How Each State Is Managing Schools Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Many hoped the holidays would provide a respite from the unpredictability of schools’ schedules. Even after the winter break, if and how school can operate changes almost daily.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed guidelines released by state governors and health and education departments as well as news articles to create a current list of school restrictions and re-closures in every state.

Daily temperature checks at the door, mask wearing, and staying socially distant were already the new normal for school kids. They have by now also become accustomed to sudden closures after students or staff test positive for COVID-19.

In an effort to make school closures more predictable, many school districts have established a threshold for the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per student and staff. That way, parents know if a closure is imminent and can prepare in advance. Some schools have started administering COVID-19 rapid tests as a way to minimize the risk of transmission and remain open.

However, with the coronavirus pandemic still wreaking havoc in nearly every state in the country, switching to remote learning until further notice has increasingly been an option. With vaccination campaigns underway, teachers in some states have asked that schools close for in-person instruction until staff are able to get the shot.

Though over the summer states issued guidelines on how schools should open, by January every school district and school has developed its own set of rules for remote, hybrid, and in-person instruction.

The second year of the coronavirus pandemic is perhaps more optimistic as millions of people across the country have already been vaccinated. Still, school life may not go back to pre-COVID-19 normalcy soon — here are 20 major myths about COVID-19.

Click here to see how each state is managing schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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