Reopening

Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to reopen school buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic
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Elementary students in Brownsville, Texas, eat a socially distanced lunch in the school cafeteria. Experts say there are ways to mitigate the risk of contracting COVID-19 even when kids take their masks off to eat.
Elementary students in Brownsville, Texas, eat a socially distanced lunch in the school cafeteria. Experts say there are ways to mitigate the risk of contracting COVID-19 when kids take their masks off to eat.
Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald via AP
School & District Management Is Lunchtime the 'Weak Link' in School Reopening Plans?
It's risky when students are inside and unmasked, experts say. Here are five ways to mitigate that risk and make in-school meals safer.
Sarah Schwartz, February 18, 2021
11 min read
President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. on Feb. 11, 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, Feb. 12, released long-awaited guidance telling schools what measures are needed to teach in-person during the pandemic. Biden requested the updated guidance in response to complaints that the CDC’s school guidelines under the Trump administration were unclear and inconsistent.
A teacher works with a student behind plexi-glass in Chicago. Superintendents asked CDC officials this week whether using plexi-glass would allow them to shorten social distances in classrooms.
Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP
School & District Management 6 Big Questions Superintendents Are Asking About the CDC Guidance
School leaders' queries show the challenges and concerns they face over resuming in-person teaching.
Stephen Sawchuk, February 17, 2021
7 min read
President-elect Joe Biden speaks at The Queen Theater on Dec. 29, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
Then President-elect Joe Biden speaks at The Queen Theater on Dec. 29, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Federal Disowning Past White House Remarks, Biden Says He Wants Many Schools Open Five Days a Week
In a CNN town hall, the president said smaller class sizes and protective equipment for those in schools would help schools reopen.
Andrew Ujifusa, February 16, 2021
3 min read
Federal Video Watch: The CDC's New COVID-19 Guidance for Schools, Explained
The CDC released new guidance for schools on how to conduct in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This video explains more.
Evie Blad, February 16, 2021
3 min read
Federal CDC Releases New COVID-19 Guidance for Schools. Will It Help Them Reopen?
With proper precautions, schools can conduct in-person learning during the pandemic, say the long-awaited CDC recommendations.
10 min read
Students at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Va., sit behind plexiglass dividers to promote social distancing.
Students at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Va., sit behind Plexiglas dividers. Virginia lawmakers are considering a bill that would require all school districts to offer in-person instruction with COVID-19 precautions.
Erin Edgerton/The Daily Progress via AP
States Governors, State Lawmakers: Schools Should Reopen for In-Person Learning
After months of leaving the decision up to districts, state leaders are taking a more direct role in getting students back in classrooms.
Evie Blad, February 11, 2021
10 min read
White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Feb. 9, 2021.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Feb. 9.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Federal Is Biden Lowering the Bar for What 'Reopening Schools' Means?
Comments by the White House press secretary Feb. 9 raise questions about the Biden administration's ambitions concerning in-person classes.
Andrew Ujifusa, February 9, 2021
5 min read
Penny Cracas, right, with the Chester County, Pa., Health Department, administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Robert Dando, a school nurse, late last year in  West Chester, Pa.
Penny Cracas, right, with the Chester County, Pa., Health Department, administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Robert Dando, a school nurse, late last year in West Chester, Pa.
Matt Slocum/AP
Teaching Profession 1 in 5 Educators Have Been Vaccinated, NEA Survey Finds
About one-fifth of teachers in the nation's largest teachers' union have had a COVID-19 vaccine; another 18 percent have scheduled a shot.
Madeline Will, February 9, 2021
3 min read
great city schools
Emma Patti Harris + Getty Images
School & District Management Interactive In-Person or Remote Learning: How the Biggest City School Districts Are Operating
Track how 75 of the largest school districts were providing learning to students in 2021 in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tonya Harris, February 8, 2021
2 min read
Elementary 1 teacher Melissa Vozar sits outside of Suder Elementary in Chicago to teach a virtual class on Jan. 11, 2021. The Chicago Teachers Union said that its members voted to defy an order to return to the classroom before they are vaccinated against the coronavirus, setting up a showdown with district officials who have said such a move would amount to an illegal strike.
Teacher Melissa Vozar sits outside of Suder Elementary in Chicago to teach a virtual class in protest of her district's reopening plans.
Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP
Teaching Profession In Chicago and Other Big Cities, Teachers' Unions Are Delaying School Reopenings
The Chicago Teachers Union struck a tentative deal with the city to slow the reopening of schools. Other unions have had similar success.
Madeline Will, February 8, 2021
7 min read
Image of the White House seal
Bet Noire/Getty
Education Funding Details of Biden's Education Relief Pitch Prioritize Smaller Classes, Avoiding Layoffs
The administration's breakdown of COVID-19 needs also includes $50 billion for social distancing and $29 billion for learning recovery.
Andrew Ujifusa, February 5, 2021
5 min read
Image of a classroom.
miljko/E+/Getty
School & District Management How One Principal Keeps His School Safe From COVID-19 During In-Person Schooling
Wes Kanawyer, principal of Woodgate Intermediate School in Waco, Texas, has been an advocate for in-person learning during the pandemic.
Denisa R. Superville, February 5, 2021
9 min read
Image of a band aid being applied after a vaccination.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession 'We’re Not Being Taken Care of': Many Teachers Still Ineligible for Vaccines
In parts of the country, teachers and child-care providers are still waiting their turn—and for some, there is no end in sight.
Madeline Will, February 5, 2021
10 min read
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asks questions during a Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Dec. 16, 2020 in Washington.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asks questions during a Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Dec. 16, 2020.
Greg Nash/AP
Federal GOP Senators Like McConnell and Hawley Turn Up Heat on Schools to Hold In-Person Classes
Republican senators are impatient with schools not holding in-person classes, and are using the COVID-19 relief package as pressure.
Andrew Ujifusa, February 4, 2021
4 min read