From the shift to distance learning to the impact on school budgets, we’re collecting news, analysis and expert advice on how K-12 is responding to the pandemic.
From K-12 Dive
By Roger Riddell, Naaz Modan, Kara Arundel, Anna Merod
Jan. 31, 2022
The nation’s public school districts continue to face disruption as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on. The past two years have seen districts and policymakers alike make strides in addressing the “homework gap” resulting from a lack of access to devices and home internet, in addition to other logistical hurdles such as meal access and safety measures.
But compounded learning loss, struggles to keep students engaged, and educator burnout from back-to-back years of shifting approaches are taking a heavy toll.
Follow along below as we track news and analysis around the coronavirus’ impact on K-12.
Jan. 31, 2022… What we’re looking into:
While school disruptions due to COVID-19 and staff shortages were down 58% last week compared to the week of Jan. 17, the number of schools experiencing at least one day of disruption during a school week was still higher than most of the fall, according to a weekly update from Burbio.
Several school systems are also planning medium and long-term adjustments such as early dismissals or temporary closures over the next month to school schedules due to the pandemic — including those in Bristol, Tennessee; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Millville, New Jersey.
Other news highlights:
A surge of student absences is putting pressure on schools in Atlanta, Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s most recent Mood of the Nation Poll finds 70% of Americans favor masking in schools during local COVID-19 outbreaks, and 60% support continuing in-person learning “even if some students might get sick.” (APM Research Lab)
Jan. 28, 2022… What we’re looking into:
Results from the Franklin Templeton-Gallup Economics of Recovery Study show parents with children in remote-only or hybrid learning situations are less likely to be employed full-time than those whose children are learning entirely at school, at 47% and 71% respectively.
Parents whose children participate in distance learning are more likely than those whose kids are at school full-time to be out of the labor force altogether, at 24% and 15% respectively.
Meanwhile, data from MissionSquare Research Institute suggests public sector employees most likely to leave their jobs are those who are under 40, Black, working in K-12 education, or at high risk of exposure to COVID-19 at work. Overall, 52% of state and local workers are considering voluntarily leaving their jobs due to COVID-19.
Other news highlights:
A year-long study conducted by researchers at Yale found child care centers where masks were required had a lower likelihood of shutting down due to COVID-19 outbreaks. (The 74)
Texas’ Aldine Independent School District plans to close on Fridays for three weeks to address teacher burnout as the pandemic persists. (Houston Chronicle)
Jan. 27, 2022… What we’re looking into:
A lawsuit filed against 40 Missouri school districts by state Attorney General Eric Schmitt seeks an end to mask mandate policies, contending state law doesn’t allow local school boards to implement those mandates, WSIL TV reports.
School officials have countered that rulings limiting local health orders don’t apply to school boards, and many have called the suit a waste of taxpayer money.
Meanwhile in Oregon, the state Department of Education is withholding federal COVID-19 relief funding from Alsea School District in Benton County after school officials in the rural district announced they would not enforce a state mask mandate reinstated in August, The Oregonian reports.
The district — whose superintendent, Marc Thielman, is a Republican gubernatorial candidate — is instead adopting a voluntary mask policy.
Other news highlights:
A parent survey from the American Federation of Teachers finds high favorability for how public school leaders and teachers handled the pandemic. (U.S. News & World Report)
A decline in the number of California high school students filing FAFSA applications is being chalked up to yet another impact of COVID-19 on education. (EdSource)
Jan. 26, 2022… What we’re looking into:
An advocacy toolkit created by a group of scientists and doctors concerned with the extended restrictions on children’s lives due to the pandemic aims to assist parents, teachers, administrators and others in making evidence-based decisions when balancing the risks for school-based and extracurricular activities during the pandemic.
The toolkit, titled “Urgency of Normal,” promotes vaccinations and emphasizes students’ mental health as a top priority.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports there were 1.15 million pediatric COVID-19 cases the week of Jan. 13-20, making up 25.5% of all cases. State-level data shows children accounted for 0.00%-0.26% of reported COVID-19 deaths.
Other news highlights:
A website launched by The Collaborative for Student Success, the Center on Reinventing Public Education, and the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University highlights innovative education practices connected to COVID-19 recovery plans. (Education Recovery Hub)
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced fully vaccinated K-12 and higher ed employees won’t have to use sick days if they miss work due to COVID-19. (WTTW)
In Los Angeles, student COVID-19 positivity rates are on the decline and attendance is on the rise. (Los Angeles Daily News)
Jan. 25, 2022… What we’re looking into:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance for COVID-19 testing in schools Monday to emphasize that opt-in testing of staff and students on a regular basis helps protect school communities, and that it can help keep students in the classroom and allow them to do the activities they enjoy.
The updated guidance also restated the importance of additional mitigation efforts, such as masking, vaccinations and physical distancing.
Meanwhile, a state mask mandate reinstated by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was struck down by State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker on the grounds the New York Department of Health lacked legal authority to institute such a requirement, NBC New York reports. Rather, he said, the state legislature must approve a mask mandate if one is needed.
The New York State Education Department, however, says Rademaker’s order won’t immediately apply to elementary and secondary schools, The Buffalo News reports.
Other news highlights:
A Utah ‘test-to-stay’ bill will allow state lawmakers to decide when students transition to remote learning due to COVID-19 outbreaks. (Deseret News)
Superintendent Kerry Phillips of Iowa’s Mormon Trail Community School District is the first superintendent in the state confirmed to have died of COVID-19. (Des Moines Register)
Jan. 24, 2022… What we’re looking into:
Seven Virginia school boards, led by Fairfax County Public Schools, the state’s largest district, are suing to block an executive order from Gov. Glenn Youngkin that makes masks optional in schools, The Washington Post reports.
The suit argues Youngkin’s order, set to take effect Monday, violates Article 8, Section 7 of Virginia’s constitution, which states “the supervision of schools in each school division shall be vested in a school board.” A state law passed over the summer also requires school districts to follow federal health guidelines to the “maximum extent possible.”
Also in Virginia, a parent was charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor for making an oral threat on school property after video circulated of a Page County School Board meeting where she stated in public comment that she would “bring every single gun loaded and ready” if her children were required to wear masks, the Daily News-Record reports.
Meanwhile, last week saw a slowdown of school disruptions due to COVID-19 and staff shortages or needed planning time, though disruptions remain at higher levels than in the fall, according to an analysis by Burbio.
The number of schools that went virtual or closed for at least one day last week (which was a shortened week in most places due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday) was 4,473, down 38% from 7,164 the previous week.
Other news highlights:
UNICEF is describing the amount of education loss worldwide due to COVID-19 as “nearly insurmountable, as more than 635 million students remain impacted by full or partial school closures. (ABC News)
Photo: Pew Research Center
Read this and other stories at K-12 Dive