Here We Go Again: Delta Variant Upends Back To School Process

Politico: Chaos And Confusion: Back To School Turns Ugly As Delta Rages
School boards are at war with governors over masks. Superintendents are developing contingency plans on the fly. And schools that only just opened have had to shut down. Welcome to sophomore year for Covid-19. The Delta variant, which few had heard of when classes ended in the spring, is upending reopening plans across the country, threatening President Joe Biden’s promise of a more normal school year and sustained economic recovery. (Goldberg, Perez Jr. and Payne, 8/4)

Bloomberg: Covid Vaccine Mandate For Kids Could Be Back-To-School Fight Of 2021 
One afternoon in May, Michael Joseph Smith, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, strides in baseball-patterned socks through a Duke University facility in Durham, N.C., to welcome Cameron O’Hara, a 14-year-old vaccine trial subject. Smith has been acting as co-principal investigator at one of the sites that’s been testing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in kids since last winter. O’Hara and his mother have come to the office following the “unblinding” process—in which he’d learned, to his disappointment, that he’s been getting a placebo—to get his first dose of the real thing. He crosses his sneakers and grips his mom’s hand as the needle goes into his arm. (Griffin and Ring, 8/4)

Axios: Parents Caught In The Middle Of K-12 Masking Debate 
Parents in some parts of the U.S. are increasingly frustrated at their deadlocked school districts when it comes to masking policies and the few options for protecting unvaccinated kids this fall. The Biden administration's recent plea that people wear masks indoors again risks falling on deaf ears in the hardest-hit states, leaving families who are at odds with local policies in a quandary. (Fernandez, 8/3)

The New York Times: The Covid Variant In Schools: What To Know 
Last week, in what was intended to be an internal document, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a stark admission: The highly contagious Delta variant had redrawn the battle lines of the coronavirus pandemic, necessitating new public health measures like universal mask mandates. Or, as the agency put it in the document, which was obtained by The New York Times, “the war has changed.” The news came just as the first school districts were preparing to reopen; children in Atlanta and some of its suburbs head back to the classroom this week. (Anthes, 8/2)

The debate plays out in Florida —

Axios: Florida School District Reverses Mask Mandate After DeSantis' Funding Threat 
Florida's second-largest school district on Monday said it will no longer impose a mask mandate after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) threatened to withhold funding from districts that require face coverings. Broward County Public Schools announced last week that it would require mask use after the CDC issued new guidance recommending universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools this incoming school year, regardless of vaccination status. (Reyes, 8/3)

Health News Florida: Petition Drive Seeks To Require Masks In St. Johns County Public Schools
A petition drive is underway to get the St. Johns County school board to require everyone to wear face masks in school buildings for the fall semester. An executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis bars local school districts from enacting mask mandates for students.  Noncompliance could mean a loss of state funding. Still, the petition has gathered more than 1,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning. (Hoskinson, 8/3)

Gainesville Times: Gainesville, Hall Schools Say Why They Aren't Requiring Student Masks, But Some Parents Aren't Convinced 
With the start of school only days away, both Gainesville and Hall County officials said their communities are split about whether to require masks. Officials from each district have cited the mental health of students as a reason for not requiring masks, adding that they will remain flexible and continue to follow the data. Hall County Superintendent Will Schofield said while the surge in COVID-19 cases is certainly a cause for concern, the “costs outweigh the benefits” with respect to requiring masks. (Anderson, 8/3)

And from universities —

AP: Pushback Challenges Vaccination Requirements At US Colleges
The quickly approaching fall semester has America’s colleges under pressure to decide how far they should go to guard their campuses against COVID-19 while navigating legal and political questions and rising infection rates. Hundreds of colleges nationwide have told students in recent months they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before classes begin. California State University, the country’s largest four-year public university system, joined the list last week, along with Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. Their announcements cited concerns about the highly contagious delta variant and came as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated mask guidelines based on new research regarding its spread. (Davies, 8/3)

AP: WVU Aims To Reach 80% COVID-19 Vaccination Rate By Sept. 1
West Virginia University is asking its students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated for the coronavirus as it tries to keep pace with the rest of the state. The university will develop additional enforcement and safety protocols for unvaccinated individuals if WVU does not reach an 80% rate of full vaccinations for its employees and students by Sept. 1. Those measures include increased testing frequency and penalties for failure to comply with COVID-19 related requirements, WVU said Tuesday in a statement. Vaccinations are not required but are strongly encouraged for WVU students and employees. (8/4)