not requiring them.

鈥淭hat doesn’t really do anything because they come home and they鈥檙e not wearing masks,鈥� she said.

Contreras said her daughter’s dad is epileptic and if he gets sick it triggers seizures. If virtual learning was an option at El Paso ISD, they wouldn鈥檛 have to worry about the potential health risks. If cases keep rising, Contreras said she will consider pulling her daughters out and home schooling them.

For Robertson, the Sugar Land parent, the same concerns arise. Masking is optional at Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, and like many other school districts across the state, there is no virtual learning option.

Last spring, when the pandemic hit, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath issued a waiver allowing districts to receive full funding for virtual learning. That has since expired and a bill that would鈥檝e established and expanded virtual learning this fall died in the regular session after Texas House Democrats walked out to prevent passage of a GOP-backed bill that would outlaw local voting options, among several other changes to state elections.

During this month鈥檚 special legislative session, , another virtual learning bill similar to the one considered in the regular session, was approved by a committee in the Texas Senate. The bill allows for school districts and charter schools that received a C grade or higher in the most recent round of state accountability grades to offer remote learning to students. Under the bill, however, districts can鈥檛 have more than 10% of their student population enrolled online.

The measure has provisions to keep virtual learning in place until 2027, but several senators can鈥檛 get behind that. Sen. , D-Dallas, suggested the bill end in 2023, when the Legislature will meet again.

Sen. , R-Lubbock, also expressed concerns over the bill going beyond 2023.

鈥淚t seems to me that we are having a titanic shift in philosophy at some level over a crisis that we know is temporary,鈥� Perry said.

Either way, the future of the bill is uncertain. Democrats have not returned to the state House as they continue to protest the elections bill. Until enough of them return, the chamber can鈥檛 pass any legislation.

Bob Popinski, director of Raise Your Hand Texas, an education policy and research group, said his organization believes the best form of instruction is in person. But with coronavirus scrapping plans, the organization supports bills like SB 15 that allow school districts to create their own local virtual learning programs.

Some school districts have heard the cries of parents and will offer virtual learning at the cost of their budgets. Austin, Frisco, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville, Richardson, Lake Travis and Del Valle school districts are each offering some form of virtual learning, mostly for kids under the age of 12.

Round Rock Independent School District has more than 2,000 students signed up for virtual learning, according to spokesperson Jenny Caputo. That will cost the district between $8 million to $10 million per semester, depending on final figures.

While Round Rock ISD did receive funding from the federal government through both the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan, that won鈥檛 be enough to cover the costs because the district already had a deficit due to the shutdown of 2020.

鈥淲e’re just relying on our current budget on being able to find savings where we can,鈥� Caputo said. 鈥淗owever, you know this isn’t sustainable long term.鈥�

In Austin ISD, more than 7,000 families enrolled for the virtual option but only about 4,034 were accepted. Austin ISD spokesperson Eddie Villa said it will cost the district $10,100 per student, putting the bill at about $40.7 million. About 2,388 of those children are out of district. The district offered the option to out-of-district families because of limited virtual options during the latest coronavirus surge.

Villa said the district鈥檚 plan is to pay for that through the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, but that could change as the district looks at its finances.

Other districts offering virtual options will also look toward the federal money to pay for it. In Frisco, the school district has about 8,100 students choosing the virtual option, costing the district about $20 million.

Frisco officials, though, say they are going to use money that the state is giving them in discretionary ESSER funds. Frisco ISD is set to receive about $33 million.

鈥淚 won’t say that I didn’t lose sleep over proposing this option,鈥� said Mike Waldrip, Frisco ISD superintendent. 鈥淲e just felt compelled as a district to do this in response to the disease level and what we’re seeing in preliminary research that [the delta variant] may be affecting children differently and we’ve got this age group of children that don’t have vaccination as an option.鈥�

In rural communities, such as Caldwell ISD, virtual learning is not only a funding issue, but an accessibility one, said Superintendent Andrew Peters.

鈥淔ifty percent of my families are in poverty,鈥� Peters said. 鈥淭hey don’t have strong internet, they’re working off of a cellphone, you know, they don’t have a big 20-inch computer screen.鈥�

Peters said a lot of people in those families got laid off during the pandemic, and while they want their kids to do well in school, sometimes they’re more worried about what they鈥檙e going to eat rather than how their kid is doing on a computer screen.

鈥淚’m not opposed to [virtual learning],鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just don’t think that our society is built for that kind of learning environment.鈥�

During a Senate Education Committee hearing last week, senators especially expressed concerns over how recent STAAR test scores suggested that remote learning led to considerable learning loss for students over the last year and a half. Morath told senators that the percentage of kids excelling in virtual education is “very small鈥� and estimates that learning loss wiped out between 10 to 20 years of statewide educational gains.

In districts where fewer than a quarter of classes were held in person, the number of students who met math test expectations dropped by 32 percentage points, and the number of students who met reading expectations dropped by 9 percentage points compared to 2019, the last time the test was administered.

The learning loss was particularly exacerbated in Hispanic communities. Hispanic students in districts with over three-quarters of learning done remotely saw the largest drops compared with students in other demographic groups, with a 10-percentage-point decrease in the number of students meeting reading expectations and a 34-percentage-point decrease in those meeting math expectations.

But still, for parents like Robertson, virtual learning is the best alternative. She said at least if her children struggled, she was there to help them and still had the assurance that they were safe.

Her 11-year-old, Reece, will attend the Texas Connections Academy at Houston, a full-time virtual school that is part of the Texas Virtual School Network under the TEA. There are seven such schools and most teach grades between 3 to 12. Reid is in second grade, which isn鈥檛 offered.

One of the schools, iUniversity Prep serves grades 5 to 12, but has a cap on how many students it receives each year. Spokesperson Kaye Rogers said the cap sits at about 1,400 and they usually attract kids who are actors, elite athletes or have health issues. The school has seen more calls coming from parents with coronavirus concerns but they haven鈥檛 been swarmed by requests, she said.

The Texas Tribune contacted the six other online schools but did immediately get a response for an interview request.

For now, Robertson is waiting for LCISD to approve her homebound instruction request. Usually, homebound instruction is given to students that are confined to their home or a hospital. Students receive at least four hours of instruction per week and otherwise independently work on assignments.

Still, Robertson is wary of homebound instruction because that will mean someone outside her household has to come to her home and give that work to her child. Another option for parents is home schooling. The Texas Home School Coalition, which advocates for and provides resources to home schooling families, has reported that its call and email volume doubled to 1,016 during the last week of July, up from 536 the week before.

鈥淚n 2020 we saw the largest surge in home schooling in history. It appears that renewed concern about COVID-19 may be about to replicate a similar trend for 2021,鈥� THSC president Tim Lambert said in a statement.

Some teachers and parents are eager to return to classrooms. Stephanie Stoebe, a fourth grade teacher at Teravista Elementary School in Round Rock, said she isn鈥檛 worried about going back to school in person. She is vaccinated and takes the precautions necessary to be safe, she said.

She has cleaning protocols in place and will move desks apart. She also emphasized that families can send their children to schools with masks on. Policy is beyond her control, she said, but what she can do is be optimistic and give her students the best possible year.

鈥淚’m really excited,鈥� Stoebe said. 鈥淚t’s going to be a fantastic year.鈥�

At the end of the day, parents like Robertson will have to make the decision that is right for their children.

鈥淚’ve seen my child on a ventilator,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s really frightening 鈥� it changes you and I don’t want that for anybody’s child.鈥�

Brian Lopez is a reporter covering public education , the only member-supported, digital-first, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Disclosure: Raise Your Hand Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .

鈥淎t this time, our public health authorities have informed us that the district may not quarantine students,鈥� said the letter from Erick Pruitt, who began as . 鈥淲e will continue to collaborate with the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Polk County Health Department to ensure our actions are aligned with their direction. We recognize that this guidance is subject to change. Please refer to the Iowa Department of Public Health for the most recent guidance.鈥�

Ankeny is the sixth-largest district in the state with more than 12,000 students and 2,285 employees, according to the .

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LaKeshia Richmond of Ankeny is a mother of three children. The family chose virtual learning for their kids last year.

鈥淲e were looking forward to going back to school this year,鈥� Richmond said. 鈥淥nce again our family is thrown a curveball regarding the pandemic and schools.鈥�

IowaWatch contacted Pruitt for comment and did not hear back at the time of publication.

The Polk County Department of Public Health said they didn鈥檛 advise the school on that letter but indicated they are bound by the laws and guidance of the Iowa Department of Public Health IDPH).

Nola Aigner Davis of the Polk County Health Department clarified quarantine only applies to a child who has been exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual. However, if a child tests positive for COVID-19 they must stay home.

鈥淭here is a sick child policy [for the district] so if a child tests positive they must stay home,鈥� Aigner Davis said.

Schools are required to provide face-to-face learning this fall; however, a district can opt to implement hybrid and virtual learning models as well.

With no mitigation strategies mandated in Iowa, online learning may be the only option some medically fragile children have.

鈥淢y 8-year-old daughter was a preemie and was on oxygen for six months,鈥� Ankeny parent Ashley Lappe said. Her daughter was diagnosed with chronic lung disease as an infant.

Luckily her daughter has been healthy and was looking forward to being back in school this fall.

Lappe chose a hybrid option that worked for her family last year. But now Lappe is not sure what to do if the school doesn鈥檛 offer hybrid or online learning models again this year.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to send my daughter to school only for her to get COVID and find out the hard way that she is medically fragile,鈥� Lappe said.

Iowa public health department guidance to public schools. The letter provides revised medical guidance that children who have been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to be quarantined. Garcia is not a medical doctor.

鈥淭his is not founded in science,鈥� Dr. Megan Srinivas, a Fort Dodge infectious disease doctor, said. 鈥淚 do not understand how this guidance was decided on as it goes against everything the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and medical professionals advise.鈥�

鈥淲e know kids can fall seriously ill with COVID-19, which can have long term health implications,鈥� Srinivas said, 鈥渁nd we know that kids can be completely asymptomatic but still transmit the COVID19 virus.鈥�

In July, the CDC issued a science brief, 鈥溾�� Since children can be asymptomatic carriers the CDC encourages proactive screening testing in schools to promptly identify cases and that mitigation strategies including isolation and quarantine be implemented to ensure kids stay healthy, according to the brief.

Pruit鈥檚 letter mainly focused on face masks, stating that the Ankeny district could not require masks to be worn. A law signed by Reynolds in May bans mask mandates in schools, cities and counties, with some education and extracurricular activity exceptions. There is no law backing Garcia鈥檚 direction on quarantines.

The superintendent鈥檚 letter says that families are encouraged to decide what steps are best for them and that other mitigation practices for the upcoming school year will be discussed at the Aug. 3 board meeting.

IowaWatch also contacted the Iowa Board of Education, the 10-member panel that 鈥渙versight, supervision, and support for the state education system,鈥� to find out if they reviewed the governor and Garcia鈥檚 school guidance to ensure no disabled child or medically fragile child鈥檚 civil rights would be violated by not requiring quarantining, masking or proactive screening. Students are ensured equal access to education under the Americans With Disability Act and Individuals with .

The education board did not return calls in late July. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds鈥� office and IDPH also did not respond to IowaWatch at time of publication.

This article was produced by the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism-IowaWatch, a non-profit, online news website that collaborates with news organizations to produce explanatory and investigative reporting. Read more at .