The vast majority of the nation’s 50 million public school students have been in classrooms, full time and mostly uninterrupted, this fall — whether students are masked or unmasked, teachers vaccinated or not.
Parents spoke for and against mask requirements outside of the Cobb County School District headquarters in Marietta, Ga., on Aug. 12, 2021. The district decided against a mask mandate.
Yet in the sometimes chaotic reopening, there has been dramatic progress. Virus-driven school closures declined steeply from the end of August to late September, from about 240 a week to about 25 a week, according to a survey by Burbio, a company that has monitored district responses to the pandemic. Many districts have relaxed quarantining guidelines, allowing more students to remain in classrooms.
In Natrona County, where masks are optional, 693 students — about 5% — were kept home between Sept. 11 and Sept. 24. And in Sweetwater County School District 1, another mask-optional district, 4% of students and 5% of employees have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the school year, though case counts declined last week.
But after a spike in cases, her school closed its doors for two weeks of remote learning. “I was kind of afraid that they were going to extend it,” Kayla said. “I really wanted to come back.” Elsewhere in Georgia — where Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, has allowed districts to determine their own protocols — the efficacy of masks has become a point of contention. In Cobb County, unlike other districts in the Atlanta area, there is no mask mandate.
Backed by the state, both urban and suburban schools have instituted a panoply of safety measures, including staff vaccine mandates, in-school surveillance testing, contact tracing and quarantines. A new state program known as “test to stay” allows students who come in close contact with people who have tested positive to remain in school if they consent to daily rapid testing.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Teachers' union leader signals willingness for masks to come off: 'No one wants masks in schools'Any plan to unmask children in the fall was put on hold by the arrival of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus, which forced schools across the country to temporarily close in January.
Read more »
Cloth Masks Aren't As Effective Against Omicron: Try These KN95 Masks Made For Kids InsteadThey're sized for kids ages 3 and up.
Read more »
LA schools mandating non-cloth masks with nose wire, Atlanta district makes masks optionalStudents in Los Angeles public schools must wear a non-cloth mask with a nose wire at all times, including during sports, the district announced in a letter to families.
Read more »
Joliet Diocese Changes Rule From 'Masks Required' To 'Masks Recommended' In Its SchoolsIn the wake of a temporary restraining order issued last week by a downstate judge, schools in the Diocese of Joliet have decided to make masks recommended instead of mandatory.
Read more »