Coronavirus

Education news, analysis, and opinion about COVID-19 and its impact on schools and communities

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Illustration of Covid-19 impacting 3 years of school
9 Charts That Show the Lasting Effects of COVID on Schools
Key data on some of the move consequential changes, five years later.
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080321 Broward School Board Mask Protest TNS BS
A group of mask opponents speak outside during a Broward County School Board meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last week.
Carline Jean/Sun Sentinel
States States Pressured to Rethink Bans on School Mask Mandates as COVID Delta Variant Surges
Masks are a key tool for COVID-19 prevention, but many states have banned schools from requiring them. Some are rethinking those policies.
Evie Blad, August 3, 2021
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7 min read
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo discusses the wearing of masks as he speaks at a news conference in New York on May 27, 2021. A month before school starts, educators are still waiting for official health guidance from New York State and are pushing back on Cuomo's prediction there could be chaos if there's not a policy on staff vaccinations.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo discusses the wearing of masks as he speaks at a news conference in New York on May 27, 2021. A month before school starts, educators are still waiting for official health guidance from New York State and are pushing back on Cuomo's prediction there could be chaos if there's not a policy on staff vaccinations.
Mark Lennihan/AP
Teaching Profession In N.Y., Union Opposes Governor’s Call for a Vaccine Mandate for Teachers
Gov. Cuomo said Monday that school districts should have policies in which teachers should either have the vaccine or be tested.
Barbara O'Brien, The Buffalo News, N.Y., August 3, 2021
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2 min read
A masked student waits before the bell at Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School on July 21, 2021, in Chula Vista, Calif. California’s mandatory mask rule will continue to be part of the new normal for all K-12 schools in the state, which join a growing list of counties and public places that require indoor masking amid the COVID-19 surge fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant.
A masked student waits before the bell at Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School on July 21, 2021, in Chula Vista, Calif. California’s mandatory mask rule will continue to be part of the new normal for all K-12 schools in the state, which join a growing list of counties and public places that require indoor masking amid the COVID-19 surge fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Denis Poroy/AP
States California Students Unfazed by Mask Rule. It’s ‘Second Nature’ Now
Many students seem to have adapted quickly and say they would much rather be in school with their friends than at home on a computer.
Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, August 3, 2021
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6 min read
Students and parents walk into school on the first day of school at Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School on July 21, 2021, in Chula Vista, Calif.
Students and parents walk into school on the first day of school at Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School on July 21, 2021, in Chula Vista, Calif.
Denis Poroy/AP
School & District Management 4 Ways to Keep Staff and Students Safe From the Delta Variant
Just as schools reopen, a super-contagious COVID-19 variant is infecting people nationwide at alarming rates. Here's what schools can do.
Catherine Gewertz, August 2, 2021
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5 min read
Image of a student holding a mask and a backpack near the entrance of a classroom.
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Federal As New COVID Concerns Emerge, Biden Administration Keeps Focus on School Reopenings
Amid new COVID-19 concerns, the Biden administration kept its focus on in-person learning, stressing the need for safety precautions.
Evie Blad, August 2, 2021
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2 min read
Jeanie Johnson, assistant superintendent for administration, is a kind of the air traffic controller in Midway ISD, absorbing the glut of information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Texas education Agency, Tex. Gov. Greg Abbott, Waco-McLennan County, Public Health District and others, to help the Waco School District devise safety protocols and plans for students. She’s doing so amid rapidly changing and sometimes conflicting guidance. She talks about what she learned over the last year and that’s helping the school district prepare for the second COVID-19 school year.
Jeanie Johnson, assistant superintendent for administrative services, helps lead the COVID-19 response for the Midway Independent School District in Texas.
Eric Guel for Education Week
School & District Management A View From the Hot Seat: How One District Leader Is Confronting COVID-19's Latest Twists
An assistant superintendent in Texas talks about how to keep the pandemic in check for the new school year even as the Delta variant spreads.
Denisa R. Superville, August 1, 2021
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9 min read
L.A. schools interim Sup Megan K. Reilly visits Fairfax High School's "Field Day" event to launch the Ready Set volunteer recruitment campaign to highlight the nationwide need for mentors and tutors, to prepare the country's public education students for the upcoming school year. The event coincides with National Summer Learning Week, where U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona is highlighting the importance of re-engaging students and building excitement around returning to in-person learning this fall. high school, with interim LAUSD superintendent and others. Fairfax High School on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA.
In this July 14, 2021, photo, Los Angeles Unified School District interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly speaks at an event at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. Reilly announced a new district policy Thursday requiring all students and employees of the Los Angeles school district to take weekly coronavirus tests regardless of their vaccination status.
Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via TNS
School & District Management L.A. Unified to Require Testing of Students, Staff Regardless of Vaccination Status
The policy change in the nation's second-largest school district comes amid rising coronavirus cases, largely blamed on the Delta variant.
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, July 30, 2021
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4 min read
President Joe Biden speaks in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, June 2, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden speaks in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on June 2.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Biden Calls on Schools to Host COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics for Kids 12 and Up
The president is focusing on vaccinating children ages 12 and older as concerns grow about the Delta variant and its impact on schools.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 29, 2021
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2 min read
Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi, center, joins with students at Lehman High School for a roundtable discussion about the COVID-19 vaccine, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in New York.
With schools around the country set to reopen and the Delta variant causing a surge in coronavirus cases, schools leaders are trying to figure out how to keep kids and staff safe.
Mark Lennihan/AP
School & District Management Fighting the Delta Variant: School Reopening Just Got a Lot More Complicated
With COVID-19 cases surging and mitigation measures waning, a perfect storm is taking shape that could undercut the safe reopening of schools.
Catherine Gewertz, July 28, 2021
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8 min read
White Plains High School students walk between classes, Thursday, April 22, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y.
Students walk between classes at White Plains High School in White Plains, N.Y., earlier this year.
Mark Lennihan/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement CDC Calls for Return to Universal Masking in Schools
Reversing a decision it made earlier this month, the federal agency said even vaccinated students and adults should wear face coverings.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 27, 2021
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6 min read
Elementary school students sit on board a school bus after attending in-person classes at school in Wheeling, Ill., on Nov. 19, 2020. Keeping masks on and windows open can reduce the risk of COVID-19, even when students cannot keep distant, new research suggests.
Elementary school students wearing masks sit on board a school bus after attending in-person classes in Wheeling, Ill., last November.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement What the Research Says Here's One Way to Keep School Buses Safe During the Pandemic
With nearly all students expected to return to campus in the fall, districts will face big challenges transporting large groups safely.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 26, 2021
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2 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Spotlight Spotlight on Student Health & Safety
In this Spotlight, assess what the data says and how educators can play a part in protecting their students, and more.
July 21, 2021
Vickie Quarles, a widow in Memphis, Tenn., lost her husband to COVID-19 in December 2020. She is now raising their five daughters alone. Her older daughter, Alyssa, 18, comforts her in their home.
Vickie Quarles, a widow in Memphis, Tenn., lost her husband to COVID-19 in December 2020. She is now raising their five daughters alone. Her oldest daughter, Alyssa, 18, comforts her in their home.
Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Thousands of Kids Lost Parents to COVID-19. Schools Must Prepare to Help the Grieving
While some may view the back-to-school season as a return to “normal,” for those students who’ve lost someone, it will feel anything but.
Ileana Najarro, July 21, 2021
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9 min read
Kindergarten students sit in their classroom on the first day of in-person learning at Maurice Sendak Elementary School in Los Angeles on April 13, 2021. The latest revision to California's COVID-19 rules allows local school officials to decide how to deal with students who refuse to wear masks.
Kindergarten students sit in their classroom on the first day of in-person learning at Maurice Sendak Elementary School in Los Angeles on April 13, 2021. The latest revision to California's COVID-19 rules allows local school officials to decide how to deal with students who refuse to wear masks.
Jae C. Hong/AP
School & District Management In Abrupt Turnaround, California to Let School Districts Decide How to Enforce Mask Rules
California officials issued a rule barring unmasked students from campuses, and then, hours later, rescinded that rule.
Howard Blume and Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, July 13, 2021
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5 min read
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