Florida Stands Firm On Reopening Classrooms; Georgia Recommends Postponement

Politico: In Florida, A Coronavirus Showdown As DeSantis Rejects Tampa-Area Schools Plan
Gov. Ron DeSantis took a hard line on school reopenings Monday, standing firm against Florida's third-largest school district in a showdown over classroom instruction and Covid-19. DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran on Monday traveled to Hillsborough County to reiterate their case for re-opening schools just days after they rejected a plan from the county school district to hold online-only classes for its 223,300 students during the first four weeks of the fall semester slated to begin Aug. 24. (Atterbury, 8/10)

The Hill: Kentucky Governor Recommends Schools Postpone In-Person Classes 
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) recommended on Monday that schools postpone in-person classes until Sept. 28. Beshear issued his recommendation for K-12 schools during a press briefing citing an overall increasing number of cases over the past five or six weeks and a growing infection rate among children in the state. The governor avoided mandating the delay in an executive order. (Coleman, 8/10)

The Washington Post: ‘We’re Ready’: New York Plans To Welcome 700,000 Students Back To School Buildings In September
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that he plans to welcome 700,000 students back to school buildings for in-person instruction for the start of the academic year in September, an extraordinary announcement that comes while other big cities plan for remote learning as the pandemic continues to rack the nation. The city is home to the nation’s largest public school system, serving more than a million children, and is being closely watched by education leaders as it prepares to open its doors. Under the plan, approved by the state this week, students who opted for in-person instruction will still do much of their learning virtually and will only head to classrooms on certain days to prevent crowding in classrooms and hallways. (Balingit, 8/10)

AP: Cuomo: NY Lacks Reopening Plans From 1 In 7 School Districts
As many as 1 in 7 New York school districts have yet to submit a plan to the state’s health agency for the opening of the new school year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday. The governor said districts that don’t submit their plans by Friday cannot provide in-person learning this year. He said state health officials are reviewing plans and will work with district leaders on incomplete submissions.“How you didn’t submit a plan is beyond me,” Cuomo said in a Monday conference call with reporters. (Villeneuve, 8/10)

AP: Schools Mull Outdoor Classes Amid Virus, Ventilation Worries
It has been seven years since the central air conditioning system worked at the New York City middle school where Lisa Fitzgerald O’Connor teaches. As a new school year approaches amid the coronavirus pandemic, she and her colleagues are threatening not to return unless it’s repaired. Her classroom has a window air conditioning unit, but she fears the stagnant air will increase the chances that an infected student could spread the virus. (Spencer, 8/10)

The Wall Street Journal: The No-Win School Reopening: One Superintendent’s Dilemma
Schools superintendent Michael Hinojosa stepped on a land mine while laying plans to reopen his 153,000-student district amid the coronavirus pandemic. He wanted teachers instructing from classrooms, even if students were at home, to make sure they stayed focused. “It is better for us if they come in,” Dr. Hinojosa said from his office at Dallas Independent School District headquarters late last month. “It is unprofessional if kids are yelling in the background, dogs barking and husbands walking back and forth.” (Hobbs, 8/10)

The Hill: Teachers Union Launches $500K Ad Buy Calling For Education Funding In Relief Bill 
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the second largest teachers union in the U.S., launched a $500,000 ad campaign Monday accusing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of stonewalling funds to help schools to reopen safely. The six-figure buy comes as negotiations over the next coronavirus relief bill, which is expected to include funding for K-12 schools, have all but collapsed. President Trump’s unilateral action to extend relief over the weekend, which aimed to break the gridlock, did not include education funding. (Bikales, 8/10)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus: Inside A California School That Has Reopened 
Inside Mount St. Mary’s Academy, a Catholic school in this Gold Rush town in the Sierra Nevada foothills, a life-size statue of the Virgin Mary stands sentinel over the check-in table at the front door. Students returning for the fall session stop under her watchful gaze for a modern ritual of pandemic life: temperature check, hand sanitizer, questions on their potential as virus vectors. Thursday morning, Principal Edee Wood wore a red paisley-printed mask as she wielded a digital thermometer intended to protect the 160 students at her school, one of the few in California attempting in-person classes this fall. At Mount St. Mary’s, life is going back to normal with crisp uniforms, sharp pencils and classes five days a week. (Chabria, 8/10)

In higher-ed news —

AP: University Of Iowa Pushes Ahead With Plan To Reopen For Fall
University of Iowa administrators pushed ahead Monday with plans to resume in-person classes and on-campus housing, even as student leaders argued those steps were too risky during the coronavirus pandemic. The university said it would not test students who will begin moving into the Iowa City campus in the coming days, unlike last week’s mass testing at Iowa State University that identified dozens of infected students. (Foley, 8/10)

The Washington Post: University Of Maryland To Start Fall Classes Online, Asks Students To Stay Inside, Citing Covid-19 
Three weeks before the fall semester starts at the University of Maryland, the school’s president announced that classes would begin online. The state flagship school had planned to hold in-person classes in the fall. But Darryll J. Pines, the new president of U-Md., announced Monday that undergraduate classes would be held virtually until mid-September because of the prevalence of the coronavirus in Maryland and Prince George’s County, where the College Park campus is located. (Svrluga and Lumpkin, 8/10)

What other nations are considering —

The New York Times: Pints Or Primers? U.K.’s Push To Open Schools May Force A Choice
Britain, having moved aggressively to reopen its economy after three months of coronavirus lockdown, now faces what some experts cast as a binary trade-off for a land that loves a good book as much as a cold pint: schools or pubs? On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson came down on the side of schools. Visiting an empty classroom in East London, Mr. Johnson declared that fully opening Britain’s schools next month was a “moral duty,” and that in event of a resurgence of the virus, “the last thing we want to do is to close schools.” To avoid that scenario, medical experts said, the government will have to be ready to sacrifice another hallowed British institution — pubs, as well as restaurants, which reopened a few weeks ago under social distancing guidelines but are increasingly viewed as among the greatest risks for spreading the virus. (Landler, 8/10)