Thousands Of Lives Spared By Closing Schools In Spring, Researchers Find

Stat: Spring School Closures Tied To Drastic Decrease In Covid-19 Cases, Deaths
When state officials were deciding whether to shutter their schools back in March, the evidence they had to work with was thin. They knew kids easily catch and spread influenza — and that school holidays and closures have helped slow its spread. But they weren’t sure if the same was true for Covid-19. Now, a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that closing all of a state’s schools was associated with a drastic decrease in both Covid-19 cases and deaths. (Boodman, 7/29)

The New York Times: Spring School Closures Over Coronavirus Saved Lives, Study Asserts 
In a new analysis, pediatric researchers have estimated that the states’ decisions to close schools last spring likely saved tens of thousands of lives from Covid-19 and prevented many more coronavirus infections. The findings come amid a worldwide debate on whether, when and how to reopen schools, including for some 56 million American students, kindergarten through high school. (Carey and Belluck, 7/29)

In other public school news —

AP: Kansas Allows Fall High School Sports Amid Pandemic
The Kansas State High School Activities Association is allowing all fall high school sport competitions in Kansas to move forward as scheduled despite the coronavirus pandemic. Its executive board on Tuesday narrowly defeated a motion that would have delayed the start of fall competitions, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. The decision means fall sports and activities programs can start practices on Aug. 17 and competitions can move forward as scheduled. However, local school boards will still be able to change sports schedules within their own districts. (7/29)

The New York Times: What Teachers' Unions Are Fighting For As Schools Plan A New Year 
As the nation heads toward a chaotic back-to-school season, with officials struggling over when to reopen classrooms and how to engage children online, teachers’ unions are playing a powerful role in determining the shape of public education as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage. Teachers in many districts are fighting for longer school closures, stronger safety requirements and limits on what they are required to do in virtual classrooms, while flooding social media and state capitols with their concerns and threatening to walk off their jobs if key demands are not met. (Goldstein and Shapiro, 7/29)

Politico: DeSantis Touts The Return Of In-Person Classes As Schools Say They’ll Go Online
Florida’s largest school district will begin the fall semester with remote classes, joining others that are keeping campuses closed even as Gov. Ron DeSantis insists the state will have in-person learning. Miami Dade County schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced the move Wednesday, a day after nearby Monroe County said it would rely on digital instruction for the immediate future. School leaders in Broward and Palm Beach counties, which along with Miami are the state’s hottest Covid-19 spots, also intend to start the school year with online courses. (Atterbury, 7/29)

The Washington Post: In Detroit Summer School, Temperature Checks And Health Questions Before Math And Reading 
A morning line of second-graders waits patiently outside the entrance of Munger Elementary-Middle School on the city’s southwest side. Milagra Fernandez steps forward, and a staff member in a blue T-shirt emblazoned with “Auntie” starts running through her questions.“No cough, sore throat or runny nose?” she asks. “No upset stomach? Having any problems with taste or smell?” The staffer is wearing a white N95 mask. Milagra sports a rainbow-sequined version. The 7-year-old answers “no” again and again and then steps onto the sidewalk sticker that will keep her six feet from the boy who had just gone through the same drill. (Ruble, 7/29)

The Atlantic: As U.S. Schools Reopen, Will Kids Socially Distance? 
Across the country, schools have outlined the precautions they’ll take as they reopen their campuses this fall. If and when kids return, schools are planning outdoor “mask breaks” in Denver, one-way hallways in Northern Virginia, and shortened in-person school weeks in New York City, among many, many other safeguards against coronavirus outbreaks. Included in these reopening plans are a number of measures whose implementation will fall to students themselves. The basic trinity of pandemic safety—distancing, hand-washing, and masking—dictates a new set of cautious behaviors that will be expected of children on school grounds. Kids will also be expected to refrain from many once-normal activities—hugging, sharing toys, trading food at lunchtime, and so on. K–12 students may generally be capable of doing what public-health experts ask, but not all of them, not everything, and not all the time. (Pinsker, 7/29)