Covid Rages In School-Age Kids As Officials Wrangle Over Mask Mandates
A federal judge issued a temporary order blocking a law banning Iowa schools from requiring masks. In Kentucky, the governor noted school-age children are catching covid faster than any other group and urged schools to mask-up. And a battle in a Florida county over mask rules also covers stimulus money.
Stateline:
Lawmakers Rethink Mask Policies As More Kids Quarantine
Months after conservative politicians across the country instituted bans on school mask mandates, the surging delta variant has school districts and even some state lawmakers and governors rethinking policies. Over the past month or so, the governors of New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island imposed new school mask mandates; lawmakers and governors in at least three states, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia, are reconsidering their bans. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia require everyone to wear masks in K-12 schools. Six states prohibit any such requirement, and 24 states leave the decision up to local school districts. Two states have had mask mandate bans overturned, and Florida had an overturned ban reinstated. (Wright, 9/13)
Axios:
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Iowa's Ban On School Mask Mandates
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on Monday blocking Iowa from enforcing a recent law that bars schools from requiring masks. The move, effective immediately, allows school districts to enforce mask mandates as kids are returning to the classroom. The lawsuit represents the interest of students who are ineligible for COVID-19 vaccines or are at risk of severe complications from the virus. (Garfinkel, 9/13)
AP:
Governor Urges School Boards To Continue Mask Requirements
School-age children are contracting COVID-19 at a higher rate than any other age group in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday while exhorting newly empowered school districts to maintain mask requirements in schools. The statewide vaccination rate among youngsters ages 12 to 17 is the lowest of any group, with 45% having received at least one dose. That combination had the governor using his bully pulpit to plead with local school boards and superintendents to continue mandating mask-wearing in schools. (Schreiner and Blackburn, 9/13)
In other school news —
The New York Times:
N.Y.C. Schools Reopen With Joy And Anxiety On ‘Game Changer’ First Day
New York City’s schools reopened on Monday to scenes of joy, relief and anxiety, as roughly a million children returned to their classrooms, most of them for the first time since the country’s largest school system closed in March 2020 because of the pandemic. The day, always chaotic even in normal times, began with many families and educators nervous about the next few months, as the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant has complicated the city’s push to fully reopen schools. (Shapiro, 9/13)
The Baltimore Sun:
More Than Half Of Maryland School Systems Considering Regular COVID Testing
More than half of Maryland school systems soon may institute routine testing for unvaccinated students or staff in an effort to tamp down the spread of the coronavirus among schoolchildren and the surrounding communities. But the expensive testing, paid for with up to $189 million in federal funds, would saddle already overburdened school leaders and nurses with another task as they try to give students a normal school year. (Bowie, 9/14)
The Baltimore Sun:
Baltimore-Area School Districts Are Publicizing COVID Cases And Quarantines Differently. Here’s Why It May Look Uneven
For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit Maryland, most Baltimore-area schoolchildren are back in classrooms full time. And with the delta variant of the virus continuing to surge, COVID-19 cases are top of mind. But each jurisdiction is publicizing different information about COVID-19 cases they discover. Experts say the data may paint a confusing picture for parents and community members trying to assess the dangers associated with the return to the classroom. (Condon, 9/13)
WLRN 91.3 FM:
In Escalating Battle, Broward School District Accuses State Of Withholding COVID Stimulus
Masks aren’t the only thing the Broward County school district and state education leaders can’t agree on. The second-largest school district in the state, which is among the largest in the nation, is also fighting with the Florida Department of Education over federal stimulus money designed to help schools beat back COVID-19. (Bakeman, 9/13)
