Chalkbeat

COVID guidance for NYC schools: Here’s what you need to know for this year

2023-09-12T18:55:36+00:00

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COVID has not disappeared from New York City, but the map showing the daily number of cases among students and staffers across schools has.

The Education Department scrapped the map on Monday.

Officials confirmed that schools are no longer reporting cases, though they said the Health Department would continue to closely monitor cases among school-aged children.

The map had been updated as recently as Monday morning. Three students and nine staffers had tested positive for Covid on Sept. 10, according to the data posted then. But after a reporter inquired about the data, the map was taken down after two years of daily updates.

The move comes amid an uptick in COVID cases across the five boroughs. The city saw a 25% increase from the previous week in the number of patients hospitalized with COVID, reaching 619 on Tuesday, according to a tracker created by the news site THE CITY using state data. There were about 87 cases per 100,000 people, according to New York City’s daily average of the last seven days from the Health Department.

The Education Department has sent out little information to families this year about COVID protocols in schools, but has guidance available on its website.

The department’s guidance remains consistent with latest recommendations from the city’s Health Department, the state, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Education Department officials said.

“COVID remains top of mind for many families,” schools Chancellor David Banks told reporters last week. “So we encourage families to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines. We’re also closely monitoring upticks and ensuring that schools are prepared for an increase in respiratory illnesses in the community.”

Here’s what you need to know about the approach to COVID in schools this year.

What if a student or school staffer tests positive for COVID?

The rules remain the same as last year.

First, if someone tests positive, they should isolate to help prevent spreading the virus to others.

Quarantine should last five days, with the day of the positive test considered Day 0. The student or staffer can return to school on Day 6 if they have no symptoms or the symptoms are improving and they have been fever-free without medication for 24 hours. They must continue to wear a mask indoors until Day 10 following the start of the symptoms or when they tested positive.

The teachers union also has guidance for educators around COVID-related absences.

Do students and staffers still have to mask if they’ve been exposed to someone with COVID?

Yes, according to city guidance. They should wear masks for 10 days when they are not able to separate from others, including at home.

Can I still get an at-home test kit?

Schools will no longer regularly send at-home COVID test kits in students’ backpacks, as they did last year. But they will have kits for those who request them, Education Department officials said.

Many schools might have a stockpile of kits from the past school year. Though the expiration date listed on the box might be past due, it’s possible the tests are still good. You can check the expiration date here by using the lot number on the box. The Food and Drug Administration has extended the expiration dates of a number of test kits, sometimes by up to two years.

Are parent-teacher conferences in person again?

No, under the recent teachers union contract, schools will hold parent-teacher conferences remotely. They may, however, be held in person upon request by parents or caregivers.

Other parent engagement activities, including grade conferences, can also be conducted remotely.

What’s happening with ventilation at schools?

The city is in the midst of its third round of purchasing replacement filters for the air purifiers it bought at the height of the pandemic, Education Department officials said. At that time, each classroom was outfitted with two air purifiers, though questions remain as to whether the city got the best bang for its buck on the purifiers it purchased.

Officials said they have taken multiple steps to improve ventilation in schools, including equipping HVAC systems with MERV-13 filters as well as window air conditioners with MERV-13 filters. They’ve also trained maintenance staff to use anemometers and carbon dioxide readers to check air quality within rooms, and continue to ensure that building ventilation is working as originally designed, they said.

“We have ensured that all ventilation systems are in good working order,” Banks said. “And our custodial engineers are prepared to troubleshoot any ventilation concerns.”

Are COVID vaccines required?

Vaccines are not required, but they are recommended. As of November 2022, 53% of students were fully vaccinated, according to public data.

“Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, along with other proven prevention tools — like masking, testing, and staying home when sick — continue to be our best defense against COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses,” Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said last month in response to the rise of another new variant.

The FDA approved a new round of COVID boosters this week. Anyone 5 years old and up can receive a single dose of the shot, whether or not they’ve been previously vaccinated. Those under the age of 5 can receive the updated vaccine as well, and have different options depending on whether they get it from Pfizer or Moderna.

Alex Zimmerman contributed.

Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.

COVID vaccine mandate dropped for city employees, visitors to NYC public schools

2023-02-06T19:29:10+00:00

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Visitors to New York City’s public schools will no longer have to be vaccinated, ending a year-and-a-half-old rule that had kept some parents out of school functions, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday.

Adams also announced that COVID vaccines will no longer be required of city workers. That means that more than 1,700 employees who were fired for not complying with vaccine mandates can apply for open positions. As of last March, about 900 education department employees had been fired; a spokesperson did not provide a more recent figure.

That rule had invited various legal challenges and pressure from unions, including the United Federation of Teachers. Judges in several of these cases have sided with those who argued that the city’s rule was unlawful.

Vaccine requirements will also be lifted for private schools, early childhood programs, and daycare staff.

The changes will go into effect Feb. 10, after a vote from the city’s Board of Health, which is expected to approve the changes.

“With more than 96 percent of city workers and more than 80 percent of New Yorkers having received their primary COVID-19 series and more tools readily available to keep us healthy, this is the right moment for this decision,” Adams said in a statement. “I continue to urge every New Yorker to get vaccinated, get boosted, and take the necessary steps to protect themselves and those around them from COVID-19.”

Monday’s announcement represents the Adams administration’s gradual unpeeling of COVID-related rules established under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. And for schools, it marks the end of any major remaining COVID mitigations. Prior to this, Adams had ended masking rules, vaccine mandates for student athletes and prom attendees, daily health screenings and in-school COVID testing for students and staff, and had disbanded the city’s so-called Situation Room, which informed school communities of positive COVID cases.

Many parents have petitioned the city to end its vaccine requirement for school visitors. One parent previously told Chalkbeat that the inability to attend her child’s school was one of several factors that drove her family out of New York City.

NeQuan McLean, president of Brooklyn’s District 16 parent council, said he supports COVID shots, noting that he and his family members are fully vaccinated. But he felt the mandate made it hard for schools to “really engage with families like they needed to,” for parents and guardians who chose not to get their vaccines.

“This is really a move back to real, authentic parent engagement because you can’t really engage over a computer,” McLean said.

Earlier this school year, officials said parent-teacher conferences would happen virtually, but parents could request in-person meetings (though those had to happen during teachers’ contractual work days). Nathaniel Styer, a spokesperson for the education department, said conferences will continue to be virtual by default “for the time being.”

Last month, Chancellor David Banks signaled that based on the advice of health officials, he could support lifting the requirement for school building visitors, such as parents, to be vaccinated.

Some are already criticizing the move. Dr. Jay Varma, an advisor for de Blasio during the pandemic, wrote that he was “shocked” at the news. He argued that as new people enter the workforce and unvaccinated teenagers get older, this change will mean more “illness, deaths, and costs,” since vaccination helps stem severe and fatal illness, as well as hospitalization.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

NYC schools still require visitors to be vaccinated. Could that soon change?

2023-01-12T22:50:20+00:00

Though parents and other visitors to New York City school buildings still must show proof of vaccination to enter, schools Chancellor David Banks signaled that he might support relaxing the rule.

On Thursday, a Staten Island mom who sits on the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council asked the schools chief if the city would consider dropping the vaccine requirement, perhaps requiring a negative test instead. Banks responded that it was an “interesting point, and it’s one that we should be considering instead of being so, so final.”

The decision ultimately rests with Mayor Eric Adams and health officials, the chancellor said. But Banks vowed to set up a meeting with the city’s health commissioner to discuss it.

“Let’s raise this issue and see if there’s a middle ground,” he said.

The requirement that caregivers and other school visitors show proof of at least one vaccine dose to visit school buildings is one of a dwindling set of virus mitigation measures that officials have kept in place. Although school staff still must be vaccinated, the city has dropped mask mandates, no longer requires student athletes or prom attendees to be vaccinated, and does not conduct daily health screenings for students and staff entering school buildings.

The current rule prevents unvaccinated caregivers from entering school buildings to meet with teachers or attend school events. (Some schools appear to enforce the rule more vigorously than others.) It may also complicate participation in a variety of parent councils and public meetings, which are increasingly being held in person. By contrast, parent teacher conferences remain virtual this year.

New York City appears to be an outlier in requiring school visitors to show proof of vaccination.

Dennis Roche, the co-founder of Burbio, a company that compiled data on school health policies, said vaccine requirements for students and staff have largely disappeared, though the organization did not track vaccine policies for visitors. The organization recently stopped tabulating school COVID measures because few districts have mitigation policies in place at this point, Roche said.

The vast majority of adult New York City residents have already received at least one vaccine dose, according to city statistics, though disparities exist by race and neighborhood. Roughly three-quarters of Black adults have at least one vaccine dose, followed by 78% for white adults. Over 97% of Hispanic and Asian adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, according to city data.

Meanwhile, 53% of public school students ages 5 and up are fully vaccinated, while 59% have received one dose, according to city data from November, the most recent figures that have been publicly released.

NeQuan McLean, a parent and president of Community Education Council 16 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, said he’s glad that Banks is open to reconsidering the vaccination policy.

“We have parents who weren’t able to go to Christmas shows or Thanksgiving feasts or can’t see their kids perform because they’re not vaccinated,” he said, though some schools have taken steps to stream events online so unvaccinated community members can participate.

McLean said he’s worried some unvaccinated members of his community education council won’t be able to participate in their meeting later this month at a school building, the first time the group is meeting face-to-face in nearly three years.

“We want to make it so that everyone is protected but that we’re not excluding folks,” he said.

Some public health experts said nixing the vaccine requirement for visitors would be unlikely to cause harm to school communities. Since a single dose of the vaccine is not likely to prevent transmission, the benefit is largely to prevent serious illness or hospitalization rather than protecting the wider school community from infection.

If the goal is to prevent infections, “it would be better having [unvaccinated visitors] mask — or have them do a negative rapid test before they come in,” said Susan Hassig, assistant professor of epidemiology at Tulane University.

The other benefit of the vaccine requirement is to spur people to get vaccinated who might not otherwise consider it, though public health experts said the impact on vaccine uptake was not likely to be substantial.

Patrick Gallahue, a spokesperson for the city’s health department, did not explain the city’s rationale for the vaccine mandate for school visitors. But he indicated that the city may consider a change to the policy.

“As we’ve said many times before, we will always follow the science,” Gallahue wrote in an email. “We’re reviewing all options, and we will share any updates.”

Patrick Wall contributed.

Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.

Chicago Public Schools doesn’t track COVID boosters for students, staff

2023-01-03T23:28:53+00:00

Chicago Public Schools is not tracking which students or staff have gotten the updated omicron booster, even though district leaders and the city’s health commissioner are urging students to get boosted to stave off another COVID surge.

Chicago’s practice of not keeping tabs on updated booster vaccination by schools comes as parts of the country are experiencing an uptick in COVID-19, brought on, in part, by a new omicron subvariant known as XBB.1.5. This also comes as cities and school districts have largely eliminated most COVID-19 mitigations.

The district, which has struggled with vaccine uptake at predominantly Black schools on the South and West Sides, told Chalkbeat Chicago in response to a freedom of information request that it does not “comprehensively track student and/or staff COVID bivalent booster information,” Annie Righi, a CPS FOIA officer, said in an email response.

Chicago Public Schools continues to track the initial primary series, but not the boosters, according to a district spokeswoman.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, a person is considered up to date with vaccines after completing the initial series and the latest booster recommended by the federal agency.

Those ineligible for the booster are considered up to date if they’ve completed the primary series, according to the CDC.

Although the public school system is not tracking the data, city health department data show about 80,000 school-aged Chicagoans have received a booster as of Jan 2.

On Tuesday, Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner, anticipated the COVID risk level to rise in the coming weeks following the holiday break. Chicago schools return to class on Jan. 9.

Arwady said her department continues to monitor cases of COVID, influenza, and other respiratory infections. The flu, respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, and other respiratory infections have resulted in an increase in the number of hospitalizations among children in recent months.

“I do though, certainly, continue to have some concerns about COVID,” Arwady said.

In Chicago, the city’s COVID transmission rate remains medium, according to a CDC rating system.

Currently, the city’s seven-day average of laboratory confirmed cases is 452, according to city records.

If Cook County reaches a high COVID level, Chicago would issue a formal mask advisory, Arwady said.

School districts nationwide have leaned on vaccinations as a way to keep children and young people in school amid the ongoing pandemic. Still, districts, including Chicago Public Schools, have struggled with vaccine uptake at predominantly Black and Latino schools.

About half of all students enrolled in Chicago Public Schools — roughly 154,000 children — have gotten their initial COVID-19 vaccination series as of Jan. 2, data shows. But a Chalkbeat analysis shows vaccination rates vary widely by school, with predominantly Black schools lagging behind.

Majority Black district-run elementary and high schools had an average vaccination rate of 24.7% as of Jan. 2, up from 23% in September. Majority Latino district-run elementary schools and high schools averaged 49.4%, compared with 48.5% in September, according to a Chalkbeat analysis.

Both Black and Latino schools saw less than a percentage point increase since the start of the school year in the number of students vaccinated at district-run schools, data shows.

It’s unclear how many Chicago Public School students have received the updated booster. But city data show about 51,587, or 28.5%, of 12- to 17-year-olds and 29,943 or 14.2%, of 5- to 11-year-old Chicagoans have received a booster as of Jan 2.

According to the district’s FOIA office, vaccination information is entered into the system when self-reported or if the vaccine was received at a CPS vaccination site.

“The data that is collected is not broken down by booster versus initial vaccination, nor is data collected pertaining to which type of booster was administered,” Righi said in an email response.

Chalkbeat Chicago requested bivalent booster rates by school as of Dec. 13, but was told by the FOIA Department there were “no responsive records.”

In an email statement, Chicago Public Schools said it continues to promote the latest vaccine boosters and initial series and the bivalent vaccines at elementary school and high school/charter school events.

The district did not respond to questions about why it is not tracking the bivalent booster vaccine.

Thomas Wilburn contributed to this report.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

NYC schools shift COVID response: No more ‘Situation Room’ or family letters about positive cases

2022-12-20T22:00:47+00:00

New York City’s education department will “permanently close” the command center that collects reports of positive COVID cases among students and school staff, according to an email sent to principals on Tuesday.

Along with the Dec. 23 closure of the “Situation Room,” families will no longer receive the automatically generated email notifications about cases in their school communities, and schools will no longer have to send letters about positive cases, said the note in the weekly digest to principals.

“You will no longer be required to inform members of your school community of individual COVID-19 cases by letter,” the email said.

The change comes as COVID cases are on the rise, with a masked Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday holding his first COVID briefing in months. Flanked by the city’s top health officials, Adams warned of the “extremely challenging” moment the city is facing with the uptick of COVID, flu, and RSV.

Closing the Situation Room might not have much of a practical effect on how schools respond to COVID cases. Not having to send the letters is a “reprieve,” said one middle school administrator.

Schools should continue to report coronavirus cases to a “return to school” online form, and parents and staffers will still be able to see their schools’ positive cases by visiting the city’s daily COVID case map, according to the note. And officials said that the operations would continue but as part of the education department’s “emergency operations center.”

Schools saw 1,956 cases reported among students and staffers on Monday, the highest single-day total this school year, according to cumulative data from Parents for Responsive Equitable Safe Schools. Schools citywide have seen 54,596 cases this school year, nearly triple the number at the same time last year when there were 19,667 reported cases.

As cases have increased, attendance has declined. About 15% of kids missed school on Monday, according to city data.

The city initially launched the Situation Room as a rapid response team to help schools with contact tracing and making classroom or school closure decisions when campuses reopened in the fall of 2020. The inter-agency collaboration between the education and health departments was riddled with problems, including delayed response times and confusing guidance.

But as schools no longer do contact tracing nor close classrooms in response to positive cases, the Situation Room’s role has become less critical.

“The safety and well-being of our students, staff and school communities has been and continues to be, our top priority,” education department spokesperson Jenna Lyle said in a statement. “Principals and school leaders will now be supported by the NYC Public Schools’ 24/7/365 Emergency Operations Center and continue to receive support and guidance from their borough health director for all COVID related matters.”

Students and staff must isolate for five days after testing positive for COVID. They can return to school on the sixth day if they have no symptoms, but must remain masked until Day 10.

Education department officials are recommending everyone wear face coverings indoors as the “tripledemic” of COVID, flu, and RSV have hit the city’s schools.

Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.

As COVID cases rise, Chicago students encouraged to get vaccinated, wear masks over break

2022-12-20T19:30:00+00:00

Ahead of winter break, Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and city public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady encouraged students and families to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and flu, take at-home tests before gathering, and mask in crowded spaces.

The two made the plea during a weekly online health segment and shared the latest Chicago data on COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus cases.

“It’s a complicated time knowing that this is respiratory virus season, and that that surge that is coming is likely to hit across the whole city,” Arwady said.

She noted last week was the two-year anniversary of the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines and said Chicagoans of all ages have a higher vaccination rate than the rest of the country. But rates for the youngest children are still very low. Roughly 10% of children under 5 in Chicago have gotten their initial COVID-19 vaccine series.

“I’m glad we’re doing better than the U.S., but this is nothing to brag about,” Arwady said.

About half of all students enrolled in Chicago Public Schools — roughly 154,000 children — have gotten their initial COVID-19 vaccination series as of Dec. 19, data shows. But a Chalkbeat analysis shows vaccination rates vary widely by school, with predominantly Black schools lagging behind.

It’s unclear how many Chicago Public School students have received the updated booster. But city data show about 51,184, or 28.3% of 12- to 17-year-olds and 29,206 or 13.9% of 5- to 11-year-old Chicagoans have received the booster as of Dec. 19.

Martinez urged families to get their shots over the holidays and take advantage of the city’s at-home vaccination program, which brings COVID-19 and flu vaccines directly to people’s homes to be administered to anyone 6 months and older.

“I’m just going to be a broken record: We know they’re safe,” Martinez said. “We know they give you the best protection. They lessen the symptoms.”

Since school started, there have been about 9,137 COVID cases among students and 5,382 cases among staff, according to district data.

But COVID-19 isn’t the only concern this holiday season, which comes as flu, respiratory syncytial virus, and other respiratory infections are on the rise nationally. In Chicago, hospitals have seen fewer RSV cases but an increase in flu among children.

“We’re just seeing a lot of respiratory viruses right now because we didn’t see them for a couple of years,” Arwady said. “RSV thankfully is very much on the way back down. But in the meantime, some extra care and caution, especially in the holiday season, to limit some of that risk is important.”

It’s likely Chicago will move into a high level of COVID-19 community transmission, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 600 people are testing positive daily in pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and laboratories, and thousands more are testing positive at home, Arwady said.

“We are not out of the woods,” Arwady said Tuesday. “Know that if and when we move to a high level, we will be asking you to put those masks back on.”

Chicago Public Schools opened this fall with fewer mitigations, including a mask optional policy. Despite an initial uptick in cases, the district has seen fewer laboratory confirmed cases compared to schools reopening last fall in August 2021.

On Tuesday, Arwady and Martinez said the school district would follow the health department’s lead in implementing a mask requirement. However, students will be on break starting Friday and classes are not scheduled to resume until January 9.

Last winter, a surge in COVID-19 cases raised concerns among teachers over the district’s safety measures. The Chicago Teachers Union voted to teach remote, prompting a weeklong standoff and canceled classes.

Martinez said the district continues to “heavily encourage masking” and provides masks to “every single school, every single classroom.” He also urged parents to keep sick children home.

“If your child feels sick, please just let them stay home,” Martinez said. “It’s an excused absence.”

Arwady encouraged families to take at-home rapid tests before gathering to celebrate the holidays. Martinez said the district continues to offer at-home tests at schools. The federal government is again offering four free at-home tests per household.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

Becky Vevea is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Chicago. Contact Becky at bvevea@chalkbeat.org.

With rise in COVID cases, Philadelphia schools will return to mandatory masking after winter break

2022-12-15T22:29:42+00:00

Citing an increase in COVID cases, School District of Philadelphia officials announced Thursday that students and staff will be required to wear masks for the first two weeks of school following the winter break.

Currently, masking is voluntary in schools, although students who test positive for the coronavirus must wear a mask for five days after returning to school. The mandatory policy for all will be in effect from Jan. 3 to Jan. 13.

That policy was signaled last August, before school started, in the district’s overall COVID-19 protocols for the year, which said that masking would be enforced “upon return from extended breaks and holidays when increased social gathering may heighten the risk of exposure.”

In a statement, district spokesperson Christina Clark said that the district has been monitoring data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and “working closely with the [Philadelphia Department of Public Health] to monitor local Covid-19 conditions. This is a proactive measure to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and other respiratory conditions in school, reduce absenteeism and prioritize in-person learning after the winter break.”

Starting this week, the district has made available free at-home COVID-19 test kits at five school-based testing locations. Those sites will be open weekdays throughout the break, except for Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Those are the official federal holidays observing Christmas and New Year’s Day, both of which fall on a Sunday.

The most recent report on COVID from Mayor Jim Kenney’s office said that the city is averaging 192 new cases a day over the last week, with 10.4% of tests that are reported to the city coming back positive. In the last week of November, 9.5% were positive and there were 150 cases that week.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org

As COVID, flu, and RSV cases spike, NYC school officials recommend masking indoors

2022-12-13T22:27:05+00:00

With the triple whammy of flu, RSV, and COVID cases converging in New York City, education department officials are recommending that students and staff wear masks inside school buildings, according to a message they sent families on Tuesday.

“We strongly encourage every student and staff member to wear a well-fitting mask indoors,” the message said.

The recommendation comes after the city’s health department issued an advisory last week encouraging mask-wearing in schools, child care facilities, and other indoor settings, including stores, offices, and on public transportation. State Health Commissioner Mary Bassett and state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa also sent a letter last week to all New York school districts recommending mask-wearing as the “triple-demic” strains local hospitals.

School attendance has been down in recent weeks. This Monday and last Monday attendance citywide reached about 85%, according to education department data. The only Mondays with lower attendance were Halloween and the day after Thanksgiving.

With the uptick in COVID along with RSV and flu cases, the city’s drug stores are running out of medicine like Tylenol for children, according to reports.

On Monday, 1,858 students and staffers reported testing positive for coronavirus, bringing this school year’s total to 48,265 reported cases, according to public data. That’s nearly three times the number of cases reported at the same time last year, when schools had 15,083 cases, according to public data compiled by Parents for Responsive Equitable Safe Schools.

In terms of the flu, New York state has seen about 44,000 cases this season, the majority of which are from New York City, according to state data as of Dec. 3. That represented 41,550 more cases than the same time the year before. And rates of RSV, which can cause breathing trouble for young children, in particular, have nearly doubled since October, according to reports.

School officials are not implementing a mask mandate, and many students and educators might be reluctant to cover their faces again nearly three years into the coronavirus pandemic. The city lifted mask mandates lifted at K-12 schools last March and in June for preschools.

Mask-wearing has become a lightning rod across the country, with many parents pushing back against the value of face coverings, saying that wearing them has brought other negative consequences, including harming students’ mental health and language development.

Though much of scientific literature on mask mandates remains limited, a recently published study linked masks to significantly reducing the number of COVID cases in schools. The paper examined school districts in the greater Boston area that lifted mask mandates versus those that did not.

In Boston’s public schools, for instance, students remained masked, and despite having old buildings with poor ventilation, crowded classrooms, and children from at-risk communities, they had lower rates of COVID than peers at newer schools in nearby districts, the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found.

Teaching while masked is a challenge, many educators have said, forcing them to consider various tradeoffs.

Yvette Andino, a bilingual school counselor in Queens, previously told Chalkbeat that when working with kids on emotions, it was tricky to show facial expressions when masked.

“There are some emotions I couldn’t show with my mask, like anger and sadness or the surprised feeling or shocked feeling,” said Andino. “You kind of form your mouth like an ‘O,’ like ‘oh, shoot’ or ‘oh, man.’ That was really hard for them to learn.”

It took many of her students three times as long as usual to learn how to recognize and understand certain emotions, she said. But eventually, they got there.

Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.

In COVID grievance case, Newark teachers win $1 million in back pay, sick days, union leaders say

2022-12-01T00:01:30+00:00

A Newark Public Schools directive that required teachers union members, including teachers, aides, and other school staff, to use sick or personal days for COVID-related absences violated a collective bargaining agreement, an arbitrator ruled last week.

Now, more than a year after a grievance was filed by the union, the American Federation of Teachers Local 481, the district will have to pay roughly $1 million in back pay and sick or personal time, said Michael Maillaro, the union’s director of research and communication, in a phone call with Chalkbeat on Tuesday.

Union leaders estimate around 800 of their 4,000 members used sick or personal time when they had to stay home due to COVID exposure or contracting the virus, and those who ran out of days were docked pay for the days they stayed home due to mandated quarantine.

A stipulation in the union’s contract that union leaders say has been in place since the 1970s lists “quarantine as defined by Newark Board of Education’s health services office and the employee’s physician” as a case where “no deduction of salary of a regular employee shall be made for absence.”

The union argued in its grievance filed on Oct. 13, 2021, that the Newark Board of Education violated its collective bargaining agreement by charging union members with sick or personal days while they were in quarantine for COVID-19, according to a copy of the grievance.

The school district countered that teachers and school staff had to stay home due to COVID to “isolate,” not “quarantine,” and, therefore, had to use sick days, according to a copy of the grievance decision.

After the grievance was filed and no resolution could be reached between union representatives and the Newark Board of Education, it was submitted to binding arbitration, Maillaro said. The union and district mutually picked a qualified arbitrator, Robert C. Gifford, who’s been an arbitrator since 2001.

“I conclude that the broader, more commonly accepted meaning of the term ‘quarantine’ must be applied in this instance,” Gifford said in his ruling. He added that the contract’s stipulation on paid leave for quarantines applied to COVID-related absences.

An arbitrator’s decision in these cases is final and binding, and a failure to comply could be seen as an unfair labor practice, according to the U.S. Federal Labor Relations Authority.

The Newark Public Schools spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

School staff and teachers were constantly at risk of being exposed to the virus, especially when schools first returned to fully in-person learning last fall, Maillaro said.

At times, he added, members who ran out of their allotted paid time off would feel stuck choosing between being honest about their COVID exposure and missing out on pay, or not being honest in order to get a full paycheck.

“If you’re telling them they’re going to be docked pay or lose their days, then should I be honest about having COVID?” Maillaro said. “It’s a scary situation when we’re dealing with a pandemic and you don’t want people to feel afraid to be honest about their situation.”

One union member, who asked to be kept anonymous for fear of retaliation, said that losing sick and personal time due to being in quarantine felt like a shot to morale among teachers.

“It just showed us how much value we have in their eyes,” the teacher said in a phone call on Tuesday. “How much of a concern do our higher-ups have for us? We’re still pumping out work, even while we’re sick and you’re saying well you’ve got to use your personal time?”

Newark educators were hoping to return to “normal” last year, not to have to file complaints due to a contract violation, said Donna M. Chiera, president of the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey chapter.

“This decision forcing the administration to honor the written contract is not only a victory for the Newark Teachers Union and their members, it also sends a message throughout New Jersey,” Chiera said in an emailed statement. “That message is collective bargaining contracts are not guidelines school districts can arbitrarily implement when they work to their advantage; they are legal documents that must be followed.”

Union president John Abeigon said the arbitrator’s ruling is a “huge victory” for union members and for the protection of school staff and students’ health and safety.

“Even if staff were exposed to COVID in schools, they were forced to use their sick time, and in many cases, they were threatened with additional negative consequences,” Abeigon said in an emailed statement.

Maillaro said that it could take weeks or months before the district fulfills the arbitrator’s ruling in back pay and sick days. As of Wednesday, the union had not gotten a response at all from the district since the final decision came last week, he added.

Still, there’s a lot to celebrate for teachers who will ultimately get sick and personal time reinstated, said the teacher who asked to be kept anonymous.

“People are feeling excited to have those days back because they did not think it was fair from the beginning,” the teacher said. “When you know the rainbow is coming, you just try to enjoy.”

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

A big bill but little payoff for CUNY’s COVID testing system

2022-11-08T16:08:13+00:00

This story was originally published on Nov. 7 by THE CITY.

CUNY students and faculty are sounding the alarm about a mandatory on-campus COVID PCR testing program that they say fails to accommodate work schedules and has locked people out of their classes.

The program began in the summer of 2021 when the city’s sprawling university system, with 25 campuses and nearly a quarter-million students, awarded a small testing company, Applied DNA Sciences, Inc., a $35 million contract, originally to provide ongoing “surveillance” testing that included randomized testing and separate weekly testing for unvaccinated students. It then extended that contract for no additional fee through the end of this academic year, in which students are now required to be vaccinated.

“CUNY’s originally signed a one-year contract with Applied DNA for $35 million to supply consistent and readily available testing and monitoring data in order to keep the CUNY community safe. Earlier this year, the contract was extended — at no additional cost to the University — until July 2023, as Applied DNA Clinical Labs continues to supply these services,” said CUNY spokesperson Joseph Tirella. “As per the contract, $35 million is the maximum amount. The University has spent $13.3 million so far and is not contractually obligated to spend the total sum.”Unlike rapid testing, which can immediately identify people with transmissible COVID, the PCR tests take 24 hours (or 48 on weekends) to process at Applied DNA’s Long Island lab — leaving some students to go to class while the test results are still unknown.

Those who miss their email alerts find themselves locked out.

Irene, a 25-year-old student at Bronx Community College who asked THE CITY to use her middle name for fear of interference from the administration, said she had to miss two classes on Oct. 12 after learning upon arriving on campus she had been selected for random testing.

Her ID badge flashed red instead of green at the security desk when she tried to enter the campus, which meant she had been flagged for random PCR testing. Irene, who commutes from Yonkers, then had to take time off work the next day to go get tested. She was not able to return to campus until registering a negative test result.

“I was infuriated,” she said.

‘A Demonstrated Need’?

CUNY was not alone in instituting randomized testing earlier in the pandemic, but stands out now in continuing to require testing — even as it has experienced steep enrollment drops, including a 30% plunge in freshman enrollment at community colleges between the start of the 2019 and 2021 school years, according to the Mayor’s Management Report.

Both NYU and Columbia have eliminated their testing requirements. So has the city Department of Education, which ended its $30-million-a-month testing system ahead of the current school year.

CUNY picked Applied DNA Sciences in the summer of 2021 in a competitive bidding process that sought COVID “surveillance testing” — measuring the prevalence of infections in the school community.

When the Omicron variant emerged that fall, Applied DNA had to stop using its proprietary test, it told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The lab temporarily used a third-party test while awaiting state and FDA approvals, which arrived on Feb. 17 according to Applied DNA’s test summary, on a new version of its test that could detect Omicron.

Nonetheless, a board committee chaired by former Bronx Borough President and mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer unanimously extended the contract in March 2022 “due to possible surges in cases due to the Omicron variants or other highly transmittable COVID-19 variants,” meeting minutes show.

Asked to explain why CUNY is maintaining COVID testing while other the DOE has dropped it, Tirella directed THE CITY to the university’s COVID guidelines for Fall 2022, which doesn’t answer that question.

“The City University of New York is committed to keeping all our students safe and our COVID-19 testing protocols have been effective at minimizing the spread of the disease and keeping classes largely in person across the system,” Tirella said in response to an earlier, different request for comment.

He continued: “We have continued random testing that is free, flexible and consistent across all our 25 campuses and offices for students, faculty and staff. The PCR tests at our 19 testing sites enable CUNY to receive and maintain accurate and consistent data throughout our system, track positivity rates and minimize risks.”

PCR tests “will basically tell you if there is a circulating virus,” said Danielle Ompad, an epidemiologist and associate dean of education at the NYU School of Global Public Health.

“As an epidemiologist, I’m kind of happy to see that they are continuing to do testing, because with the switch to rapid home tests, we actually don’t have a really good sense necessarily of how much COVID there is in the community,” Ompad continued. “Because the only way we’re going to know if someone tests positive is if they go to a clinic or a hospital and get tested there, where it gets reported through the lab-based system. So, we are absolutely going to be undercounting cases.”

Different Deals for Different Campuses

CUNY informs students, faculty and staff that those selected for random testing must go to an on-campus testing site within a 14-day window. After the tests, they are sent results notifying them of whether or not they’ve been cleared for access, with those results also sent to the city health department.

But on some campuses, including Bronx Community College, students said that they can return to class as soon as they take the PCR test. At other schools, students said they can’t come back to campus until showing a negative test result, even if that means missing classes.

At a few campuses, including Guttman Community College in midtown Manhattan and the Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy in East Harlem, lack testing sites so students and staffers have to travel to nearby CUNY campuses.

Meantime, the number of available hours for testing varies significantly between campuses, sparking concerns about equal access.

At Bronx Community College, Medgar Evers in Brooklyn, and York College in Queens, students get fewer than than 13 hours per week to drop in to a testing site. At Brooklyn College in Midwood, by contrast, students can stop by 28 hours per week.

Students are informed they have been selected for random testing via their preferred email, usually their school account. But two months into the semester, there are still Bronx Community College first-year students who haven’t had their school email activated, according to history professor William deJong-Lambert.

”I think the whole problem is random testing. I would just drop it,” said deJong-Lambert. “How many lives are being saved by randomly testing students and faculty?”

DeJong-Lambert said about 10 of his students have emailed him stating they would miss or be significantly late to class because they were waiting in line to be tested.

Further south, Hostos Community College selected business management student Abi Boateng, 21, for random testing.

She missed class when she belatedly learned she had been picked. After she made an appointment and took her PCR test, she was told she couldn’t enter campus for the day.

“I was pissed when I found out because I was rushing to class,” said Boateng. Hostos had informed her of random selection via text message — and she hadn’t seen hers, she said.

“When they told me I didn’t know at first because sometimes I don’t pay attention to the text messages they send me,” said Boateng.

At Brooklyn College, where CUNY community members have more hours to show up for testing, some praise the system.

“The testing site is on campus and is open pretty much every day,” said sociology professor Alex Vitale. “I went over on Wednesday after class and waited in line for about five minutes. The process itself took less than five minutes, and then I was done.”

A Valuable Contract

Applied DNA’s investor communications have noted that CUNY’s contract is critical for the firm, which as of August had no bigger client for COVID testing services.

According to a December 2021 company filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Applied DNA’s lab revenues jumped by more than $4.7 million, with $1.18 million of that coming from the CUNY testing contract.

In a press release announcing the contract’s extension this August, the company stated that its “COVID-19 testing volumes, including the CUNY contract, fueled the Company’s record fiscal 2021 revenues and consecutive quarterly record revenues in the first half of fiscal 2022 ended March 31, 2022.”

Devin Molina, a social sciences professor at Bronx Community College, said he supports CUNY’s push to give students and staff testing options, but questioned why the university doesn’t let people get tested outside of campus.

“We have to go to a CUNY testing site. We can’t go to a private site. We can’t do our home test, except, which is really interesting. If we test positive on our own if we are feeling ill and take a test at home, we can report that.”

Molina continued: “We have folks who are not, as far as we know, carrying the virus or infected or sick or anything like that who are being subjected to this random testing… with only one vendor,” said Molina. “And I have to wonder, is there some sort of monetary reason for this?”

At this point in the pandemic, Tamar Rothenberg, chair of the Bronx Community College history department, says the testing program is just an extra layer of bureaucratic difficulty, with a design that doesn’t account for students who commute to campus and often juggle pressing responsibilities like jobs and parenting.

“It’s disruptive. It has nothing to do with anybody getting sick or feeling sick,” she said.

Rothenberg said that the testing system “really hit us” this semester after Rosh Hashanah, as class cancellations threw schedules out of whack and made people more likely to miss their 14-day testing windows.

“It’s counterproductive to encouraging retention” at a time when enrollment is already declining, said Rothenberg. “People come to a community college because it fits in with their busy lives.”

Editor’s Note: Due to an editing error, this story previously said that Applied DNA’s $35 million contract with CUNY had been renewed for a second year for an additional $35 million. In fact, the original contract was extended to cover a second year at no additional cost.

How did COVID change school nursing? An award-winning Illinois nurse weighs in.

2022-10-14T16:09:07+00:00

Jinsun Baek, a school nurse at Center Cass School District 66, is working hard this school year to balance returning to normalcy with protecting students and staff from the coronavirus.

Baek has been a nurse for almost a decade and has worked at her small suburban school district in Downers Grove for about five years. She and a team of two part-time nurses work across three school buildings that serve about 1,000 students in kindergarten to eighth grade.

This school year, Baek was named the ‘Nurse of the Year 2022’ by the Illinois Association of School Nurses for her work in the district. She felt really honored, and surprised, to be awarded the title. “When my colleague reached out to nominate me, I said ‘Sure!’ but I didn’t expect that I would get it,” she told Chalkbeat.

Baek spoke recently with Chalkbeat Chicago about choosing school nursing, how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the perception — and reality — of her job, and what she does now to protect students and staff from COVID-19.

Jinsun Baek, district nurse at Center Cass School District 66

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What led you to become a school nurse?

In college, I majored in biology. When I started to look into nursing, I knew that I wanted to be a public setting nurse, not a hospital nurse. During my time in college, I volunteered with a program called Peer Health Exchange where I worked as a health educator in Chicago public high schools. Volunteering made me open my eyes to the big gap between [well-resourced] schools and those that do not really have much resources.

Then I went to the University of Illinois at Chicago to obtain my degree in nursing and that program had a certification for school nursing. It was a perfect medium for me because I liked to work in a community, and I wanted to work with younger people.

What does a typical day look like for you?

As a district nurse, I’m in charge of making sure everyone with health needs has a health care plan that can be shared with their teachers or administrators to stay safe and healthy in school. So daily, it could be medication administration for diabetes or asthma, using bandages or ice packs to treat injuries, or calling 911 — that doesn’t happen too often.

When the pandemic shuttered school buildings in 2020 and it was difficult for school to reopen in 2020-21, how did that impact your job as a school nurse?

It wasn’t easy. As the only full-time health care professional in the building, I was the one who had to make sure that the district was up-to-date on the state, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and local health department public health guidelines. I attended a lot of webinars. I informed all the administrators on what to do. Also, I had to inform the part-time nurses about what’s going on. It was hard to keep up with the changes day to day.

During the 2020-21 school year, we were one of the few schools that reopened. We didn’t go for a full school day because we weren’t sure how to do lunch, so we would send students home for lunch and the rest of the day was virtual learning.

Last school year, students and staff across the state returned to classrooms. Were things back to normal?

It was harder last school year. While the COVID-19 rules weren’t rapidly changing and rules were loosening up, my part-time nurses and I received a lot of backlash from parents who felt like we were discriminating against their kids because they were unvaccinated. As vaccines became widely available, they became politicized. It became a little bit hard for me to push certain rules at that point.

How is this school year going as students are back in classrooms and the pandemic has settled down a bit?

Even though COVID is still here, we loosened up a lot. I think we all kinda are learning how to live with it now. It’s definitely a balance between having normalcy and making sure we are following certain guidelines or rules. Kids don’t need to wear masks in school buildings anymore, and we can bring back normal activities like movie nights.

Since the pandemic happened, do you think that people look at school nurses differently?

Before the pandemic, I feel like nobody thought of school nurses. When the pandemic hit and schools needed to be locked down, people started to rely on school nurses to disseminate state guidelines for quarantines and other COVID mitigations. While I feel like a lot more people are recognizing the importance of school nurses, there is still a lot more work to be done. While a lot of organizations recommend a school nurse in every building, a lot of school districts are not capable of adequate staffing.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

Trust yourself as a health care professional, advocate for yourself, and voice your concerns. That helped me be seen by my administrators, and they now value my opinion as well. It was definitely helpful advice.

You have a busy job, and this is a stressful time. How do you take care of yourself when you’re not at work?

I work in the suburbs but I live in the city of Chicago. My commute is around 45 minutes and when I’m having a bad day, I blast my music on the way home and sing along. Also, I try to give myself one hour to focus on myself each day, whether that is taking a bath, watching a TV show that I like, or going to the gym.

Samantha Smylie is the state education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering school districts across the state, legislation, special education, and the state board of education. Contact Samantha at ssmylie@chalkbeat.org.

More than politics: New studies help explain why some schools reopened while others stayed virtual

2022-10-12T16:20:26+00:00

To critics, keeping schools closed during the pandemic was not only a colossal blunder — it was pure politics.

According to many Republicans and some liberals, some school districts’ decision to extend remote learning for well over a year owed more to partisan politics and pressure by teachers unions than the data on COVID’s health risks. In short, they say, politics prevailed over science.

That argument was supported by early studies, which found that a community’s party affiliation and teachers union strength better predicted whether schools would reopen than local COVID conditions. But later research found that in-person learning was less common in counties with high COVID rates, challenging the view that reopening decisions were divorced from public health data.

Now, two additional studies provide even greater insight into districts’ choices during the first full school year of the pandemic about whether to reopen classrooms or continue remote learning — decisions that proved to be as consequential as they were contentious.

Together, the studies indicate that districts responded to evolving conditions on the ground during a period of intense uncertainty, basing their actions on COVID spread, health guidelines, teacher demands, and parent preferences. As to whether politics or science guided decision-making, the emerging research suggests, the answer is both/and.

“The decisions were not as black and white as the popular discourse made it out to be, and which some of the early research studies fit into,” said Jeremy Singer, a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University who co-authored one of the recent studies. “It’s a much more nuanced story.”

Early research on school opening decisions focused largely on the start of the 2020-21 school year, when districts faced pressure by the Trump administration to resume in-person learning even as COVID rates surged. School buildings were less likely to reopen that fall in communities with strong teachers unions and more Democratic voters, several studies found.

Such research fueled the popular perception that “politics, far more than science, shaped school district decision-making,” as one early study put it. But a new working paper, released this month, reaches the opposite conclusion: Perceived health risks, more than politics, drove most reopening decisions.

The new study examined the reopening choices of Ohio’s more than 600 school districts throughout that school year — not just in the fall. Since a community’s political preferences and union strength tend to remain constant, districts that opened or closed schools during the year were likely responding to changing health conditions, the researchers theorized. And that’s what they found.

About two-thirds of Ohio districts switched between in-person and remote learning over the course of the school year, some multiple times, the study shows. In those districts, local COVID rates were a better predictor of reopening than politics. (By contrast, districts that kept schools open all year tended to be in rural and Republican areas, while those that stayed virtual were mostly in urban, Democratic areas — trends consistent with prior research.)

By looking at districts’ weekly COVID data, the researchers found that rising case counts during in-person learning made districts less likely to keep schools open the following week. The effect waned over time, a sign that officials came to rely less on infection rates as they learned more about COVID spread and risks, the researchers propose. The study also found that districts were more likely to open schools when neighboring districts did so.

Taken together, the findings suggest that district leaders “were acting like rational decision-makers facing uncertainty,” said Brian Jacob, an education policy professor at the University of Michigan, who co-authored the study with Alvin Christian and John Singleton. “That’s a very different picture of school districts and school boards than, ‘They’re only focused on political partisanship.’”

The second recent working paper, released in July, is a qualitative study of five cities where schools started the 2020-21 school year virtually: Denver; Detroit; New Orleans; Portland, Oregon; and Washington, D.C. Based on dozens of interviews with district and charter school administrators, union leaders, advocates, and parents, the study sheds new light on how and why districts made their reopening decisions.

Not surprisingly, officials in those heavily Democratic cities closely adhered to public health guidance around COVID, which former President Donald Trump and his allies often attacked as too cautious. While the district leaders tended to agree with the guidance, they also used it strategically as a source of legitimacy and political cover, according to the study conducted by researchers at several universities.

“I don’t need the community thinking that I am unilaterally deciding what’s safe or what’s healthy,” a district official told the researchers. “I need professionals and subject matter experts to tell us, ‘These are the guidelines.’”

Teachers unions influenced the process by highlighting the health risks of reopening and demanding certain safety precautions, the study found. But district officials also worried that reopening too quickly would lead to teacher resignations and staff shortages.

Families generally embraced the districts’ gradual return to in-person learning, the researchers found, in line with national polling data that showed, compared with white parents, fewer Black and Latino parents favored reopening schools in fall 2020. Based on opinion polls and the higher COVID death rate among people of color, leaders of these districts “came to believe non-white families were not strongly demanding in-person learning,” the study says.

The debate over whether schools should have reopened sooner shows no sign of abating, especially as new data reveals how much student learning suffered during the pandemic. While the new studies won’t settle that debate, they do provide a better understanding of how district officials made their decisions, which were about far more than just politics, said Singer, one of the study’s authors.

“I think evidence like this helps reinforce the idea that district leadership and school leadership were trying to navigate a really difficult context,” he said, “and it wasn’t just a gut reflex based on national partisanship.”

Patrick Wall is a senior reporter covering national education issues. Contact him at pwall@chalkbeat.org.

New COVID boosters for kids 5 and up are coming. But half of Chicago’s 5- to 11-year-olds remain unvaccinated

2022-10-11T22:08:48+00:00

Children between 5 and 11 years old could be eligible for the latest COVID-19 bivalent booster ahead of a potential winter surge. But in Chicago, half of 5- to 11-year-olds have yet to complete the primary COVID vaccine series.

The rollout of the bivalent booster for children between 5 and 11 could come in the next two weeks, said Dr. Allison Arwady during an online segment on Tuesday. The federal Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention need to approve and sign off on the updated vaccine for that age group. The updated COVID booster was made widely available for people 12 and up last month.

But Arwady expressed disappointment with how many Chicagoans of any age have gotten the updated booster.

“The uptake of the updated vaccine is not where we need it to be,” Arwady noted.

If authorized, Pfizer’s bivalent vaccine will be administered to children between 5 and 11 years old, and a Moderna vaccine will be available for children ages 6 and up, Arwady noted.

The rollout would come ahead of winter when COVID-19 cases have spiked since the outset of the pandemic. A spike in omicron cases led to school closures nationwide last winter, including a weeklong standoff in January between the teachers union and Chicago Public Schools over COVID safety measures.

Chicago’s seven-day average is under 300 COVID reported cases and its COVID transmission rate remains low, according to a CDC rating system.

Still, Arwady urged Chicagoans to get the updated booster to avoid severe illness and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. She expressed concern the virus could hurt communities that have already borne the brunt of the pandemic.

“I’m concerned that especially in Latinx and Black communities, we’re seeing lagging vaccine uptake,” she said, “which means if we get a noticeable surge this winter, it’s more likely to hit harder in those communities.”

Those disparities still play out inside Chicago Public Schools. COVID vaccination rates remain the lowest at predominantly Black schools on the South and West Sides, according to a data analysis by Chalkbeat.

Overall, less than 50% of CPS students have completed the vaccine series across district-run schools. The number of CPS students who have received the booster has not been reported by the district.

Citywide, about 3.1%, or 3,850, of 12- to 17-year-olds have received the new updated booster.

About 4,258 students and 2,055 staff have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the new school year, according to the district.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

Newark students, teachers: Help us examine access to water in your school

2022-10-07T10:46:57+00:00

Newark Public Schools kept all water fountains shut off last school year, as a way to curb spreading the coronavirus when students returned to in-person learning.

Teachers, staff, and at times, the district, bought cases of water for classrooms, and students would bring water bottles from home or buy some from vending machines. Sometimes, the teachers and students said, they refilled bottles at bathroom sinks, the only source of water they could find in their school buildings.

District officials promised this school year would be different.

But one month in, some students say they still don’t have access to functioning water fountains. Parents say they send their children to school with bottles of water for the day.

“I send my child with a big gallon to lug around with her so she can have water,” said Nadirah Brown, mom of a student at Harriet Tubman Elementary School. “There’s no bottled water provided nor water fountains for our children to drink from.”

At a school board meeting in March, Superintendent Roger León’s presentation included a slide that stated the district would “continue installation of contactless water fountains with a completion date by start of next school year.”

Five months later, at an August meeting, board member Josephine Garcia said the district hadn’t yet started installing the contactless water fountains.

“The district will begin the installation of contactless water fountains shortly,” Garcia said, reading from the minutes of an Aug. 17 operations committee meeting.

Those minutes also stated that “all school drinking sources will be turned on in time for school opening.”

State rules require school districts to ensure students have access to safe drinking water.

León said last year the district kept the water fountains off as a COVID-19 precautionary measure to prevent spread of the virus. However, state and federal guidelines did not mention turning off water fountains when schools resumed in-person learning.

Part of the reason the water fountains remained shut off, it turned out, was a delay in testing water sources for lead and getting water filters replaced, Chalkbeat Newark reported last year.

As of mid-August, the district had completed testing for lead at 57 schools, and planned to test 12 remaining schools before the start of the school year, meeting minutes show.

School Business Administrator Valerie Wilson said Sept. 27 that more than 3,000 drinking water outlets had been tested for lead and turned back on.

But, she added, “As we turned them on we found out that certain components of our plumbing system caused the fountains to fail or be inoperable,” she told the school board.

The district fixed those problems, retested the fountains, and put them back into service, she said.

“There are no schools with fountains inoperable at this point in time,” she said. “All schools have fountains on.”

However, that is not what students, parents and staff have told Chalkbeat.

As the school year gets underway, help us tell this story accurately and thoroughly by sharing what you’re experiencing in your schools when it comes to access to water by filling out the form below.

If you are having trouble viewing this form, please go here.

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

NYC drops vaccine mandate for student athletes and extracurriculars

2022-09-20T17:43:05+00:00

Students who participate in a range of extracurricular activities including sports will no longer face a COVID vaccine requirement, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday, ending the only mandate that applied to public school students.

In August 2021, the city announced that students participating in “high risk” extracurricular activities must be vaccinated against the coronavirus, a policy that covered roughly 20,000 students in the Public School Athletic League who play sports ranging from bowling to basketball. It also included students in chorus, band, and musical theater programs that weren’t part of their regular course loads.

Adams scrapped that requirement on Tuesday along with the vaccine mandate for private employers just before receiving the latest bivalent booster in front of reporters. But other vaccine requirements affecting public schools still stand: All staff must be vaccinated, including coaches who are employed by the city, and so must any visitors to school buildings, a policy that some parents have criticized.

City officials did not present a clear explanation about why the vaccine mandate is being peeled back in some contexts but not others.

“I don’t think anything dealing with COVID is — makes sense,” Adams said when asked about dropping the vaccine mandate for private employees but keeping it for public ones. “You make the decisions based on how to keep our city safe, how to keep our employees operating by taking the vaccine.”

Anna Bershteyn, an assistant professor of population health at NYU, said she supports ending the mandate for student athletes, given that some sports are held outdoors where the risks of transmission are lower.

“I wouldn’t single out athletes specifically and I think there are better ways to boost vaccination rates that don’t interfere with healthy activities by children,” she said.

Bershteyn pointed to school-based vaccine clinics as one way to boost uptake, something the city has done in the past. But the city’s health commissioner, Ashwin Vasan, suggested the focus would be to encourage parents to get their children vaccinated through their pediatrician or through other healthcare providers.

“That was really intended to raise childhood vaccination rates at a time when we could stand those things up,” Vasan said, referring to school-based vaccine clinics. “Now we’re at a point where emergency dollars are drying up.”

Some experts said that approach could make it more challenging for families with busy work schedules or who lack access to the healthcare system.

Last school year, about 52% of public school students were considered fully vaccinated.

Despite a local law requiring the regular disclosure of that information, the city hasn’t posted new data since April. A health department spokesperson said the education department is working to update it. Citywide, nearly half of all people ages 0-17 have not received a single vaccine dose.

The coronavirus has generally been less severe among children, though concerns remain about virus transmission especially among people who are older or unvaccinated. And it’s clear the virus is still circulating: On Monday, 1,251 students and 564 staff reported positive COVID tests, city data show.

There are also significant racial and geographic variations in which students are vaccinated, according to a recent study. The vaccination rates at schools where a majority of students are Asian American was 66%, while majority white or Black schools stood at 44%. Majority Latino schools were in between at nearly 54%. A previous Chalkbeat analysis also found big disparities by neighborhood.

In Chicago, vaccination rates have dipped as vaccinated students graduate and are replaced by students without shots.

Adams once considered the possibility of requiring vaccines for all students, though few school districts have moved in that direction. City officials said they are encouraging vaccinations by sending letters home to families, conducting pop-ups at public hospitals, and deploying mobile units in more vulnerable communities.

At Tuesday’s press conference, officials said they are launching a public relations campaign to encourage people to get the new bivalent booster shots, which are available to people 12 and older whose last vaccination was at least two months ago.

Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.

Chicago schools see COVID vaccination rates backslide with a wave of new students

2022-09-14T21:52:02+00:00

Chicago Public Schools continues to struggle with COVID vaccine uptake as younger, unvaccinated students replace vaccinated graduates, but the district exceeds national averages in most children’s age groups.

Across all district-run schools, the average school vaccination rate is 39.6%, a drop from May when the average school rate was 44.7%. The pattern is mirrored at individual schools across the city, which are experiencing dips in the number of students who have completed the COVID-19 vaccine series, data shows. Rates remain the lowest at predominantly Black schools on the South and West Sides, according to a data analysis by Chalkbeat.

Even though city agencies spent the summer promoting vaccines, the updated numbers reveal the ongoing difficulty Chicago Public Schools faces in getting students vaccinated, even as COVID cases increased during the first weeks back to class.

This year marks the first school year since the start of the pandemic that all school-age students are eligible for the vaccine.

Here are some takeaways from Chalkbeat’s analysis of Chicago’s school-based vaccination data:

Majority Black elementary and high schools had an average vaccination rate of 23%, compared to majority Latino elementary and high schools, which averaged about 48.5%.
Majority Latino schools have lower vaccination rates, with a drop in uptake by about 5.6 percentage points from May to September; majority Black schools saw rates fall by about 3 percentage points over the same time period.
At 70% of schools across the district, less than half of the student population is vaccinated against the virus. At about 30% of schools across the district, less than a quarter of students are vaccinated.
District-run schools had a slightly overall higher vaccination rate than charters at both the elementary and high school level, but uptake among overall majority Black and Latino schools were slightly higher at charter schools.

As of Wednesday, 62.69% of 12- to 17-year-olds, 40.13% of 5- to 11-year-olds, and 1.41% of infants and children 6 months to 4 years old within CPS have completed a COVID vaccine series, according to district data.

Across the city, 73% of 12- to 17-year-olds, 49.1% of 5- to 11-year-olds, and 4.4% of infants and children 6 months to 4 years old have completed the vaccine series as of Sept. 12, city data shows.

Nationally, 60% of 12- to 17-year-olds, 31% of 5- to 11-year-olds, and 7 % of the youngest age group have received one dose as of Sept. 7, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Since July 2021, CPS has partnered with the city’s Department of Public Health, Illinois Department of Public Health, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote vaccines. The district has opened four regional vaccine hubs, over 20 school-based health centers, and hosted more than 1,000 mobile vaccination clinics.

In a statement, Chicago Public Schools said the safety of staff and students was a priority since the onset of the pandemic, noting that promoting vaccination was “a central part” of its strategy.

“The vaccination rate in our District-run schools is ahead of the national average because we have invested resources in promoting vaccines and providing access,” the district said.

The district acknowledged “areas with low vaccination rates” and said it is continuously promoting vaccine efficacy and importance of getting vaccinated.

CPS plans to “double down on our efforts and try to assuage concerns and fears of families in communities who are historically suspicious of perceived government-administered vaccinations,” the statement said.

The district has an ongoing paid advertising campaign that targets zip codes in the city with low vaccination rates.

Ahead of the new school year, district officials also held back-to-school bashes that included vaccination clinics. Despite such efforts, uptake lags, especially at schools on the South and West Side, data shows.

North Side schools in Lake View, North Center, and North Park continue to have the highest uptake with over 70% of students fully vaccinated as of Sept. 6, data shows.

By contrast, schools in predominantly Black neighborhoods including Greater Grand Crossing, Englewood, Oakland, and Burnside had the lowest uptake with less than 20% of students fully vaccinated as of Sept. 6, data shows.

Since students returned to school on Aug. 22, Chicago Public Schools has reported 2,721 student and 1,354 staff COVID cases across district-run schools as of Sept. 13.

Last week, about 736 students and 353 staff tested positive for COVID-19 between Sept. 4 and Sept. 10, down from the previous week when 1,250 students and 465 staff members tested positive for the virus, according to school district data.

The fluctuation in cases comes as students returned to the classroom last month with fewer district-mandated COVID-19 restrictions and a highly contagious BA.4 and BA.5 variant circulating across Chicago.

Currently, only 8.74%, or about 23,220 students, at district-run schools, are signed up for COVID-19 testing. The district has also made rapid home- COVID tests available to students.

Ahead of the new school year, Chicago Public Schools relaxed coronavirus mitigation, continuing its mask-optional policy and school-based COVID-19 testing, but eliminating the quarantine requirement for students exposed to the coronavirus. Quarantines are now only required for those who test positive.

Students and staff identified as close contacts are also required to wear masks for 10 days. This new measure implemented ahead of the school year aims to keep students in class, while also curbing the spread of the virus. It’s unclear how many students have been required to mask following an uptick in cases during the first few weeks.

The changes follow recently updated COVID-19 guidance from the CDC, which nixed test-to-stay protocols and eased quarantine policies for unvaccinated students.

The district is not requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Instead, officials continue to encourage families to get inoculated in order to protect against severe illness and will be offering vaccination events for students, staff, and families. Information for vaccination events can be found here.

Earlier this month, Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner, said she wasn’t alarmed by the uptick and anticipated more cases with school underway. She noted the availability of vaccines has ushered in a new phase of the pandemic with fewer people dying from the virus. She has urged families, especially those with children from 6 months to 4 years old to get their children vaccinated.

The Chicago’s Department of Public Health has also urged families to get vaccinated against the flu.

City officials last week announced the rollout of 150,000 newly updated COVID-19 booster shots that offer greater protection against omicron variants. The boosters are free and available to anyone 12 and older who has already completed the initial vaccine series.

By getting more people protected against the circulating variant, the city would see fewer transmissions, Arwady said during a press conference last week.

“This is a big deal,” Arwady said. “This gives us a chance to get ahead of the virus.”

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools drop mask requirement starting Sept. 12

2022-09-11T16:27:08+00:00

Newark Public Schools will go mask optional starting Monday, the district announced after the conclusion of the first week of school and following opposition from some families who became impatient with the ongoing mandate.

“Given our review of multiple indicators and with the advice of the Newark Health Department and our healthcare partners this evening, the mask mandate is lifted beginning Monday,” the district announced in a post on Friday evening on its Facebook page. “Masks are now optional in our schools and facilities.”

The district of 38,000 students was likely one of the last in New Jersey to start the new academic year with the mandate in place after most districts went optional in the spring, when Gov. Phil Murphy ended the school and daycare mask requirement.

Superintendent Roger León and school board members previously said the district’s mandate had stayed in place due to advice from the city’s health department that took into account COVID-19 trends and immunizations in the city.

On Saturday, Newark had 119 new COVID-19 cases, the Essex County dashboard showed. That was more than two times the number of cases the city reported on Sept. 1, before the school year began.

Meanwhile, the rate for at least one dose of the vaccine among 5- to 11-year-olds in the city went up in the last week from 37% to 38%, according to the state’s COVID dashboard. The rate stayed the same at 38% for 12- to 17-year-olds, the state’s dashboard shows.

“The NTU is cautiously optimistic about the lifting of the mask mandate,” said John Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union, in a statement on Sunday. “As long as the health officials believe it is safe to do so, we welcome the decision.”

District staff and teachers, as well as students, can still opt to wear face masks.

“We are reminding our members that optional means common sense decision-making,” Abeigon said. “We are not all the same and we’re advising them to make the decision to wear a mask or not upon their personal health and comfort level.”

Communication about the change to mask rules seemed to be scant as of Sunday morning.

The district had posted the announcement on its Instagram page, but not on Twitter. On the district’s main website, as of Sunday morning, there were no clear announcements or banners about the change in face mask rules. In a search through district school websites, no communication to families via letters seemed to be available.

Families received a robo-call with the announcement from the district Friday evening, a few parents said.

For some families, the news of the switch to an optional approach was too little, too late.

Anna Da Silva removed her six-year-old daughter from Ironbound Academy Elementary School, a new K-4 school in the East Ward, after learning she wouldn’t be exempted from the mask mandate even though masks trigger a skin infection on her face. On the second day of school last week, Da Silva filed official forms to disenroll her child, saying she wouldn’t put up with another school year of her daughter being uncomfortable.

“My daughter already lost four days of school,” Da Silva said on Sunday. “On Friday, all of a sudden, nobody has to wear a mask? What changed in four days? This is reactive from the superintendent and an injustice.”

The district kept face mask rules in place through summer programming and into the first week of school, which started Sept. 6. The ongoing mask rules made Newark an outlier in the state and nationwide, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had eased most of its recommended school protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, including masking in low-risk communities.

On Sunday, Essex County was still considered a low-risk area for COVID-19 transmission, according to the federal county tracker.

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

Newark public school teachers mask up to welcome students hoping for a smooth year

2022-09-06T16:28:40+00:00

Before Elijah Lee walked out to the car for his first day as a Central High School freshman, he said a prayer with his mom, Jasmin Lee Phillips, who kept her nerves inside.

They prayed for safety on the 14-year-old’s big day and for a good school year. Lee Phillips has been worried about her son, who has autism, starting high school but Elijah’s optimism and excitement put her at ease.

“I just have to let him go,” said Lee Phillips, who worked at her son’s middle school when he attended last year. “I’m not going to worry about anything, I’m going to let him have his day.”

By the time Elijah got to school, on a rainy Tuesday morning, he was grinning from ear to ear, excited to meet his teachers and classmates.

It’s a big transition for any teen, but especially for Elijah.

“I’m excited!” said Elijah, as he posed for a picture outside of the school building.

Elijah Lee, an incoming freshman at Central High School, poses for a picture on his first day of school. Elijah, who has autism, is excited to attend a new school.

Elijah joins more than 38,000 students who returned to Newark Public Schools this morning – some sporting new backpacks but all wearing face masks, a district mandate that NPS officials say comes from the city’s health department.

The district’s remaining COVID-19 preventative measures, including temperature checks, health screenings, and weekly testing for the virus were dropped this school year, according to Superintendent Roger León, who announced the new measures at a board meeting last month. COVID testing for unvaccinated staff is no longer required on a weekly basis following an executive order signed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy last month, León added.

Yet some Newark parents weren’t too concerned about COVID this year. Parents such as Lee Phillips just felt happy to have their children return to a structured school schedule and daily social interactions.

At Central, dozens of teens rushed to the 18th Avenue entrance Tuesday morning as the rain trickled down their backpacks. Some hugged their parents goodbye while others just waved as they ran up the stairs. At the 17th Avenue entrance of the school, students waited in a line outside the school’s doors.

Siki Adebara, also a parent of a freshman at Central, said she felt “a mix of emotions” about her son’s first day. As she walked down the stairs of the school, she saw Elijah and leaned in to hug him and his mom. Her son, already inside the school, was Elijah’s classmate last year.

Elijah Lee and his mom, Jasmin Lee Phillips, pose for a picture on the first day of school for Newark students.

Adebara’s only concern was that she was still waiting on the school to give her a bus assignment for her son. Lee Phillips hadn’t received one for her son either as of Tuesday morning.

“The school said they would send it to us but we haven’t gotten anything yet,” Adebara said.

A block away from Central, KIPP Thrive students ran out of cars and into the entrance of that school as the rain picked up shortly after 8:00 a.m. Once their kids waved goodbye to them, parents drove out of the busy intersection on 18th Avenue and Livingston Street. Crossing guards at both schools helped kids cross the street and avoid drivers eager to leave the area.

Last year, Newark and other cities in New Jersey struggled to fill crossing guard positions. Currently, the city is at 72% of its budgetary allocation for school crossing guards with an additional 27 in the hiring process, according to Sharonda Morris, Newark Police deputy director of operations. Assuming that all 27 prospective applicants are hired, the department will bump up to 92%, Morris added.

Newark had 11 openings in a force of 126 crossing guards, according to the city police department last October.

This year, school officials will not only have to deal with the lingering effects of the pandemic but also have to tackle some of the district’s most pressing issues including attendance rates, support for students with disabilities, and teacher and student mental health. Even though in-person learning resumed last fall, teachers will continue to focus on academic progress and learning loss due to the pandemic.

Ahead of the school year, the district hired 600 new teachers arriving from other districts and starting out in the profession, according to León in an interview with ABC7. In June, the district announced the appointment of 10 new principals across district high schools. An additional two were appointed over the summer to Science Park High School and Newark Vocational High School and replaced two first-year principals.

Students walk up the stairs at Central High School on the first day of school for Newark Public Schools.

Newark has struggled to hire enough teachers and other educators in the past, as districts nationwide contend with staffing shortages. By the end of March, Superintendent Roger León said, there were 115 instructional openings. During a board meeting last month, León said there were 75 vacancies across the district with numbers fluctuating every day.

A teacher at Thirteenth Avenue Elementary School who preferred to remain unnamed said she felt nervous ahead of the first day of school because of the experiences she went through last year. The teacher said understaffing and a lack of resources were a problem at the school.

Last week, district officials held their annual convocation to welcome teachers and staff to Newark ahead of the school year. León thanked teachers for their hard work during the pandemic before he highlighted some of the district’s accomplishments this year, including an increase in student enrollment, student attendance, scholarship awards, and graduation rates.

“I really appreciate all of you for your hard work,” said León during the convocation. The impact of your work is realized every day in our schools by our students who have a safe, nutritious, and healthy learning environment with the resources needed to be successful.”

The district did not respond to comment on Tuesday morning.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

16 back-to-school stories with news you can use

2022-09-06T14:28:12+00:00

Hey, Michiganders (er, Michiganians)! It’s officially the first day of school in Michigan for districts and charters that didn’t get the OK from the state to start early. The back to school shopping is all done, all the supplies are in the backpacks, and the kids are back in the classroom. Now it’s time to turn our focus to news you’ll need to know heading into this 2022-23 school year.

Here, we’ve compiled some Chalkbeat stories with important information on some key issues, such as COVID safety protocols, test score performance, third-grade retention, chronic absenteeism, and staffing challenges.

Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter here, and read more about our team here.

COVID safety protocols

Where Michigan school districts stand on COVID protocols

Masks are now optional for Detroit district students

Attendance/Chronic absenteeism

Detroit launches attendance initiatives as rising absenteeism threatens pandemic recovery

Detroit’s back-to-school enrollment efforts take on new urgency

Staffing vacancies

Michigan’s teacher shortage: What’s causing it, how serious is it, and what can be done?

Michigan programs provide route for second-career teachers. Are they rigorous enough?

Detroit school district moves closer to being fully staffed

Legislative action

5 policy changes affecting Michigan classrooms, cafeterias, and school buses

Betsy DeVos-backed school voucher-like initiative submits Michigan petitions

6 Michigan education proposals that lawmakers punted to the fall

COVID relief spending

COVID aid is a lifeline for financially troubled Michigan districts. Can they stay healthy?

Without state leadership, Michigan’s patchwork tutoring programs struggle to address learning loss

Gov. Whitmer proposes $280 million tutoring investment for Michigan

Michigan student test performance

Michigan test scores down sharply from pre-pandemic

Reading skills gap grows in Michigan

Detroit district students slide back on M-STEP tests as pandemic challenges linger

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

Newark Public Schools’ face mask rules will stay in place, but some parents are frustrated

2022-09-01T21:00:52+00:00

When Gov. Phil Murphy ended the statewide school mask mandate in March, Newark and several other large districts across New Jersey kept one in place, keeping watch on local COVID-19 trends.

As positive cases began to climb after spring break in April, Newark, the state’s largest district with 38,000 students, still maintained its mask mandate, though other large school systems transitioned to an optional measure.

Even through summer programs, during which Newark Public Schools reported 82 total COVID cases among staff and students from July 4 through Aug. 7, the district’s mask rules didn’t budge.

Now, as students gear up to start a new school year on Sept. 6, the district mandate will remain – a recommendation that NPS officials say comes from the city’s health department — leaving face masks as a back-to-school item many parents would rather do without.

Many families are growing impatient with the district’s wait-and-see approach, saying they feel “ignored” by the district about their concerns.

“My child cannot start yet another school year wearing masks when the majority of children throughout New Jersey and the country are returning to school with some kind of normalcy,” said Anna Da Silva, as she watched her 6-year-old daughter run around without a mask among other kids at a Newark park on Wednesday.

“I feel frustrated and in disbelief that we’re here once again,” said Da Silva, whose first grader attends the new Ironbound Academy Elementary School.

At a recent school board meeting, Superintendent Roger León and school board members announced that most of the district’s remaining COVID-19 preventative measures, including temperature checks, health screenings, and weekly testing for the virus, would be dropped this school year.

León also said the water fountains would be turned on this school year, as contactless water fountains are in the process of being installed throughout the district.

Newark kept water fountains shut off last school year, a measure that León had attributed to preventing the spread of the virus, even though it wasn’t included in federal or state health department guidance.

Records showed that lead testing had not been completed before buildings reopened last year. As of late August, León said most water fountains had already undergone lead testing and that “a number of schools” would be completing that process “prior to students and all staff returning back to their schools.”

Mask mandate spurs frustration, disappointment

The continued mask rules make Newark an outlier in the state and nationwide, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eased most of its recommended school protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. Face masks are still recommended in high-risk level communities.

As of Thursday, Essex County was in a low-risk level category on the federal COVID tracker. That day, the county reported 50 new cases in Newark out of 143 cases countywide. New Jersey reported 1,815 new cases on Sept. 1, compared to 904 on March 7, when the state ended the face mask mandate.

Among the nation’s largest school districts, Newark is one of four to continue the mask mandate, including Philadelphia City School District, Jefferson County school district in Kentucky, and Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, according to Burbio, a data service platform mask policy tracker.

Newark school board member Crystal Williams said she was “disappointed” to hear that mask rules will continue for staff and students on the first day of the new school year.

“I can see the frustration of parents or even the students,” Williams said during a board meeting last month, adding that school staff might have the flexibility to step outside for mask breaks but students “don’t get that type of freedom.”

Board officials said the recommendation for the mask mandate came from the city health department.

“This is based on our numbers and how they rise and fall, as well as immunizations,” board president Dawn Haynes said.

In Newark, the vaccination rate among school-age children hasn’t changed much over the last month, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Thirty-seven percent of 5- to 11-year-olds and 87% of 12- to 17-year-olds have received at least one dose, the same rate of vaccination as four weeks ago, the dashboard shows.

The rates back in February, according to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at the time, were 27% of 5- to 11-year-olds and 76% of 12- to 17-year-olds who had received at least one dose.

Da Silva said she received a letter in late August informing her of the continued mask mandate. As a parent and taxpayer, she says, she feels excluded from the district’s decision-making process.

“We’re never asked how we feel,” she said. “I feel so ignored and disrespected.”

Da Silva’s daughter has a recurring skin infection that’s triggered by rubbing from the mask, she said. Though she’s sought out a mask exemption for her daughter before, she’s been denied, she said. She’s again attempting to secure an exemption for this school year.

This time, she said, she won’t accept a denial.

“It will be a very serious family decision, but I would rather homeschool my daughter than force her to wear a mask for hours a day again if rates are low in the city,” Da Silva said, adding that she’s not against wearing masks when the city is at an elevated risk of transmission.

For Megan Matos, a different and more common health risk makes her uneasy about having her East Ward Elementary third grader wear a mask again this school year.

Her son has asthma that gets triggered “when he’s running around” or isn’t in a well-ventilated area, she said.

“Between his asthma and his allergies, his face will turn a bright red when he’s wearing a mask,” she said, adding that she’s concerned that the fear building up in those moments when breathing gets difficult will also have an effect on his mental health.

Matos says she’s also “annoyed” with the district for informing parents of the decision regarding masks in the last two weeks of August.

“Everything always feels last-minute here,” she said.

Matos hopes the district will move to an optional mandate soon.

“If someone feels safer wearing a mask, then wear a mask. If you don’t want to send your child to school wearing a mask for six hours a day, then you shouldn’t have to,” Matos said. “I hope they listen to families.”

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

COVID cases at Chicago schools jump in first week back

2022-08-30T21:12:36+00:00

Chicago Public Schools reported more than 400 new COVID-19 cases among students and hundreds more among staff during its first week of the school year, three times the number recorded during the same period last year, data shows.

The first-week numbers come as students returned to the classroom with looser COVID-19 restrictions and a highly contagious BA.5 variant — a sign that the coronavirus will continue to present challenges for yet another school year.

Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner who recently recovered from COVID-19, said she anticipated an increase in cases when students returned to schools.

“There is nothing about those case numbers that are at all surprising to me,” Arwady said during an online segment Tuesday afternoon. The numbers will likely go up, she added.

In the first week, 451 students and 315 staff self-reported positive tests. One staff member tested positive as part of school-based testing last week, according to city data.

Last year, 139 students and 65 CPS staffers reported testing positive for COVID-19 during the first week of school between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4, data shows.

The first-week numbers for this year rely primarily on self-reporting because the district’s school-based testing wasn’t widely available until Monday. Currently, only 4% or about 10,408 students at district-run schools have opted in for COVID-19 testing.

The city’s risk of COVID-19 transmission is currently medium, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention transmission rating system.

Ahead of the new school year, Chicago Public Schools revised its coronavirus mitigations, continuing its mask-optional policy and school-based COVID-19 testing, but eliminating the quarantine requirement for students exposed to the coronavirus. Quarantines are now only required for those who test positive.

Under the current protocols, students and staff identified as close contacts are required to mask for 10 days.

The changes follow recently updated COVID-19 guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which nixed recommendations for test-to-stay protocols and eased quarantine policies for unvaccinated students.

During a press conference on the first day of school last week at Excel Academy of South Shore, CEO Pedro Martinez said keeping classrooms open is a top priority.

“The vast majority of our students will be able to stay in their classrooms learning in person,” Martinez said.

The unpredictability of variants has made it challenging to be fully prepared, but Martinez noted that the district was in “such a different place than we were last year, both in our safety protocols and what we know about the pandemic.”

Chicago Public Schools is not requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Last year, before quarantine requirements were lifted, vaccinated students were allowed to continue attending school in-person, while unvaccinated students considered close contacts had to quarantine.

The district is encouraging families to get inoculated in order to protect against severe illness and will be offering vaccination events for students, staff, and families. Information for vaccination events can be found here.

As of Monday, 63.22% of 12- to 17-year-olds, 44.6% of 5- to 11-year-olds, and 14.26% of infants and children 6 months to 4 years old within CPS have completed a COVID vaccine series, according to district data.

About 68.18% of 12- to 17-year-olds, 52.19% of 5- to 11-year-olds, and 17.65% of the youngest age group have received one dose, data shows.

Vaccination uptake varies widely across demographics and geography. Black students are far less likely to be vaccinated than their Latino counterparts, according to a Chalkbeat analysis.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

What Philadelphia parents need to know about masking and COVID testing

2022-08-25T16:38:05+00:00

Philadelphia public school students and staffers will have to mask up for the first 10 days of the school year as a “precaution” aimed at avoiding widespread COVID outbreaks, said Kendra McDow, the district’s medical officer.

In a detailed justification of the district’s mask and other virus policies, McDow said the district decided on its course of action policy because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masking for 10 days after exposure to the virus or a positive test, she said. Masks will also be required for 10 days after extended breaks.

Officials considered testing as an alternative to masking, but decided to go with masks as an intervention that could be implemented more rapidly than complicated testing requirements, McDow told Chalkbeat.

“The focus of our district is to keep kids in school, and we want to make sure there are very limited disruptions this first month of school,” McDow said. “We know kids are coming from being out, at summer camp, with friends and family, with multigenerational family gatherings taking place. The first day of school they’ll be transitioning to being indoors, in close quarters and in tight quarters.”

Philadelphia, which shared its school masking and other COVID policies with the public earlier this month, looks increasingly like an outlier: Most school districts around the country have loosened mask requirements for the coming school year. Some have criticized the district for the mandate and have questioned the science behind it, but others believe it’s a safe and rational response to the virus.

The district is stepping up efforts to share information about its decisions and provide information to parents. In a recent webinar for parents, for example, district procurement manager Christopher Holt said the district has supplies of three-ply masks for adults and children, as well as N-95 masks, which will be required for anyone returning to school after a bout with COVID.

And Shannon Smith, director of nursing for the district, encouraged parents to consult school nurses if they have questions about masking.

Testing will be available in schools during outbreaks and for symptomatic students, and the district will provide students with test kits.

While the Centers for Disease Control puts Philadelphia at a “medium” level for COVID transmission, the level could in fact be higher, McDow said. A decrease in testing and an increased reliance on unreported, over-the-counter tests means there could be asymptomatic or mild cases or exposures that aren’t being counted, she said.

Moreover, COVID outbreaks tend to rise around holiday or vacation periods, she said.

Federally funded Head Start and preschool programs will require masks for all teachers and staff. Tracey Petty, school health services coordinator for the district’s prekindergarten programs, said that to be consistent, state-funded programs in Philadelphia schools will follow that mandate as well.

Despite the opposition from some quarters, McDow said research has shown that masks work, and that the chances of transmission are higher around holiday periods.

She pointed to a 2022 study that found school districts with universal mask policies had lower levels of transmission than those in which masks were optional. And data from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia PolicyLab found increased COVID positivity rates around the 2021 holidays, she said.

Philadelphia is a diverse district in a large urban center, and “we really need to take into account the varying health conditions and needs of our students and staff,” McDow said. A high percentage of students in the district are obese or have other medical conditions that could put them at increased risk for severe complications from COVID, she said.

The policies and the mindset behind them are oriented around a major goal, McDow said: “We really are focused on keeping children in school so they can get in-person learning.”

‘Holding their feet to the fire’ on COVID rules

There are disparate views in the district about the wisdom of the new policies, particularly when it comes to masks, and how long they’ll last.

“We’re about to put 30-plus kids in a classroom and they haven’t been around each other,” said Trina Dean, an executive board member of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and academic coach in the district. “I think masking for the first 10 days is just safer.”

In a statement, PFT President Jerry Jordan said the 10-day mandate was a “very brief period of masking” that would have a positive long-term impact. He said he was “cautiously optimistic” that following the first 10 days of school, further mandates won’t be necessary.

But Rahul Ganesan, who has a child entering kindergarten at the William M. Meredith K-8 school and another starting fifth grade at the Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, said he’s concerned that the mask requirement will pop up again during the year, and that the district won’t rely on sound metrics for determining infection levels.

Ganesan said he’s “hopeful” the district will listen to parents and take changing conditions into account as the school year progresses.

“People have to keep questioning and holding their feet to the fire a little bit,” said Ganesan, who framed the policy as an “equity issue” holding Philadelphia students to a separate standard from their peers in other districts.

Not all parents oppose the masking plan.

“COVID is still a threat, and I’d rather err on the side of caution,” said Catherine Collins, the parent of a Masterman senior.

“I think the lack of adequate ventilation and the poor condition of Philly’s public schools is a much bigger health threat,” Collins also said. “Our government’s COVID response has brought to light what many public school parents and staff have suspected for a long time: These buildings are unsafe for our children and for anyone required to work in them.”

Philadelphia school board gets earful on ‘out of touch’ masking policy

2022-08-19T20:05:57+00:00

Speakers at Thursday’s Philadelphia Board of Education meeting said the district’s policy requiring students and teachers to wear masks for the first 10 days of school is unwarranted, out of step with the times, and harmful to children.

School districts across the country and around the world are dropping mask mandates, the speakers noted. The share of U.S. schools requiring masks for students or teachers fell from 75% to 15% over the course of the last school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Philadelphia is requiring all students and staffers to wear masks for the first 10 school days. After that, masks will be optional except under certain circumstances, such as an increase in the COVID-19 transmission rate or the period following an extended break.

The district says any student or staffer who tests positive for COVID-19 must isolate for five days. After that, there’s a “mask-to-stay” policy that requires the person to wear a “high-quality mask” and eat in a designated area or isolate at home for 10 days.

Chief Medical Officer Kendra McDow said a typo in an earlier version of the guidelines indicated students with COVID-19 symptoms who test negative would have to stay home until they were symptom-free and diagnosed with something other than COVID. She said that in fact, students would need to be symptom free or be diagnosed with a non-COVID condition in order to return to school, not both. This error has been corrected on the district’s website, McDow said.

But masks were the focus of many of the comments about the district’s COVID protocols. Parent Robert Ziegler called the district’s mask policy “out of touch with our current reality.”

“Districts all over the world are eliminating mask mandates, and so should this one,” Ziegler said.

Others echoed that view, saying the policy might cause families to consider leaving the district for neighboring communities with no mask rules.

“Where is the absolutely necessary risk-benefit analysis?” asked parent Vincent Feldman.

Feldman said he has two children in the district and is president of the Pennsylvania chapter of Children’s Health Defense, a Robert Kennedy Jr.-led group recently suspended by Facebook and Instagram for violating community standards on misinformation.

Other speakers who protested the mandate also identified themselves as affiliated with groups opposed to some COVID protocols. They included Lynn Landes, co-founder of HealthAlertPhilly.org, and Diane Soucy, director of the Activities for Daily Living Center. Suzanne Shaheen, a parent who was featured on “Fox & Friends First,” told the board her son was “put in isolation” because he “cannot wear his mask.”

“Students with disabilities or a medical condition that prevents them from being able to wear a mask can seek accommodations,” McDow said.

Only one speaker praised the mandate. “I’m here to thank you for maintaining at least some level of COVID precautions in our schools,” parent Stephanie King told the board. “It’s a pity that COVID is so politicized that saying, ‘We should try to protect people from catching a potentially deadly illness with unknown long-term side effects,’ is seen as a radical proposition,” she said.

King told Chalkbeat she decided to speak because she had expected groups opposed to the policy would rally parents to voice their concerns. “It’s what you do in school advocacy.”

Philadelphia schools are poorly ventilated and serve families that may be at higher risk for COVID-19 complications and have less access to health care, King added. “I think these restrictions reflect the reality on the ground,” she said.

Teacher leave policy causes concern

Meanwhile, board members questioned the district’s policy on so-called “direct quarantine leave” for teachers. Each teacher is allowed 10 days of leave for COVID-19, after which sick days, personal time, and vacation days must be used. Any time off after that would be unpaid, and absences would count as “occurrences” on an employee’s record, McDow said.

“I’m just concerned it’s going to cause people to come to work sick,” said board member Mallory Fix-Lopez.

Fellow board member Cecelia Thompson agreed, saying that people shouldn’t be blamed if they contract COVID more than once despite being careful and following rules. “Sometimes these things happen,” she said.

In response, Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. said that the school community as a whole, and not just schools themselves, is responsible for managing and mitigating COVID in the community.

However, he said, “We are sensitive to the issue of not wanting anyone to lose pay by no fault of their own.”

McDow suggested the board “get an update” on the issue as it relates to collective bargaining agreements to “help everyone decide how to proceed.”

Staffing update

School officials at the meeting also updated the board on staffing for the coming school year. The district is about 97% staffed, “about where we were when we started the school year last year,” Chief Talent Officer Larisa Shambaugh said.

Principal roles are 99% filled, as are 97.4% of teaching positions, she said. That latter figure doesn’t include teachers scheduled to be on leave, and not every teacher is assigned to a classroom, she said.

The vacancy rates for non-instructional jobs, such as building engineers are higher, but new hires are in the pipeline waiting for their paperwork to be processed, she said.

The district has made “good progress this month” on teacher hiring, Shambaugh said. More than 700 new teachers attended a five-day orientation earlier this month, and the district made more than 30 offers to potential teachers in the five days preceding the meeting, she said.

“We’re still hiring,” though vacancies remain, particularly in special education and the middle grades, she said.

Chicago Public Schools students return to class next week with looser COVID-19 rules

2022-08-19T19:59:04+00:00

Chicago Public Schools’ students returning to class Monday will find more relaxed COVID-19 protocols, as the nation’s third largest school district adapts to the changing pandemic and recently updated federal recommendations.

In an email to parents, CEO Pedro Martinez outlined the district’s coronavirus mitigation measures for the upcoming school year, which include a continuation of its mask-optional policy and school-based COVID-19 testing, but no quarantine requirement for students exposed to the coronavirus, unless they test positive.

In announcing the changes, Martinez wrote that the district wants students to be able to learn in person throughout the year.

“CPS strives to keep school communities safe while maximizing in-person learning, which we know is critical to our students’ learning and development,” he wrote.

Districts across the country have already lifted a number of restrictions as the new academic year begins — a sign that schools are trying to return to pre-pandemic norms after two tumultuous years.

In Chicago, the school district negotiated with the Chicago Teachers Union to modify their existing safety agreement. The current agreement expires on Aug. 26. Union members are expected to vote on the agreement next week, according to the union.

In his email to parents, Martinez said the district would update parents on any changes to COVID-19 protocols throughout the year. In the meantime, here is what students and families can expect when school restarts next week:

No more quarantines for close contacts, but masks on for 10 days

The district will not require unvaccinated students and staff to quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19. Instead, students and staff who are exposed will be required to wear masks in school for 10 days after exposure, regardless of vaccine status.

The district will also provide take-home rapid COVID tests, which CPS is encouraging students and staff to use on days three and five after exposure to limit the spread of the virus.

The decision to loosen quarantine measures is a significant shift from last year when the district fully reopened for the first time since March 2020. Chicago Public Schools, like schools across the country, grappled with surging variants that drove up cases and led to thousands of students and staff being quarantined because of possible exposure to the virus. Amid the omicron surge in late January, the district quarantined over 22,000 on one day, according to the district data.

But quarantines won’t go away entirely.

Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner, said in an interview with City Cast Chicago that students and staff who test positive will still be required to quarantine for at least five days. Upon returning to schools, they are required to wear a mask from days six through 10, she added.

“That has not changed,” Arwady said.

Chicago Public Schools will also require mask wearing if there is a positive case in an elementary school classroom and if directed by the Chicago Department of Public Health. Otherwise, mask wearing will remain optional but highly encouraged by the district, according to the email sent to parents.

COVID-19 testing

The district will continue to offer optional, weekly COVID-19 testing at schools. Last month, Chicago’s Board of Education approved an $85 million contract with vendor Thermo Fisher to continue optional surveillance testing for the 2022-23 school year.

Students whose families agree to testing will need to submit a new form for the upcoming school year. Parents can fill out the form here. With the new form, consent will be considered given as long as the student is in CPS.

More than 9,000 students have consented to school-based testing as of Aug. 16, according to the district.

Last year, the district struggled to establish an effective school-based COVID testing program. Months into the school year, just 7% of the district’s student body had signed up for testing. In some schools, fewer than five students consented to the weekly nose swabs. Concerns over testing and other safety concerns resulted in a standoff between the district and the union, whose members voted to switch to remote learning. School was canceled for five days as the district and the union negotiated a settlement.

Part of that settlement was a district promise to get at least 10% of students at every school to sign up for weekly COVID-19 testing.

After ramping up testing capacity, CPS was testing more than 64,000 students weekly throughout the district.

Vaccination

Chicago Public Schools is not requiring vaccines, but is encouraging families to get inoculated against the virus to protect against severe illness. The district will continue to offer vaccination events for students, staff and families. Information for vaccination events can be found here.

In June, children 6 months to 4 years old became the last age group approved for the vaccine. Vaccines for 12- to 17-year-olds were approved in May 2021, followed by children ages 5 to 11 approved last fall.

Across the country, the vaccination numbers for children have stagnated, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ analysis of CDC data.

In Chicago, 72.8% of 12- to 17-year-olds, 48.6% of 5- to 11-year-olds, and 2.7% of infants and children 6 months to 4 years have completed a COVID vaccine series. About 24.3% of 12- to-17-year-olds and 7.9% of 5- to 11-year-olds have also received boosters, according to city data.

About 81.6% of 12- to 17-year-olds, 55.9% of 5- to 11-year-olds, and 10.3% of the youngest age group have received one dose, data shows.

But vaccination uptake among Chicago Public Schools students lags behind the city average and varies widely. Black students are far less likely to be vaccinated than their Latino counterparts, according to a Chalkbeat analysis.

Health and school officials have stressed the importance of being up to date with the vaccine to prevent severe illness from the coronavirus.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

Colorado publica su guía de COVID-19 para el año escolar 2022-23

2022-08-18T15:30:00+00:00

Read in English.

La guía de COVID para el año escolar 2022-23 de Colorado no incluye mandatos de usar mascarilla ni reglas de hacer cuarentena, pero los funcionarios de salud pública dicen que todavía están llevando cuenta de la enfermedad y quieren que los administradores escolares sean francos y honestos con las familias cuando ocurran casos y brotes.

La nueva guía publicada el miércoles trata al COVID mayormente como las demás enfermedades contagiosas y continúa la política establecida por el estado en febrero, cuando terminó la primera ola de la variante omicrón. Al mismo tiempo, el Departamento de Salud Pública y Ambiente de ha seguido teniendo las pruebas rápidas de antígenos disponibles ampliamente y de manera gratuita en escuelas y centros de cuidado de niños, tanto para ofrecer pruebas semanales y para que los estudiantes las utilicen en su hogar.

Colorado vio altos niveles de COVID-19 durante todo el verano, con una tasa de hospitalizaciones que se mantuvo estable y luego comenzó a bajar este mes. Bailey Fosdick, miembro del equipo estatal de encargado de los modelos de COVID en la Escuela de Salud Pública de Colorado, dijo que la falta de medidas de mitigación, como el uso de mascarillas, podría contribuir al contagio en los salones de clase, pero que la combinación del porcentaje de vacunación y de las infecciones recientes puede detener la transmisión.

“Aún con el comienzo de las clases, todos nuestros modelos sugieren que los casos y las hospitalizaciones continuarán bajando por lo menos hasta el final de septiembre”, dijo Fosdick. “Y eso se debe a los altos índices de infección que vimos en la primavera y el verano. Nosotros calculamos que todavía queda bastante inmunidad en la población, particularmente inmunidad contra una infección grave”.

La epidemióloga estatal Rachel Herlihy dijo que la guía nueva tiene como objetivo minimizar las interrupciones para los estudiantes y sus familias, pero que también se mantengan alerta a brotes o a aumentos en transmisión que pudieran hacer necesario tener mayores precauciones. Colorado está ahora en una posición muy distinta a la de hace dos años, dijo ella, y eso amerita un enfoque nuevo.

Chalkbeat habló con Herlihy sobre este nuevo enfoque al COVID ahora que los estudiantes están preparándose para regresar a la escuela. Sus respuestas fueron editadas un poco para simplificarlas y aclararlas.

¿Qué precauciones está recomendando que las escuelas K-12 adopten este año?

No hay requisitos nuevos para el año escolar 2022-2023. La guía va a continuar enfocada en continuar manejando el COVID-19 de manera más similar a la de otras enfermedades contagiosas. Ya no habrá lugares donde los criterios de cuarentena se basaban en el nivel de vacunación en la escuela o la cantidad de pruebas de detección hechas. Todo se ha simplificado bastante, será más sencillo.

El enfoque mayor no será en hacer cuarentena; notarán que el enfoque será en la relación entre la salud pública local, y en que los distritos y las escuelas individuales realmente trabajen juntos para identificar dónde hay aumentos en contagio y cuándo se podrían necesitar estrategias de mitigación adicionales.

Una prioridad importante en la guía nueva es establecer si queremos que los administradores de escuela continúen siendo transparentes y compartan información con los estudiantes, el personal y los padres cuando los casos estén aumentando y cuando haya brotes en las escuelas para que así esas personas tengan la oportunidad de tomar pasos adicionales a fin de protegerse si así lo desean.

¿Las mascarillas todavía son eficaces para evitar el contagio de las variantes nuevas?

Las mascarillas continúan siendo una estrategia importante no solo para protegerse uno mismo, sino también para potencialmente proteger a otras personas. Los lugares en los que sería buena idea usar mascarilla son aquellos en los que se tendrá contacto regular con gente de alto riesgo, o las personas que tienen alto riesgo quizás quieran usarlas para protegerse. El uso de mascarillas también se considerará si se va a estar en un lugar con muchas personas, especialmente cuando uno tiene un evento importante programado. Por ejemplo, el año pasado yo tenía la graduación de mi hija y los niveles de contagio estaban altos. Mi familia y yo usamos mascarillas regularmente por un tiempo para minimizar la probabilidad de exponernos y perdernos su graduación y otros eventos importantes del fin de año escolar.

Como dije, el enfoque va a estar en que todos seamos individualmente responsables de tomar decisiones.

Si una persona tiene una prueba positiva, ¿qué tanto tiempo debe quedarse en casa antes de regresar a la escuela?

La recomendación en ese aspecto no ha cambiado. El periodo de aislamiento debe ser cinco días, y luego la recomendación es usar mascarilla. Esto sigue siendo una estrategia importante en la guía para las escuelas: que toda persona que tenga una prueba positiva y síntomas de COVID-19 debe aislarse y no estar en lugares públicos.

Las tasas de vacunación de niños siguen siendo bajas en muchas partes del estado. ¿Qué ustedes están haciendo para mejorar esas tasas, y cómo afectará eso el contagio en las escuelas?

Las vacunas obviamente son una estrategia importante para educir el riesgo de transmisión, y también para prevenir una infección grave. Nosotros hemos continuado asegurando que los residentes de Colorado tengan un acceso igual a las vacunas y que las escuelas promuevan la vacunación junto con nuestros socios locales de salud pública. [Casi un 38% de los niños de 5 a 11 años de Colorado están vacunados contra COVID-19, en comparación con un 30% a nivel nacional. Entre los niños de 12 a 17 años, el porcentaje es 65%.]

Algunas de las noticias sobre polio que quizás hayan visto recientemente también refuerzan la importancia de las demás vacunas recibidas en la niñez. El momento correcto para que los padres piensen en todas las vacunas necesarias es ahora, mientras se preparan para regresar a la escuela.

El CDPHE ha dejado de monitorear los brotes de COVID en las escuelas. ¿Cómo sabremos si el COVID se está propagando en las escuelas?

Permíteme corregir un poco esa información. Los brotes todavía se tienen que reportar. Todavía estamos vigilando de cerca los datos y trabajando con las agencias locales de salud pública, quienes junto con las escuelas están identificando aumentos en transmisión y aumentos en las ausencias de una manera más alineada con lo que hacemos con otras enfermedades contagiosas. Quizás recuerdes los brotes de norovirus que hubo antes de la pandemia y los brotes de influenza en las escuelas. Este método está realmente haciendo que nuestro enfoque al COVID sea igual al que adoptamos con esas otras enfermedades contagiosas.

Entonces, ¿qué cosas serían indicios de un brote? ¿En qué se están fijando?

Queremos que el personal y los administradores de las escuelas estén alertas y fijándose en las ausencias. De hecho, eso es algo que se supone que hagan siempre, no solo durante la pandemia de COVID. Antes de que empezara la pandemia esa esa la expectativa, que identificaran brotes de casos. ¿Hay estudiantes o empleados con los mismos síntomas? ¿Están todos en los mismos salones de clase o grados?

Si esto ocurre, entonces se comunicarán con las agencias locales de salud pública para preguntar si se requieren otras estrategias adicionales de mitigación (de la misma manera que lo harían para influenza u otras enfermedades contagiosas). Por ejemplo, una estrategia adicional podría ser aumentar las pruebas de detección en las escuelas una vez se identifique que hay casos. En ese momento quizás empiecen nuevamente las cuarentenas, las investigaciones y los procesos para determinar la fuente de los casos. O sea, todas las cosas que ya hemos estado haciendo.

¿Fueron innecesarias las precauciones que muchos maestros y estudiantes tomaron los últimos dos años, por ejemplo las cuarentenas y las mascarillas? ¿Qué ha cambiado?

Yo diría que ahora estamos en un lugar muy diferente y se debe a factores del virus y factores humanos, y por eso nuestra respuesta de salud pública ha cambiado. Tenemos una población que ahora es mayormente inmune, ya sea por vacunarse o porque ya tuvo la infección.

Aparte, el virus también ha cambiado. Seguimos viendo variantes, pero aunque se están haciendo más contagiosas, también están causando menos casos graves. Por eso, todo es bastante distinto ahora. Y creo que eso amerita que ajustemos nuestra respuesta de salud pública.

A principios de la pandemia muchas escuelas dedicaron mucho esfuerzo a desinfectar las superficies. Ahora sabemos que eso no es una fuente mayor de contagio de COVID. ¿Todavía tiene sus beneficios hacerlo?

Estás hablando con alguien que está sumamente interesada en que los espacios estén desinfectados, y no es solo por el COVID, sino también por otras enfermedades contagiosas. Sabemos que desinfectar superficies puede ayudar a prevenir la transmisión de norovirus o influenza, y posiblemente de la viruela del mono. Mientras pensamos en los retos nuevos que se avecinan, la desinfección sigue siendo una estrategia importante.

Hablando de la viruela del mono, ¿habrá instrucciones para las escuelas en relación con ese virus?

Los CDC están activamente trabajando en eso ahora y nos han dicho que anticipemos normas para las escuelas y los centros de cuidado de niño en una o dos semanas. Los niños no han sido la población más afectada — eso es lo que nos están mostrando los datos. Pero obviamente queremos estar preparados al empezar la escuela.

Erica Meltzer cubre temas de política educativa, y supervisa la cobertua de educación de Chalkbeat Colorado. Comunícate con Erica enviándole un mensaje a emeltzer@chalkbeat.org.

Teachers head back to school with optimism and some worry

2022-08-17T18:33:45+00:00

As Nick Altman heads back to school, he’s trying to think of the year ahead as a regular year.

A radio and TV teacher at Huntington North High School just outside Fort Wayne, Indiana, Altman is learning students’ names and getting settled in. Hopefully, he said, “We can just move forward.”

In the back of his mind, though, concern lingers. Last year, “There was some excitement going into the school year that maybe, ‘Hey! This could be a normal year,’ and then shortly after we got in, there were quite a few COVID infections, even amongst staff. And it kind of took the wind out of our sails,” Altman recalled.

“I’m feeling more confident that this year will be a little bit more normal, but there is a degree of cautious optimism.”

After years of exhaustion and disruption thanks to the pandemic, many educators like Altman say they’re going into this year with a little hope.

In many parts of the U.S., school will work differently than it has since COVID arrived. Few districts are enforcing a mask mandate, and recently updated federal guidelines did away with the quarantine recommendations that led to cascading student and staff absences. At many schools, there’s a new emphasis on rebuilding a sense of community.

Some educators say that after so much struggle, this year has to be different.

But having experienced whiplash from earlier changes to COVID protocols, and the letdown of last year’s hopes for a comeback, many are still cautious. COVID is still around, and so are many of the other challenges facing educators and their students.

“Last spring, because [schools] got to do prom and graduations and field days and things like that, we’re hearing a lot of hope,” said Amy Lopez, assistant professor of psychiatry at Colorado University and director of Colorado Educator Support. Still, she said, “I think there’s a lot of hopelessness about the profession as a whole.”

Big and small changes

Some educators are trying to step into this school year focusing on the little joys.

Aaron Grossman, a fifth grade teacher at George Westergard Elementary School in Reno, Nevada, anticipates a good school year ahead. He said subtle changes are giving him hope.

“Teaching through a mask, when you’re trying to project like that throughout the school day — it’s hard. I mean, it quite literally is physically taxing. So I don’t have to do that this year,” Grossman said. “You realize, oh, this begins to feel like several years ago.”

“Some of the things I’m hearing are excitement to head back into the classroom, some of the normalcy of getting to know a new batch of kids.”

Aaron Griffin, a middle school principal in Frenchtown, a small community just outside of Missoula, Montana, echoed those thoughts.

“Last year, when we had our first school dance after three years of not having a school dance, I think the teachers were more excited than the students,” Griffin said. “To have our students be able to go to the state science fair, to participate in the live spelling bee instead of the virtual spelling bee, I think that’s the kind of stuff that our communities in Montana really crave.”

Other educators are planning bigger shifts to how their classrooms or schools work — often, efforts to head off some of the behavior challenges schools faced last year or to respond to them differently.

Lopez talks to educators across Colorado when providing mental telehealth support services. Some teachers have told her they are using last year as a learning opportunity and may change how they approach their classes this year to put more emphasis on structure and personal relationships.

Anthony Perdue, a 12th grade African American and Latinx history teacher at KIPP Collegiate Academy in Newark, New Jersey, is seeing that kind of change at their school as detention is being restructured to prompt students to talk about what led them there in restorative justice circles.

“Honestly, I think that will be a really transformative space, just because there was so much negative behavior from the kids last year. But that negative behavior was a direct result of not being able to process a lot of the crazy things and trauma that they were experiencing under COVID,” they said. “I think that is a huge change and a big step in the right direction.”

Staff shortages still straining teachers

Some key issues that have been plaguing teachers throughout the pandemic remain. Filling positions, from bus drivers to special education staff to traditional classroom teachers, has remained a challenge for schools headed into the year. And when positions don’t get filled, that can mean larger class sizes or added responsibilities for teachers.

“As excited as I am to go back and teach, I’m anxious and a little nervous about what environment I’ll be stepping into,” said Nicholas Ferroni, a high school history teacher in New Jersey.

Last year, Ferroni was slated to teach six classes, but when another educator left Union High School mid-year, Ferroni had to take on a seventh class.

“Obviously we all want to help out,” Ferroni said. “But it definitely added an extra stress to the already existing workload that we have.”

In a RAND corporation survey given in January, staffing issues and the extra work taken on when a gap isn’t filled came in as the number one stressor for principals and the number three stressor for teachers. A different RAND survey showed that about 90% of school districts had to change how they operated in one or more schools at some point last year because they were short-staffed.

Quarantine changes and a summer staffing push are likely to help, and evidence of an unprecedented nationwide teacher shortage is thin. Still, the hiring challenges are real.

“For the start of the year, I told my staff we will probably have zero paraprofessionals,” said Griffin, in Montana.

More than 80% of school leaders reported concerns about teacher mental health in a more recent federal survey, and nearly 45% of principals listed supporting teachers’ and staff members’ mental health and well-being as a top stressor, according to RAND surveys. As mental health issues in schools get more visibility, teachers say they or their peers are sometimes struggling without support.

“If our students are our future, we’re in trouble, because our teachers are tired,” said Sonya Battle, founder of The Teacher’s Resource, a nonprofit educator support group.

As of May, only about 14% of schools said they directly provided staff mental health counseling. Another 39% reported that they made referrals outside the school.

Grossman said at his school teachers have been implementing mindfulness practices like “bear breaths” not just for their students but for themselves.

“We explain what a bear breath is, letting kids understand this is part of self regulation, that there are going to be moments of real anxiety,” he said. “People are trying to sort of incorporate those own outcomes in their lives, not just bring them to their kids.”

Navigating curriculum changes

The tensions surrounding curriculum choices are also a weight on some educators’ shoulders as they head into the new year.

Kathryn Vaughn is an elementary art teacher in rural southwestern Tennessee, where debates about critical race theory, and how to teach about racism and sexism, gained national attention and were a key topic of local discourse last year. She’s also the president of her local chapter of the Tennessee Education Association, and curriculum changes designed to add books with stories by people of color earlier in the pandemic prompted a wave of online harassment that shook her.

“It’s been a very tumultuous time to be a teacher,” she said. “I’m someone that’s worked here in this county for almost 20 years, I’ve dedicated my life to the success of children here, and so when people tell me, I’m stupid and don’t know anything, or call me a Marxist for being an educator, it’s incredibly hurtful.”

Over 60% of principals and nearly 40% of teachers reported being harassed because of their school’s policies on COVID-19 safety measures or for teaching about race, racism, or bias during the first half of the 2021-22 school year, according to RAND.

This year, Vaughn expects to hear more feedback about curriculum choices, but feels more prepared than in previous years. Her superintendent sent out an email voicing support for teachers, she said.

At KIPP Collegiate Academy in Newark, the school made changes to its history curriculum over the summer to focus more on the experiences of Black and Latino Americans. Perdue expects parents and educators to question and debate those changes, and will welcome that discussion.

“I think whenever you have a huge change like that, people are going to be resistant to it, because it is just a change from the norm,” they said. “It is different than what they’ve done before.”

Alex Magaña, executive director of the Beacon Network Schools in Denver, said that even with the challenges schools are facing, this year is a chance for educators to “reset.”

He’s thinking about ways to build trust among teachers, celebrate students, and return to even more of the school’s pre-pandemic procedures.

“I am very optimistic for this school year, going back to what we love and why we got into this profession,” Magaña said. “But I’m also pushing that we challenge the status quo. That means, how do we meet the needs of kids where they’re at?”

Jessica Blake is a summer reporting intern for the Chalkbeat national desk. Contact her at jblake@chalkbeat.org or on Twitter at @JessicaEBlake.

What to know about COVID guidelines for NYC schools this year

2022-08-16T17:43:04+00:00

New York City schools will shed many of its COVID prevention strategies from the past two years, according to new education department guidance posted Tuesday for the 2022-23 school year.

When the nation’s largest school system starts on Sept. 8, students will no longer be required to fill out a daily health screener to enter the building. Schools will no longer swab a portion of students and staff for COVID, as Chalkbeat reported earlier this month. But they’ll continue giving out at-home tests.

Masking will continue to be optional but will be required for students and staff who return to school five days after testing positive for COVID.

And, while vaccines will still be required for staff and visitors, they won’t be mandated for students unless they are participating in sports or extracurriculars.

Here’s what we know about COVID guidance for next year:

What happens if I have COVID?

In line with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, students and staff must stay home for five days after testing positive.

They can return to school on Day 6 if they have no symptoms, or if their symptoms are improving. They must wear masks through Day 10, following the day they developed symptoms or after their positive COVID test, whichever happened first.

Families are urged to notify their school of positive test results, and the education department’s Situation Room — which handles communications over positive COVID results — is supposed to help the school notify people who have been exposed.

If you’ve been exposed to an infected person, the education department recommends taking an at-home test on the fourth and fifth day — at least 24 hours apart — post-exposure.

If you have COVID symptoms, you should not come to school and should get tested.

Will we still get tested in school for COVID?

No. The city is ending its in-school PCR testing program, in line with CDC guidelines.

However, the CDC says schools could consider testing students and staff who participate in high-risk activities, such as band or sports, as well as students who are at high risk of severe illness, if COVID levels are high around the community. That doesn’t appear to be the plan in New York City, at least for now.

What about at-home kits?

Schools will continue to send home kits to students who are potentially exposed to someone with COVID in class.

Additionally, all students and staffers will receive four at-home tests a month for families to use when symptoms arise or after high-risk activities such as travel or large gatherings.

Do I have to be vaccinated to attend school?

Like last year, staff and visitors to school buildings must show proof of vaccination against COVID. (A spokesperson did not immediately say whether booster shots would be required.)

Vaccination for students won’t be required, unless they participate in sports or extracurriculars where there is a high risk of contracting COVID. Still, city officials are recommending that everyone be vaccinated against COVID.

Mayor Eric Adams had shown early interest in requiring schoolchildren to be fully vaccinated against COVID. However, he then moved to loosen restrictions, lifting vaccine mandates for performers and athletes, as well as such requirements for students attending prom at the end of last school year.

Will I have to wear a mask in school?

In places with a high COVID transmission, such as New York City as of Aug. 16, the CDC recommends masking. Despite that, masking will mostly be optional for students and staff, though officials said face coverings are “strongly recommended” while indoors, especially for those who are immunocompromised.

Again, masking will be required for students who return to school on Day 6 after testing positive for COVID-19 or the onset of symptoms, through Day 10.

Masks will also be required for people with COVID symptoms while at school, as well as those entering their school nurse’s office or school-based health center.

What about ventilation?

City officials say each classroom will have at least two air purifiers.

New York City officials recently spent $27 million on new air filters for classroom air purifiers. Those purifiers, from a brand called Intellipure, have come under intense scrutiny. Experts previously told Chalkbeat that while these purifiers are better than having nothing, they’re not as efficient at cleaning air as other brands.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

NJ Gov. Murphy ends COVID test mandate for unvaccinated teachers

2022-08-15T16:03:33+00:00

Unvaccinated teachers and child care workers are among those no longer required to undergo regular COVID testing, according to an executive order signed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday.

The new mandate, effective immediately, applies to school districts, child care centers, and state contractors that have requirements for employees to be vaccinated or face routine testing. The news – regarding one of the few remaining pandemic restrictions intended to limit the spread of the virus – comes three weeks before Newark Public School students are set to begin classes.

Currently, masks are required at all Newark Public Schools facilities. Students are expected to wear masks this school year.

The district did not immediately respond to whether or not it would apply the new mandate.

As of June 17, children 6 months or older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the state, more than 18.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in New Jersey, with more than 1.9 million doses administered to children under the age of 18.

“Today’s executive order follows guidance from public health officials at the CDC regarding responsible steps states can take as we continue to adjust to the endemic reality of COVID-19,” Murphy said. “With children as young as 6 months old now eligible for vaccines and millions of New Jerseyans vaccinated and boosted, more of our residents are safe from severe illness due to COVID-19.”

Some charter schools in Newark won’t be affected by the new mandate as they require teachers and staff to be vaccinated upon employment.

Barbara Martinez, the spokesperson for North Star Academy, said the school’s teachers must be vaccinated to work at the academy but was unsure if COVID protocols would change in the future.

KIPP New Jersey also has a vaccine mandate in place for all staff members, unless they qualify for a medical or religious exemption.

“As a result, we have very few unvaccinated staff members,” said Jessica Shearer, KIPP New Jersey spokesperson.

Per the new policy outlined by the state, they will not be requiring staff to participate in COVID testing this school year as well.

Last year, the Newark Teachers Union said 90% of its approximately 4,000 members are vaccinated. But only 2,556 teachers, or 64%, had uploaded vaccination proof into the employee portal as of Oct. 2021, the district said at the time.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for schools that end quarantines and regular screening tests for the virus but recommended students and staff should keep masks on in areas with high levels of COVID spread. Schools aren’t required to follow these recommendations and states and cities can still set their own rule.

The change also applies to state contractors as of Sept. 1. The New Jersey state employee testing program will also come to an end on Sept. 1.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org

Philadelphia makes student masking mandatory for first 10 days of school

2022-08-12T20:40:16+00:00

Masking will be mandatory for Philadelphia students for the first 10 days of the upcoming school year that starts on Aug. 29, after which it will be “optional but strongly encouraged” for much of the rest of the school year, district officials announced Friday.

However, masking will also be mandatory for 10 days after extended breaks during the school year.

As part of its COVID protocols for the 2022-23 school year, the district is also requiring all new teachers to be vaccinated as a condition of employment, but is not extending the mask mandate to teachers currently employed.

The district’s chief medical officer, Dr. Kendra McDowell, said the protocols follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning the rules could change based on the levels of community transmission.

Right now, that level in Philadelphia is “medium,” she said. If it changes to “high,” masking will be mandatory for students and staff.

Masking will be required for the first 10 days of the school year, from Aug. 29 through Sept. 9, because students are just coming off summer vacation.

“This is an extra precaution for everyone’s health and well being since increased end-of-summer social gatherings may heighten the risk of exposure to Covid-19,” said McDowell, who is a pediatrician and an epidemiologist.

The masking protocols also apply to school buses.

If there are local outbreaks in a school or classroom, universal masking may be imposed, McDowell said. And regardless of the overall transmission level, pre-kindergarten and Head Start students and staff will be required to mask at all times.

Both she and Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. said at a press conference the district is “determined to keep students in school for in person learning” after significant disruptions for the past three school years.

The district is reducing its quarantine requirement for students and staff who test positive for coronavirus from 10 days to five days, following new guidelines from Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the CDC. Students who have been exposed to COVID but are asymptomatic will not have to quarantine, but rather can “mask to stay” for 10 days.

While vaccination for students and staff is optional but strongly recommended, new teachers are being required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as a condition of employment under a Board of Education resolution passed last October.

Staff are required to report their vaccination status. If vaccinated employees need to quarantine due to exposure to COVID, they can use paid quarantine leave instead of sick days. Those who are unvaccinated, however, must dip into their sick days.

McDowell said 89% of staff members are vaccinated, but that percentage will increase as new staff come aboard. It is holding a series of vaccine events for students and staff.

“We are working with the (Philadelphia health department) and its immunization program to get that information on how many are fully vaccinated and will have that information shortly,” McDowell said.

Last year, the district required student athletes and those in performing arts activities to be vaccinated, but this year it is dropping that requirement, McDowell said, based on guidance from the city health department.

”Moving in that direction overall comes from our local health authorities and the city as well, and we wanted to make sure we are equitably applying the vaccine mandate across the board,” she said.

“Test to play” in sports and the arts will no longer be required of unvaccinated students. But they will be required to wear their masks during games and performances, according to the district’s guidelines.

In preparation for the opening of school, buildings are being thoroughly cleaned, with no-touch hydration and sanitation stations, as was the case last year. All classrooms will have air purifiers to enhance ventilation, Watlington said, as was the case last year.

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, issued a statement generally supporting the district’s guidelines. He emphasized the district’s recognition that “masking requirements need to remain fluid” and its focus on monitoring and improving ventilation.

Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer for Chalkbeat Philadelphia, where she covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at dmezzacappa@chalkbeat.org.

NYC plans to end school-based COVID testing program this fall, source says

2022-08-12T19:38:58+00:00

New York City is planning to end its program to administer weekly coronavirus tests to a random sample of students, Chalkbeat has learned, removing one of the last standing campus COVID safety measures.

The decision to discontinue on-site PCR testing after summer school ends was communicated internally last month, a source with knowledge of the program said.

“The city decided it was no longer necessary,” the source said, noting that a specific rationale wasn’t provided. Chalkbeat also reviewed communications that suggest the program is ending.

A City Hall spokesperson denied that the city’s plans for the fall have been finalized, but did not directly dispute that the city is moving away from in-school PCR testing.

“To be clear, no final decisions have been announced about testing in schools in the coming year,” wrote Amaris Cockfield, a mayoral spokesperson. “Anyone saying otherwise is speaking with absolutely no authority. We are still finalizing plans to keep schools safe and open this year, and will communicate our plan with families when there is an actual decision.”

One of the labs involved with the in-school testing program confirmed their contract is ending after this story initially published.

“NYC hasn’t renewed testing contracts with any of the providers it used the last two years,” wrote Nicole Borsje, a spokesperson for Fulgent Genetics, one of the four companies that helped run the random PCR testing program.

Launched in fall 2020 as the city reopened school buildings for the first time, the program aimed to detect large outbreaks in schools and offer big-picture data about whether mitigation measures such as masks and social distancing were keeping the virus in check.

But the pandemic’s course — and the city’s responses to it — has changed significantly since the testing program was first conceived. Some public health experts had previously questioned whether the testing program was worth the expense at upwards of $30 million a month. (The program was initially supported by a $251 million federal grant though city officials have not revealed the program’s total cost.)

City officials have not yet shared what COVID safety measures will be in place next school year or what the city’s testing strategy might be. Last school year, schools initially sent home rapid kits to students and staff when they were exposed to someone in their classroom who tested positive, and later sent them home to everyone as a preventive measure. The goal was to identify cases when someone wasn’t feeling well, as well as to help clear them to return to buildings faster.

Dr. Jay Varma, a top health advisor to former Mayor Bill de Blasio who designed the in-school testing program, said that it could be appropriate to end the testing program as long as the city supplies rapid tests. Gov. Kathy Hochul has indicated the state is planning to make millions of rapid tests available to schools this fall.

“If every kid is going to get a supply of them weekly, then I think the city does not need to continue routine PCR screening,” Varma wrote in a message to Chalkbeat.

The city’s teachers union has been a major advocate for expanding the in-school PCR program, which allowed up to 10% of staff to be tested weekly by the end of last school year, though educators said that in practice the testing companies sometimes declined to test them. The source familiar with the city’s decision said the in-school PCR testing would no longer be available to staff.

Alison Gendar, a spokesperson for the United Federation of Teachers, said the change needed to be negotiated with the union.

“The Department of Education cannot unilaterally change COVID protocols without engaging the UFT and the other unions representing school employees,” she wrote. “Those conversations have not taken place.”

Mayor Eric Adams, who has pushed for the city to return to pre-pandemic life, rolled back other school safety measures last year, including universal masking and social distancing rules. And some experts argued the testing program may not be delivering many concrete benefits.

The city did not clearly explain how it was using the testing data to drive big-picture policy decisions such as whether to institute universal masking. Officials generally stopped closing classrooms or school buildings when positive cases arose, though students and staff were still required to stay home if they tested positive.

There were also questions about the quality of the data. Although the program’s goal was to sample a random group of students, that’s not how it worked in practice. The program involved pulling students out of class, sometimes for up to 30 minutes — but the majority of students did not consent to testing, which left some children getting swabbed repeatedly. By the end of last school year, the city was aiming to test at least 10% of students each week.

Still other experts previously said the program may also provide some peace of mind to parents, educators, and students that the virus is not running rampant in school buildings. The lab tests are generally more accurate than rapid tests, though they take longer to return results, making them less useful as a strategy for quickly isolating students.

Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.

New CDC guidance: No quarantines, less testing

2022-08-11T19:44:39+00:00

Schools can end quarantines and regular screening tests for COVID, but students and staff should keep masks on in areas with high levels of COVID spread, according to guidelines released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new, more limited recommendations come as districts across the country are starting a new school year — and in many cases reflect decisions to ease up on COVID precautions that schools have already made. Almost no districts are starting the year with a mask mandate, and in-school quarantine rules are on the retreat.

“This latest guidance from the CDC should give our students, parents, and educators the confidence they need to head back to school this year with a sense of joy and optimism,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “While COVID continues to evolve, so has our understanding of the science and what it takes to return to school safely.”

Schools aren’t required to follow these recommendations — states and cities can still set their own rules — and updates to CDC guidance no longer prompt the kind of sweeping policy changes that they did earlier in the pandemic. Still, many districts look to the recommendations.

Chad Golden, a school administrator in Everett, Washington, for example, said last week that his district was waiting for new CDC and state guidance before making any changes to their COVID protocols. Of particular interest, he said, was “any possible adjustments they would make that would impact our student day, like social distancing.”

Here’s what the CDC says now.

No more quarantines

Under the previous CDC guidance, fully vaccinated students didn’t have to quarantine. But federal health officials had advised other students to quarantine for at least five days in a few scenarios.

Now, the CDC says no one in schools needs to quarantine after exposure, though they should wear a mask for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status.

“Administrators can decide how to manage exposures based on the local context and benefits of preserving access to in-person learning,” the guidance says.

Some states and districts have taken a similar approach for months. Still, some school leaders will likely breathe a sigh of relief at the change, as prior quarantine guidelines led to confusion and huge numbers of student and staff absences.

“It’s just so disruptive to schools when they’re struggling with lots of kids that are out,” said Sara Bode, a doctor at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and chair-elect for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on School Health. “It is really such a benefit to the school itself, to try to maintain some consistency with this in person.”

People who do test positive for COVID should still isolate for at least five days, the updated guidance reads.

Masks still suggested in ‘high risk’ areas

One recommendation the CDC did not drop: indoor masking in high risk level communities. Currently, over 41% of counties qualify as a high-risk zone. (Here’s where you can check your own county.)

Local policies diverge on this point. Only a handful of big districts currently have a mask mandate in place, including Philadelphia and Newark .

Schools “should consider flexible, non-punitive policies and practices to support individuals who choose to wear masks regardless of the COVID-19 Community Level,” the new guidance says.

The guidance also cautions that schools must make accommodations needed for students with disabilities to attend school in person, including requiring others to wear masks in certain instances.

“Students with immunocompromising conditions or other conditions or disabilities that increase risk for getting very sick with COVID-19 should not be placed into separate classrooms or otherwise segregated from other students,” the guidance states.

No more ‘test to stay’

The new guidance says that the practice known as “test to stay” is no longer needed at schools.

The CDC recommended the practice last year as a way to keep students in the classroom after exposure. As long as a student tested negative and showed no symptoms, they could stay in school instead of quarantining.

Test-to-stay was used in a number of districts, including Philadelphia, Chicago, and across Colorado. By the end of last school year, just over a third of public schools were using test-to-stay, according to a recent federal survey. But the practice required lots of rapid tests, making it resource-intensive.

No more regular screening testing

New guidance also says that routine screening testing is no longer recommended in K-12 schools.

But when COVID levels are high in a community, schools can consider using screening tests for students and staff who participate in certain high-risk activities, such as band, choir, theater, and close-contact sports. Schools may also want to use screening tests before or after big events, like prom, school trips, or school breaks.

And schools that serve students who are at higher risk of getting severely ill from the virus — such as students who have complex medical needs — may want to use screening testing when COVID spread in the community is medium or high, the guidance says.

Some districts have routinely tested students and staff to detect asymptomatic COVID cases. Last year, the Biden administration gave schools billions of dollars to run these kinds of programs.

But in general, in-school testing programs are waning. New York City is planning to end its weekly random testing program. In Chicago Public Schools, fewer than 5% of students in summer programs had consented to COVID-19 testing as of July 5.

Detroit’s school district was requiring universal testing for all employees and students, but this fall, the district will only test a random pool of 10% to 20% of the district’s population each week.

Continued push to improve ventilation

The CDC’s new general COVID guidance continues to acknowledge social distancing can help stop the spread of the virus, but says use of that strategy should depend on the setting, COVID levels in the community, and the quality of air ventilation.

Many districts had already dropped social distancing requirements or announced plans to do so this school year. Los Angeles schools said they would still follow social distancing protocols “to the extent possible,” while others, like Fort Bend schools in Texas, said they’d return to keeping three feet of distance if COVID cases spiked in the community.

The CDC is continuing to emphasize the importance of improving ventilation.

Districts across the country have been upgrading ventilation since the pandemic began. It’s become a top spending priority for many school officials: A recent review of some 5,000 district spending plans found leaders expected to spend nearly $6 billion in federal COVID funds to improve heating, ventilation, and cooling systems. The issue is particularly pressing for districts like Detroit and Newark that have aging buildings or other longstanding facilities issues.

Kalyn Belsha is a national education reporter based in Chicago. Contact her at kbelsha@chalkbeat.org.

Jessica Blake is a summer reporting intern for the Chalkbeat national desk. Contact her at jblake@chalkbeat.org or on Twitter at @JessicaEBlake.

Colorado’s COVID guidance for K-12: minimize disruption, stay alert

2022-08-10T23:17:10+00:00

Leer en español.

There are no mask mandates and no quarantine rules in Colorado’s COVID guidance for the 2022-23 school year, but public health officials say they’re still tracking the disease and want school administrators to be open and honest with families about cases and clusters.

New guidance released Wednesday largely treats COVID like other communicable diseases, continuing a policy the state established in February at the end of the first omicron wave. At the same time, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is continuing to make free rapid antigen tests widely available to schools and child care centers, both for weekly testing programs and for students to use at home.

Colorado saw high levels of COVID-19 all summer, with a sustained plateau in hospitalizations that began to decline this month. Bailey Fosdick, a member of the state’s COVID modeling team at the Colorado School of Public Health, said the lack of mitigation measures like masking may contribute to some spread in classrooms, but the combination of vaccination and recent infection should put a brake on transmission.

“Even with school starting, all of our models suggest cases and hospitalizations will continue to decline through at least the end of September,” Fosdick said. “And that’s due to the high levels of infections we saw in the spring and summer. We estimate that we still have quite a bit of immunity in the population, particularly immunity from severe disease.”

State Epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said the new guidance aims to minimize disruptions for students and families while remaining alert for signs of clusters or higher transmission that might indicate a need for stepped-up precautions. Colorado is in a very different position than it was two years ago, she said, and that warrants a new approach.

Chalkbeat spoke with Herlihy about this approach to COVID as students return to school. Her answers are lightly edited for length and clarity.

What COVID precautions are you recommending K-12 schools take this year?

There’s no new requirements for the 2022-2023 school year. What you’re going to see in the guidance is continuing down that pathway of managing COVID-19 more like other communicable diseases. Places where previously you may have seen criteria for quarantine based on the level of vaccination in a school or the level of participation in testing, those types of things are gone now. It’s much more simplified, much more streamlined.

Quarantine is not a big focus, but you’ll see a big focus on that relationship between local public health and school districts and individual schools and really working together to identify when there are increases in transmission and when additional mitigation strategies might be needed.

An important priority in the new guidance is we do really want school administrators to continue to be transparent and share information with students and staff and parents when there are cases increasing, when there are outbreaks or there are clusters in those schools, so that those individuals have the opportunity to take extra steps to protect themselves if that’s what they want to do.

Are masks still effective against new variants?

Masks continue to be an important strategy to both protect yourself, but also potentially protect other individuals. Places where individuals might want to consider mask use would be people who are regularly in contact with people who are high risk, or people who are themselves high risk might want to wear masks. Times when mask use might also be considered would be if you’re going to be in a crowded place, especially if you have something coming up. A good example for me personally would be last year, my daughter’s graduation was coming up and transmission levels were high. Our family was routinely wearing masks for a while to minimize the chance that we would be exposed and miss her graduation and other important end-of-the-school-year type things.

So again that focus is on individual-level responsibility and decision-making.

How long should people with a positive test stay home before returning to school?

The recommendation hasn’t changed around isolation. There is that shortened isolation period of five days, and then after that the recommendation is to wear a mask. And that does continue to be an important strategy in our school guidance, that individuals who do test positive and have symptoms of COVID-19 should isolate and not be in public.

Child vaccination rates remain low in many parts of the state. What are you doing to increase those rates and what will that mean for transmission in schools?

Vaccination is obviously an important strategy to decrease the risk of transmission and also really important for preventing severe disease. We’re continuing to ensure that Coloradans have equitable access to vaccines, that schools promote vaccination alongside our local public health partners. [Almost 38% of Colorado children ages 5 to 11 are vaccinated against COVID-19, compared with 30% nationally. For children ages 12 to 17, it’s 65%.]

Some of the news about polio that you may have seen recently also reinforces the importance of other childhood vaccinations. And this is the right time for parents to be thinking about all of those vaccines as they’re getting ready to send their kids back to school.

CDPHE has stopped monitoring school-based COVID outbreaks. How will we know whether COVID is spreading in schools?

I would correct your language a little bit. Outbreaks are still reportable. We’re still very closely monitoring the data and working with our local public health partners who are working with schools to identify increases in transmission, increases in absenteeism in a way that is now more closely aligned with what we do with other communicable diseases. You may remember norovirus outbreaks that occurred before the pandemic and influenza outbreaks that occur in school. And so this approach is really about aligning our approach with COVID-19 to the approach we take with those other communicable diseases.

So what types of things would flag an outbreak? What are you watching for?

We want school staff, school administrators to be aware and looking at their absenteeism data. That is something that they are expected to do not just in the time of COVID. Even pre-pandemic, that was an expectation, looking for clusters of cases. Are there kids or staff who have similar symptoms? Are they clustered in particular classrooms or grade levels?

At that point, they would reach out to their local public health partners just like they would for flu or other infectious diseases and get guidance from public health on whether additional mitigation strategies might be needed. It could be enhanced testing in the school once increased transmission is identified. That might be when you start doing more case investigation and contact tracing once again, or quarantine, all of those things that we’ve been doing.

Were the precautions many teachers and students took over the last two years, like quarantines and masking, unnecessary? What’s changed?

I would say that there’s both virus factors and human factors that lead us to be in a very different place right now, and so our public health response has changed. We have a population that’s largely immune either through vaccination or through previous infection.

And then the virus has also changed. We continue to see these variants evolve but even as they’re becoming more transmissible, they’re causing less severe disease. And so because of that, we’re in a pretty different place. And I think that calls for an adjusting our public health response.

Earlier in the pandemic, many schools put a lot of effort into disinfecting surfaces. Now we know that’s not a major source of COVID transmission. Are there still benefits to doing that?

You’re probably speaking to someone who’s very interested in environments being disinfected and not just for COVID purposes but for other communicable diseases. We know that disinfecting surfaces can help prevent transmission of norovirus or influenza or maybe monkeypox. As we start thinking about new challenges that are facing us, disinfection continues to be an important strategy.

Speaking of monkeypox, will there be school guidance related to that?

The CDC is very actively working on that right now and has told us that we can expect school and child care-type guidance in the next one to two weeks. Children haven’t been the population that’s been most impacted — that’s what the data is showing us. But obviously, we want to be prepared as we go back to school.

Bureau Chief Erica Meltzer covers education policy and politics and oversees Chalkbeat Colorado’s education coverage. Contact Erica at emeltzer@chalkbeat.org.

New school year, no mask rules for most of U.S.

2022-08-04T22:54:54+00:00

Most students can return to the nation’s schools this year without a recent classroom staple — masks.

At the start of last school year, about 75% of U.S. schools required masks for students or teachers, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By the end of the year, that number dropped to 15%.

Now, despite the emergence of the BA.5 variant, the number of districts requiring masks has dwindled to just a handful. Alongside scaled-back or scrapped COVID testing programs and quarantine rules, it’s a visible example of schools’ increasingly hands-off approach to managing the pandemic.

“The framework has kind of flipped,” said Dennis Roche, president of Burbio, a data service platform that has been tracking mask mandates in the nation’s largest school districts since last October. “It was very much a default to mask mandate in most of the country through about the winter and now it’s the opposite.”

Nearly 300 of the 500 districts Burbio tracks, including New York City, dropped their mandates in March and April. Other districts that had continued requiring masks, like Detroit, changed course over the summer.

“Students and staff should exercise good judgment and support others’ mask-wearing choices,” Prince George’s County Schools, the last Maryland district requiring masks, said in July as it announced masks would be optional moving forward.

The Los Angeles school district lifted its mandate in March but was considering a reinstatement as county health officials signaled concern. On Tuesday, the district announced it would stick with its mask-optional policy.

The shifts come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people in schools in high COVID level counties to wear masks indoors. Nearly half the country falls into that category.

Schools in Florida, Georgia, Utah, and Virginia couldn’t put a mandate into effect for kids even if they wanted to due to a variety of laws, legal actions, and executive orders. Eight other states in the South and Midwest have similar legislation or court decisions pending, according to Burbio.

That leaves only a small handful of districts still enforcing a mask mandate.

Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky decided to require masks for the return to school. Others requiring masks for all include San Diego Unified School District, New Haven Public Schools in Connecticut, and Sacramento City Unified School District in California.

Gwinnett and Clayton County School districts, both near Atlanta, are requiring masks for adults.

Philadelphia and Newark also still have mandates in place. Philadelphia reinstated its mandate in May due to rising COVID-19 case counts and has not updated its policy since. The first day of school is still weeks away, though, and officials signaled change is possible.

“Our team is actively working with our local health experts to review our current guidelines and protocols,” a district spokesperson said. “We will make any necessary updates and share those with families before the 2022-23 school year.”

Thoughts from parents in the district are mixed.

Ashley Jimenez has four children in three different Philadelphia schools and her husband teaches in the district.

“Families must do what they feel is right for them. A mandate infers that families don’t know what’s right for them,” Jimenez said. “Clearly other school districts understand this and have made strides towards allowing families this decision. It shows Philadelphia’s continued paternalistic stance towards its mostly Black and Brown families to require masks.”

But Saterria Kersey, president of the Home and School Council at Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, said with COVID still around, she “applaud[s] the district for thinking about our children’s well-being.”

In Newark, Superintendent Roger León said in June that the district would send families information by mid-August on COVID protocols for the upcoming school year.

Another difference as kids head back to class this year is vaccine access. COVID vaccines started to roll out for 5-11 year olds in late October of last year. This year, the shot is fully available to all kids 6 months and older.

But vaccination rates remain relatively low nationwide. As of July 27, only about 5% of 6 month to 4 year olds have received at least one dose of vaccine. For 5 to 11 year olds it’s 37%, and for 12 to 17 year olds it’s 69%.

The number of kids facing severe COVID cases is relatively low. Sara Bode, a doctor at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and chair-elect for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on School Health, thinks this is part of why vaccination rates are also low.

“Although there might not be as many kids with severe complications, that number isn’t zero,” Bode said. “And so [I’m] just really reinforcing to families the reasons why as a pediatrician, I think it’s important for them to get that vaccination.”

Beyond COVID, overall childhood immunization rates dropped from 95% to 94% in the 2020-21 school year, according to data released by the CDC in April.

One percent may seem small, but it equates to tens of thousands more children than normal unprotected against illnesses like whooping cough, measles, and mumps, according to the CDC.

Bode knows parents have a variety of opinions on vaccines and on COVID mitigation strategies, but said her priority is getting kids consistent in-person learning. Vaccines, along with rapid testing and masking up in high-risk communities, can reduce illness related absenteeism, she said.

“It’s just so disruptive to schools when they’re struggling with lots of kids that are out due to positive COVID, whether they’re having severe symptoms or not,” she said.

Johann Calhoun in Philadelphia and Catherine Carrera in Newark contributed reporting.

Jessica Blake is a summer reporting intern for the Chalkbeat national desk. Contact her at jblake@chalkbeat.org or on Twitter at @JessicaEBlake.

New school year, no mask rules for most of U.S.

2022-08-04T15:52:31+00:00

Most students can return to the nation’s schools this year without a recent classroom staple — masks.

The shifts come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people in schools in high COVID level counties to wear masks indoors. Nearly half the country falls into that category.

That leaves only a small handful of districts still enforcing a mask mandate.

Gwinnett and Clayton County School districts, both near Atlanta, are requiring masks for adults.

Thoughts from parents in the district are mixed.

Ashley Jimenez has four children in three different Philadelphia schools and her husband teaches in the district.

In Newark, Superintendent Roger León said in June that the district would send families information by mid-August on COVID protocols for the upcoming school year.

Beyond COVID, overall childhood immunization rates dropped from 95% to 94% in the 2020-21 school year, according to data released by the CDC in April.

One percent may seem small, but it equates to tens of thousands more children than normal unprotected against illnesses like whooping cough, measles, and mumps, according to the CDC.

“It’s just so disruptive to schools when they’re struggling with lots of kids that are out due to positive COVID, whether they’re having severe symptoms or not,” she said.

Johann Calhoun in Philadelphia and Catherine Carrera in Newark contributed reporting.

Jessica Blake is a summer reporting intern for the Chalkbeat national desk. Contact her at jblake@chalkbeat.org or on Twitter at @JessicaEBlake.

Chicago school board to consider $85 million COVID testing contract renewal

2022-07-26T10:45:00+00:00

The Chicago Board of Education is set to vote this week to renew its COVID-19 testing contract for $85 million – a $25 million increase over the initial contract awarded last year.

The proposed renewal with Fisher Scientific comes despite a rough year for the optional school-based testing program. The effort was plagued by missed deadlines, staffing problems, and a winter work stoppage sparked by teachers’ concerns over COVID-19 mitigations, including testing.

Using its emergency spending powers, Chicago Public Schools awarded Fisher Scientific a $60 million contract last summer to do school-based testing for staff and students. But according to purchasing documents posted online, the district has paid Fisher Scientific more than $78 million since August 2021. Wednesday’s agenda confirms the increase.

It’s not clear what is driving the increased costs. A Chicago Public Schools spokesperson said the initial contract did not account for changes in how students were tested during surges in COVID-19 positivity rates.

Weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing is an important public health measure, particularly in areas where vaccination rates are low. A Chalkbeat Chicago analysis from March found students at schools on the South and West sides were less likely to be vaccinated than those on the North side. In places where vaccination rates lag, testing can be an effective way to monitor the spread of the virus and prevent outbreaks.

The testing program got off to a slow start last school year, with just 7% of the district’s student body signing up as of the end of October. In some schools, less than five students consented to the weekly nose swabs. Then, over winter break, an effort to provide students with at-home test kits got snarled by seasonal shipping delays as test kits piled up at drop boxes.

As cases of the omicron variant surged in January, teachers grew concerned that school-based COVID-19 mitigations were not stopping the virus from spreading. After Chicago Teachers Union members voted to switch to remote learning, school was canceled for five days as the district and the union negotiated.

One of the key agreements in the settlement reached to return to in-person learning was a promise to get at least 10% of students at every school to sign up for weekly COVID-19 testing.

By mid-February, about 35% of the district’s students had opted in to the testing program. Around that time, WBEZ reported on the $60 million deal with Fisher Scientific and noted the company agreed to credit the district $1.35 million toward future testing costs and services. According to WBEZ, Fisher did not score highly during the bidding process either.

A call to the Fisher Scientific representative listed on the proposal to renew the contract went unanswered Monday.

The COVID-19 testing program paused at the end of the school year, but started back up during summer school. Numbers obtained by Chalkbeat Chicago last week indicated fewer than 5% of students were being tested during summer school.

The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the $85 million contract for the 2022-23 school year on Wednesday.

Becky Vevea is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Chicago. Contact Becky at bvevea@chalkbeat.org.

Tennessee’s shift to partisan school board elections faces its first big test

2022-07-12T11:00:00+00:00

When early voting for Tennessee’s school board elections begins this week, voters in Williamson County, south of Nashville, will see candidates listed on the ballot with party affiliations for the first time.

Half of a dozen school board seats are up for grabs in one of the state’s most hotly contested local elections. Four of five incumbents are running for reelection as Republicans. One of the nine challengers is also running as a Republican, and two are running as Democrats.

Then there’s Nancy Garrett, a lifelong resident who has been a board member since 2016 and served as chair the last two years. Local leaders urged her to identify herself as a Republican on the ballot in her mostly Republican district.

But Garrett, who has voted in every GOP primary since 2014, couldn’t bring herself to run as either a Republican or a Democrat.

“We expect our teachers to be nonpartisan in the classroom,” said Garrett, who’s running as an independent against Republican Drason Beasley. “How can I set a different standard for myself? And how can I put students first if I’m also thinking about partisan politics?”

“I cannot twist myself like a pretzel,” she said.

Nancy Garrett campaigns as an independent candidate in a neighborhood in her district in Franklin, Tennessee, in her reelection bid to serve on the board of Williamson County Schools.

Not everyone’s on board with the idea, but partisan school board elections are now here in Tennessee, drawing local races under the influence of the national political divide and providing a new source of fuel for the combustive debates over education.

A state law passed last fall gives local political parties more power to choose candidates for races that used to be nonpartisan. In over half of Tennessee counties, a partisan primary selected candidates to run in the coming school board elections on Aug. 4.

“It’s a changed environment,” said Debbie Gould, president of the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, a nonpartisan organization that opposed the change.

“We appreciated nonpartisan elections because it helped the public focus on candidates’ positions instead of their party labels,” said Gould, noting that some partisan candidates have declined to participate in her organization’s forums this summer. “We’re also concerned that voters may not work as hard now to learn about those positions.”

Tennessee’s partisan pivot, and the outcomes of races like Garrett’s, are being closely watched in states like Arizona, Florida, Indiana, and Missouri, where similar partisan school board bills stalled but could be reintroduced in a nation riven by party politics.

“The pandemic, and school reopenings in particular, punched the chest of national politics, and education has moved quickly from being local to national to partisan,” said Jonathan E. Collins, assistant professor of education and international and public affairs at Brown University, who is writing a book about the politics of school boards.

“All eyes are on Tennessee to see if this is a viable political strategy,” he said of the upcoming elections. “If there’s a surge in campaign donations, voter turnout, and partisan representation on school boards, it will signal to other Republican-leaning states to pass similar legislation. But if it backfires and we see a countermobilization, it could serve as a flare for other states to stay away.”

COVID, CRT, and book bans set stage for partisan elections

Since the early 1900s, the vast majority of the nation’s 13,000 local school boards have been elected without using political party labels.

The reasoning was that the critical but often mundane work of elected school officials — passing budgets, hiring and firing superintendents, setting school policies, approving vendor contracts — should be shielded as much as possible from potential sources of conflict that could distract them from local education issues and their obligation to students.

But the shock of the pandemic and recent cultural battles over curriculum and instruction thrust locally elected school leaders into the spotlight, and provided a platform for conservative Republicans to rally more support around divisive education issues such as mask requirements, book bans, and the rights of transgender students.

Last year, politicians took note when Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin defeated his Democratic opponent, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, on a promise to give parents more say in their kids’ education. And when sketching its education agenda, the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute urged conservative officials to “strongly consider” pivoting to partisan school board elections.

Republican leaders in Tennessee were among the first to follow that advice. Last fall, the state’s GOP supermajority approved a partisan school board election law during a special legislative session on COVID restrictions. The measure headed to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature before opponents, including organizations representing school boards and superintendents, could mobilize against it.

The law will mean different things for voters depending on where they live and whether they elect board members at large or by district. In most cases, local political parties took the lead in recruiting this year’s candidates for primaries. According to state election officials, 57 of 95 Tennessee counties held at least one school board primary election for at least one political party.

In a few cases, there were no primaries, but local political parties convened caucuses to nominate their candidates.

And in some communities — including Tennessee’s largest district, in Memphis, a Democratic stronghold — local parties rejected partisan school board elections, and nonpartisan races remain the norm.

Clashes between parents and school leaders

Not surprisingly, the partisan shift appears more pronounced in communities where school leaders took the most heat from parents in recent years, especially for pandemic-related health and safety policies like masking, and remote vs. in-person learning.

Candidates have opted to use party labels in urban districts in Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, along with large suburban school systems in Madison, Montgomery, Rutherford, and Wilson counties.

“It’s become a very toxic environment,” said Tucker McClendon, outgoing board chair for Chattanooga-based Hamilton County Schools, where angry parents surrounded the boardroom and banged on windows during one meeting in May 2021. Police eventually called in backup officers to control the crowd as the board rejected a proposal to let students remove their masks for the final days of the school year.

McClendon fears the tone will get even worse under the partisan shift.

“Many people running for the board are on polar opposites of the political spectrum,” he said, “and some don’t actually seem to grasp what a school board does.”

The president of the Tennessee School Boards Association agrees.

“The most effective school boards are those that can reach a compromise. If you can’t do that, you get gridlock,” said Keys Fillauer, who has served on the board for Oak Ridge City Schools since 2001.

Collins, the Brown University researcher who grew up attending public schools in Jackson, Tennessee, says he’ll be watching closely to see if partisan-elected school boards will govern differently from nonpartisan boards, especially when it comes to serving students who need the most help.

Many partisan candidates in Tennessee are talking more about history curriculum and mask mandates than about student poverty, learning loss, and equity, he noted.

“You’re having these partisan fights over education that cover up some of the more important daily issues that need to be addressed policywise,” he said.

Scott Golden, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, counters that party identification will help voters make more informed decisions.

“During the pandemic, every parent was right to get more involved in education when their kids were learning from home,” he said. “That experience really brought to the kitchen table how decisions made by nonpartisan boards were directly impacting their children and families.”

Golden says party labels will encourage voters to weigh in on school board races instead of leaving boxes blank by names they don’t recognize.

“Partisan races just provide more information about the philosophical beliefs of candidates,” he said.

Golden also believes that all school officials will be more accountable to voters if board members declare their political inclinations up front.

“Schools account for 75% to 80% of county budgets, and it’s only right that voters and taxpayers should know as much as possible about the school board members who are overseeing that,” he said.

The pushback is bipartisan

Democrats generally opposed partisan school board races, but their state party still sought to recruit candidates to stay competitive, said Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Hendrell Remus.

“Without a party label or party resources, it’s going to be difficult for independent candidates to win,” Remus said. “And if we don’t engage, there’s also a greater likelihood of misinformation when it comes to things like critical race theory and book banning and other divisive ideas about education being circulated by a fringe element of the Republican Party.”

Still, many candidates are pushing back.

In Oak Ridge, a Republican-leaning town near Knoxville that’s home to several federal nuclear research facilities, all four candidates are running as independents for three at-large seats on the five-member school board.

“The Republican Party tried to recruit people to run as Republicans but weren’t able to,” said Fillauer, the board’s chairman, who is not up for reelection.

“I hope that’s because our candidates are running for the right reason, which is to provide a quality education for all students,” added the retired teacher and coach.

In Murfreesboro, a college town south of Nashville, three of the four candidates are running as independents for three at-large seats on the city’s school board. Among them is Amanda Moore, a mom and attorney who is seeking a second term in office.

“I’ve worked hard as a board member for four years and developed a lot of relationships,” Moore said. “I trust the voters of Murfreesboro will look past party labels.”

The sole declared Republican in the race, retired teacher Barbara Long, says embracing a party label was tactical because she’s a political newcomer in a large district.

“In the campaign realm, it’s an identifier,” she said. “It helps people get to know who you are and what you stand for. It’s like saying you’re a Baptist.”

Will partisanship scare away qualified candidates and leaders?

Critics worried early on that the new law would diminish the pool of qualified candidates by attracting more partisan warriors and discouraging some civic-minded parents. There are signs that’s happening.

Knoxvillian Rachel Snyder Miller, a former teacher with a master’s degree in public administration, has long been interested in running for office. She is passionate about education policy issues like equity and diversity and is inspired by an aunt who once served on a school board and her own 3-year-old daughter who will one day attend Knox County Schools.

But the new partisan law and the school board rancor she’s seen play out during the pandemic changed her mind about running this year.

“I don’t know if I can be part of a partisan school board,” said Miller, who also worried that campaigning for both a primary and a general election would be too costly and time-consuming.

McClendon, who will leave his board in Chattanooga in September, worries the partisan shift will drive out good education leaders, whether on boards or at the central office.

“I tried to get good people to run for my seat, and they said they wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole,” McClendon said. “As for superintendents, I don’t think any smart person would want to answer to 11 partisan-elected officials. They’d have to think long and hard about the ramifications to their careers.”

Nancy Garrett (second from right) poses with her father, William Nelson, an award-winning chemistry teacher at Williamson County’s Franklin High School, in this 1968 family photograph.

Garrett, the candidate who chose to run as an independent in Williamson County, knows that she’s facing a tough political fight without a party label. And the stakes couldn’t be higher, she said.

“If we elect school board members who lead in a partisan way and not a professional way, we’ll lose the trust of our educators and they’ll leave,” said Garrett, whose late father was an award-winning teacher in the district where she now serves on the board.

“It’s a fight,” she said, “over everything this community values about education.”

Marta W. Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Our principal got caught up in the debate over masking. Now, I sympathize with him.

2022-07-07T13:39:32+00:00

After learning online in eighth grade, I chose blended learning for my freshman year at Beacon High School. I only had to go in person one day a week, and during the rest of the week, my classes were held remotely. I soon learned it didn’t really make sense to go once a week since other students were learning remotely, and teachers came in just to sit in a classroom and teach on Zoom. Still, I kept on with the hybrid schedule.

I finally went back to school full-time at the beginning of my sophomore year in September 2021. My principal stood at the entrance each morning to welcome us, and he seemed happy to be there.

Marylene Bioh

I had to fight the urge to pull down my mask when socializing; at times, I felt masking made it hard to connect with others. I thought I wasn’t making friends quickly enough in high school and wondered if masks contributed to that.

Eventually, I met more people during extracurricular activities. I joined the Step Club, Black Student Union, and Guitar Lessons Club. I tried out for the basketball team. But it was sometimes annoying to be masked during these activities when I wanted to express emotions or even just breathe after a hard workout.

I made a few friends during lunch. That was the only time during the day that felt like normal school since we could pull down our masks to eat.

Then, more than halfway through my sophomore year, in March 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams lifted the mask mandate in all public schools. I never imagined the day would come. I was happy because masks had felt like such a burden; but I also worried about what this meant for COVID.

At first, it was funny to see some classmates without their masks; I thought to myself, Oh my goodness, is that really you under there?!

I was even more surprised when controversy engulfed my school shortly after the mayor’s announcement. My principal was criticized for allegedly trying to pressure students to wear masks in class. In an email sent the week the mask mandate was lifted, he wrote: “And while teachers cannot mandate a mask in their classroom, they may request that students wear one as many of us have vulnerable ones at home.” This incident was covered in the New York Post.

At first, it was funny to see some classmates without their masks; I thought to myself, Oh my goodness, is that really you under there?!

I saw his point, but it still felt like the choice we had just been given was being taken away. Would we really ignore the adults who strongly suggested that we wear masks?

I also felt some sorrow that my principal had been attacked in the media. He was hired as a replacement principal in 2021 when we were learning online. It must have been a burden for him to try to understand and protect his students, his staff, and their loved ones during a pandemic.

After a lot of thought, I decided I still worried that regressions in safety precautions could again lead to increased rates of COVID-19 cases. So even after the mandate, I still wore my mask when taking the subway to school and class. I estimate that a good 50% or more of students still wore their masks in school.

There was only one time when a teacher brought up masking, when my math teacher informed us of a new COVID variant peaking in New York, particularly in Manhattan, where my school is. He stated that he wasn’t forcing us to wear masks but suggested that we consider that choice, which I felt was a respectful way of approaching us.

The criticism of my principal died down, and I see that much of the school community respects him. I realized my biggest fear was that I’d have to relive the nightmare of that day in March 2020, when schools first shut down. Back then, I didn’t know if I’d ever be back in school again. I would hate to go through that horrible phase of the pandemic again; that’s why I keep my mask on.

A version of this essay was originally published by Youth Communication.

Marylene Bioh is 15 years old and attends Beacon High School in Manhattan. Her interests include playing piano and drums, creating beats, and writing song lyrics. She also enjoys playing volleyball and basketball.

New COVID vaccine for children under 5 gives Indy day care centers hope

2022-06-22T22:07:51+00:00

Many Indianapolis child care and day care providers are eager to spend a little less time worrying about COVID and more time helping children grow and develop, following federal approval last week of COVID vaccines for children between 6 months and 5 years old.

After more than two years of navigating the pandemic much like their K-12 counterparts, directors of these facilities are hoping parents will take advantage of the new vaccines to protect their children and those around them.

Those who run these facilities could still face tricky decisions about whether they should encourage or request that those who attend be vaccinated.

The Indiana Department of Health said the new vaccines are now available in the state. Young children previously eligible for the vaccine have proven much less likely to be vaccinated than any other age group. In Indiana, only 21% of children ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated, roughly half the percentage of children ages 12 to 17 in the state who are fully vaccinated.

Lisa Bowling, the co-director of Daystar Daycare in Indianapolis, said her center has experienced multiple COVID outbreaks this year. The center serves multiple classrooms of children ranging in age from 6 weeks to 12 years. While no children became seriously ill, many classrooms had children test positive in January and May.

“Some of our staff have gotten pretty sick,” Bowling said. “It really makes a difference now that we have the vaccine.”

Bowling said parents and staff have been diligent in maintaining COVID protocols when possible, but containing the spread of the virus can be difficult when many children cannot wear masks properly at a young age.

Bowling expects many of the children at her day care to be vaccinated shortly, as parents have been eager in the past — as is typical each time a new age group is eligible for vaccination. She said some children have even been vaccinated on their fifth birthday, as soon as they were eligible. Now, she said, she’s relieved they won’t have to wait as long.

“We were hoping that it would have been done sooner,” Bowling said about the new vaccines. “We’re very thankful that it’s now been approved.”

The state health department said parents should contact their health care provider or seek more information online, or by calling 211 for more information before going to a health care provider for a vaccine.

“As with every stage of vaccine rollout, we will see increased availability in the coming days as more doses arrive in the state,” said Dr. Lindsay Weaver, the department’s chief medical officer, in a Tuesday press release.

The excitement among those who oversee day care and child care centers extends to their own families. Rosie’s Tiny Tots Daycare Ministry Director Alicia Grant said she is excited to have her 3-year-old daughter vaccinated. While she will not require any parents to vaccinate their children who go to Rosie’s Tiny Tots, she hopes to see other parents follow her example.

“My daughter is three and she still doesn’t know how to blow her nose,” Grant said. “So being vaccinated would help her fight off whatever the virus may be at the time.”

Helen Rummel is a reporting intern for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Helen at hrummel@chalkbeat.org.

As COVID vaccines get approval for toddlers and infants, rates for older children still lag

2022-06-17T21:15:39+00:00

The nation’s preschoolers and infants, the youngest potential recipients of COVID vaccines, may have access to their first dose as soon as next week.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized both Moderna and Pfizer shots for America’s youngsters Friday morning, following a unanimous approval from its advisory board.

Pending a final signoff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anticipated this weekend, children as young as six months will be eligible to get the shot, a full year and a half after vaccines first became available to adults.

But polls show that most parents of children under 5 are hesitant to get their kids vaccinated. Efforts to change that are likely to run up against some of the same challenges public health officials — and many schools — have faced in raising vaccination rates among older students.

Parents “want to do what’s best for their children, and there’s a lot of conflicting information out there,” said Susan Hassig, an associate professor of epidemiology at Tulane University.

The vaccination numbers for kids ages 5 to 11, approved last fall, are still relatively low. Across the country, only about 36% of kids in that age group have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ analysis of CDC data. The number drops to 29% for children who have received both doses.

In some cities, rates of pediatric vaccinations are lower among children from low-income families and children of color.

Schools can and have played a part in trying to inch those numbers higher by making the shots accessible and sometimes providing access to trusted community experts.

Teachers on Chicago’s South Side took an all-hands-on-deck approach, making TikTok videos to dispel vaccine-related myths. New York City schools started offering vaccines to 5- to 11-year-olds as soon as they could, incentivizing families with $100 debit cards when their kids were vaccinated on site.

In Detroit and Philadelphia, districts established various programs to make vaccines accessible to any student who wanted one. And in Newark, schools were part of a successful citywide campaign to increase the youth vaccination rate last summer.

But hesitancy remains. Among parents of children under 5, only about one in five are eager to get their child vaccinated right away, according to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation in early May.

A larger 38% say they plan to wait and see how the vaccine is working for others, 27% say they will “definitely not” get their child vaccinated and 11% say they will only do it if it becomes mandated, according to the survey.

For the families that are hesitant, Anna Bershteyn, an assistant professor of population health at NYU, said that there is compelling safety data.

There have been trials with children of all age groups, she said, and on top of that, there are hundreds of millions of adults who have already received the vaccine safely.

“We have been watching a real life rollout of this product,” Hassig said. “The product that the children are getting is not substantively different than what the adults are getting. It’s just a smaller dose.”

The best person to ask questions is a family pediatrician, Hassig said.

“The pediatrician knows [a parent’s] child, knows what their medical status is, and can probably give them the most personalized information,” she said.

Jessica Blake is a summer reporting intern for the Chalkbeat national desk. Contact her at jblake@chalkbeat.org.

From enrollment declines to federal COVID relief funds: Chicago’s school year in 5 numbers

2022-06-09T20:58:03+00:00

COVID-19 surges. Staff shortages. Rocky school-based testing roll-out. Transportation challenges. Canceled classes amid a dispute over safety issues.

When Chicago Public Schools fully opened its doors to all students this fall — after about 18 months of remote and hybrid learning – the return to the classroom was expected to be a year of recovery.

But the ripple effects of the ongoing pandemic presented challenges for the district as teachers and staff worked to meet student needs such as learning loss, behavior issues, and mental health challenges.

This year, Chicago – and districts across Illinois and the nation – grappled with how to protect students and staff from COVID even as they looked for ways to regain lost academic ground and coped with staff shortages and transportation woes.

In Chicago Public Schools, the country’s third largest district, officials struggled to implement an effective COVID-19 testing program. The delta and omicron surges added to the uncertainty and safety concerns, prompting a week-long standoff between the district and its teachers union.

Here are five numbers recapping some of the biggest stories across Chicago Public Schools from this school year, which ends on June 14:

10,000 students leave the district as enrollment drops

Chicago Public Schools lost 3% of its student body and saw drops among all racial groups as the pandemic exacerbated declining enrollment. CPS shrank by a total of 10,000 students, bringing the enrollment to 330,411 as of October 2021.

More than 53,700 students left the district since fall 2020. The number of students transferring to homeschooling and private schools also increased over the past two years. A higher number of new students this year did not balance out the number of students leaving.

Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a net loss of about 25,000 students between fall 2019 and spring 2021.

Latino enrollment losses outpaced those of Black students this year, which previously emptied out schools in the South and West Side in recent years. Although causes of shrinking enrollment vary, gentrification and demographic changes have been two prominent drivers of the past decade.

The district uses enrollment as part of school-based budgeting to determine funding for schools. Union leaders and parents are concerned that the loss of students will thrust schools into cycles of fewer resources that lead to more decreases in enrollment.

Chicago’s enrollment loss is similar to the overall enrollment declines across the state. About 70,000 students, or 3.6%, left public schools statewide, according to the state board of education’s 2021 report card. The enrollment drops were highest among younger students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.

$1.26 billion in federal COVID relief money spent

As CPS finalizes its budget for the upcoming school year, critics have urged the district to keep school budgets harmless for a third year by using federal COVID relief funds.

So far, the district has spent $1.26 billion, or 45% of the federal relief funds since the first of three relief packages was approved in spring 2020. Chicago Public Schools plans to use about $730 million in the upcoming year on academics and social emotional learning supports, according to the district.

The district has used a large chunk of federal COVID dollars on existing staff, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of the data. While some principals appreciated the extra breathing room, others felt those funds weren’t being used to help schools bounce back.

CPS says it has spent relief funding on COVID mitigation measures including school-based testing as well as tutors and counselors to address mental health and academic harms.

5 days of canceled classes amid a standoff between CPS and its teachers union

In January, Chicago Public Schools and Mayor Lori Lightfoot canceled classes for five days after a majority of the Chicago Teachers Union members voted to teach remotely over safety concerns as COVID-19 cases surged across the city.

After a weeklong stalemate, district leaders and the union came to an agreement on a safety plan. The agreement included masks for teachers and students, more testing, and details for when a school or class would flip back to remote. The union’s original demands for a districtwide threshold to shut down in-person teaching and an opt-out testing program were not met.

Parents expressed frustration over another disruption to the school year, with some criticizing both the union and district for not including them in the discussion.

In early February, a judge in central Illinois granted a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed by a group of parents and over 170 school districts. The ruling halted emergency public health orders that established masking, vaccination, and testing protocols in schools. Chicago was one of the districts listed in the lawsuit, but continued to require masking until March 14. The move to mask-optional faced criticism from some parents and the teachers union.

22,114 COVID cases among students and 9,125 cases among adults

COVID cases surged in the winter because of the highly transmissible omicron variant, reaching a peak in January, according to data provided by CPS. A smaller surge began toward the end of April.

In the first month of school, from Aug. 29 through Sept. 30, there were a total of 1,073 COVID cases among students. By June 8, the district had recorded a total of 22,114 cases, according to CPS data.

As of early May, CPS reported that across all district-run schools, about 44.7% of eligible students were fully vaccinated, but rates varied widely. There was lower uptake in majority Black schools on the South and West Sides and higher uptake in schools on the North Side, according to a data analysis by Chalkbeat.

In March, almost 75% of schools had less than half of their students fully vaccinated, 34% had less than a quarter of students vaccinated, and 30 schools had less than 10% vaccinated.

The district engaged in various initiatives to boost vaccination rates throughout the school year. These efforts included hosting regional hosting vaccines hubs, mobile clinics, and a Vaccine Awareness Day in addition to partnerships with the faith community.

Despite efforts to vaccinate students, issues of access such as transportation and language barriers contributed to limited success at schools in the South and West Side.

4,000 students without reliable bus service early in the school year

Chicago Public Schools struggled to provide enough busing for students requesting transportation, a problem that hit districts across the state and country. Almost two months into the school year, CPS had 4,000 students with outstanding transportation requests; more than half were students with disabilities. In October, about 3% of students without steady transportation did not go to school at the time as a result, according to the district.

At the beginning of the school year, the district only had 500 of the 1,200 bus drivers needed. School officials also attributed busing snarls to new transportation requests, enrollment changes, and route assignments by the bus companies.

Some families received stipends to provide their own transportation and the district partnered with taxi cab companies and vendors such as RideAlong to try and close the gap. The district also sought to hire more drivers throughout the year.

In January, the Board of Education adopted a resolution that prioritized transportation for students with Individualized Education Programs, medically fragile students, and those who lived in temporary housing.

District officials said they were able to meet transportation obligations for students with disabilities in February, but at the time, 1,000 general education students were still waiting for busing assignments. CEO Pedro Martinez said Chicago Public Schools would look for alternative modes of transportation and might rely less on buses this fall.

Eileen Pomeroy is a reporting intern for Chalkbeat Chicago. Contact Eileen at epomeroy@chalkbeat.org.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

NYC ends mask mandate for children in preschools, daycares

2022-06-09T16:59:35+00:00

Masks will be optional for New York City children under 5 in preschool and daycare programs starting June 13 as COVID rates have begun to drop, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday.

The announcement comes several months after Adams lifted the mask mandate for public school students, a decision he stuck by even as COVID rates surged over the spring. But he kept the mandate in place for the children attending early childhood programs. Earlier this year, he pointed to data that showed younger children with COVID were hospitalized at a higher rate than older children.

Adams was expected to lift the mandate for children ages 2 to 4 in April but held off, saying he was heeding advice of public health advocates concerned about new variants and an uptick in cases. A legal challenge briefly put the mandate, but his administration successfully appealed that ruling.

“I have always said that the science will guide us out of the pandemic, and because we have followed the data, which shows that cases are steadily falling, we‘ve beaten back the latest COVID-19 surge,” Adams said in a statement. “New Yorkers stepped up when we needed them most and have put us on the path to lower risk.”

New York City’s COVID transmission rate is still considered high, according to the city’s coronavirus tracker, but the seven-day average of cases citywide began dropping in late May. On June 8, there were 840 cases reported among students and school staff, education department data shows. Still, Adams has urged New Yorkers to continue masking indoors.

“We still strongly recommend that New Yorkers of all ages continue to wear masks indoors and we will continue to make masks available for any child or school staff member who wishes to continue wearing them,” Adams said in a statement.

Adams’ decision to lift the mask mandate for K-12 students was met with disappointment by those still worried about contracting the virus and relief from those who had grown weary of masking.

Christina Veiga contributed to this story.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

As summer break approaches, Chicago will pause school-based COVID testing Friday

2022-06-07T21:19:05+00:00

Chicago Public Schools is pausing its COVID-19 testing program on June 10 — a few days before the district wraps up classes on June 14, according to Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner.

The news comes as the city’s COVID transmission rate remains high, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rating system. Amid the surge in cases, health and district officials continue to urge people to wear masking indoors. Last month, one school and 21 other classrooms temporarily reinstated mask mandates in the face of several COVID-19 cases.

Last week, 1,078 students and 467 staff tested positive between May 29 and June 4, data shows.

The district plans to bring back testing during summer school starting July 6. It will also offer COVID-19 testing for the 2022-23 school year, according to the district.

The health commissioner announced the pause of the CPS testing program during her weekly online segment “Ask Arwady” on Tuesday.

In a statement, the district said it “has made the safety and well-being of [its] students and staff a top priority since the onset of the pandemic.”

Officials have worked to promote vaccine events telling parents and students being inoculated is the best protection against COVID-19. The district has seen vaccine uptake increase since January, but rates vary widely by school.

“We are working with our schools with low student vaccination rates in order to facilitate outreach calls to our families and coordinate events with our community partners,” the district said in a statement.

Over the past year, Chicago Public Schools has made headway with its testing program after struggling to implement testing at every school. Officials cited staffing shortages with the district’s vendor. It also struggled to get students opted in to testing. The teachers union and some parents criticized the district saying the program should require parents to opt out rather than opt in for testing.

In January, after a weeklong standoff with its teachers union, some teachers spent the first day back going through class rosters calling parents to get students signed up for the district’s school-based COVID testing. About 34.64% of students are currently enrolled in COVID-19 testing across the district, according to data from the city.

Before a return to in-person learning this year, Chicago Public Schools set out to make testing a centerpiece of the district’s COVID safety strategy. In August, Interim school chief Jose Torres told WTTW the district would be testing all students and staff weekly, noting at the time: “This goes way beyond the CDC recommendation.”

But the promise of weekly testing for all students and staff never materialized. Chicago Public Schools completed 127 tests at schools during the first week of school between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4. At the start of the school year, the district also failed to meet its deadline to implement a testing program at every school.

The district has ramped up testing over the last few months, conducting more than 66,100 tests between March 27 and April 2. Last week, the district conducted over 58,000 tests, according to data from the district.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

The pandemic’s toll: study documents fatality rates of teachers, child care workers in 2020

2022-06-06T21:41:54+00:00

Child care workers were more likely than the typical American worker to die of COVID in 2020, according to new research.

Among over 1 million child care workers, 405 died from COVID in 2020, the study found, using data from nearly every state. That translates to 38 deaths for every 100,000 child care workers — a higher rate than workers overall, and one similar to others in “essential” industries where in-person work was common.

Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teachers, on the other hand, had somewhat lower mortality rates than the typical worker. Eight hundred and eight teachers at public and private schools died from COVID in the first year of the pandemic, for a rate of 15 deaths of every 100,000 teachers.

The study, which examined the death rates among 155 million working Americans across 46 states, offers the clearest picture to date of the toll that the first year of the pandemic took on American educators — and the disproportionate impact on child care workers in particular.

“There’s no way to know from this particular research whether or not it’s the child care work itself that caused the increased morbidity,” said Walter Gilliam, a Yale professor who studies child care. “It doesn’t change the fact that this is a workforce that we don’t adequately support.”

The study can’t distinguish among several reasons why the death rates of different occupations diverged. Although the researchers adjusted for age, they did not account for other factors that might affect someone’s risk of contracting and dying from COVID, including other health conditions, access to health care, race, income, or geography. It also can’t show whether COVID was contracted on the job or elsewhere.

Jobs with the highest mortality rates included cooks, security guards, nursing aides, and truck drivers. Workers in essential industries had nearly twice the death rate as those with “non-essential” positions. Overall, 31 workers in 100,000 died of COVID in 2020.

Although they can’t show it definitively, the researchers suggest that the generally high death rates among essential workers were due to insufficient workplace safety precautions.

“We infer that at least some of it is due to on-site transmission,” said Yea-Hung Chen, one of the study authors and a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, though he acknowledged the results “don’t prove that.”

The paper did not break down the data for child care workers or teachers, but Chen provided the results to Chalkbeat.

One potential explanation for why child care workers had higher death rates than teachers is because child care and early learning centers were typically open, while many K-12 schools continued virtual instruction through 2020.

“During the pandemic, it was these unheralded child care workers who were keeping the American economy going by taking care of other people’s children,” said Gilliam.

But Gilliam’s research found that child care workers who returned to work in person in the spring of 2020 had similar COVID infection rates as those who did not return to in-person work, suggesting other factors were at play.

The data comes after a year-plus of debates about how quickly public schools should reopen — and the lingering consequences of some staying closed for in person instruction for much of the 2020-21 school year. Many politicians and some parents urged schools to reopen more quickly than they did. But other parents and many teachers pushed schools to remain virtual out of concern over safety.

Research has found that students who remained virtual fell further behind academically. The latest study does not examine whether school reopening decisions contributed to mortality rates among child care workers or teachers.

Overall, 350,000 Americans died of COVID in 2020, and each loss of a teacher or child care worker left devastated families, colleagues, and children. “This is about people who are beloved in their school communities and have done so much good, and now they’re gone,” then-Mayor Bill de Blasio said in April 2020.

Correction: A prior version of this story mischaracterized teacher fatality rates in England as not elevated compared to other professionals. In fact, this varies depending on the teaching level. This line has been removed.

Matt Barnum is a national reporter covering education policy, politics, and research. Contact him at mbarnum@chalkbeat.org.

Sticking around: Most big districts will offer virtual learning this fall, a sign of pandemic’s effect

2022-06-06T11:00:00+00:00

All kinds of applications have come Monica Morris’ way as she prepares to open the Dallas school district’s first standalone virtual school this fall.

Some applicants are students who have been homeschooled or enrolled in a temporary online program. Others struggled this year after returning to in-person class. A handful have serious medical needs.

All are hoping to attend iLearn Virtual Academy next year, which will enroll up to 350 students in third through eighth grades.

“We have seen a lot of interest,” said Morris, the school’s principal. “This isn’t just a pandemic response mode of learning anymore.”

Dallas is one of several large school districts set to expand their virtual offerings in the coming school year. Some, like Los Angeles and New York City, plan to open new standalone schools, while others, like Gwinnett County in Georgia, will add grade levels.

Nearly all of the nation’s 20 largest school districts will have a remote option this fall, with at least half offering more full-time virtual schooling than they did before the pandemic, a Chalkbeat review found. The shifts suggest that districts’ expansion of online schooling is poised to be a lasting consequence of the pandemic, despite longstanding questions about its effectiveness.

“Overall, 95% of the kids who attended school before the pandemic will be attending in person after the pandemic and in the near future,” said Larry Cuban, an education historian at Stanford University. “What I think the pandemic has done is to enlarge the option for those who don’t want to attend school in person, [or] who cannot because of illness.”

Last fall, as schools returned to predominantly in-person instruction, the vast majority of students returned to school buildings. A small but significant group of families wanted to remain virtual, though, and many districts expanded their virtual schools or launched temporary remote options.

Now, some are keeping or expanding virtual learning, turning it into a longer-term option for that slice of their student population.

Montgomery County and Prince George’s County schools in Maryland, for example, are continuing virtual schools that they created during the pandemic. Chicago will continue to run a virtual academy for students with certain medical conditions.

A number of other large districts, including San Diego, Philadelphia, and Clark County, Nevada, will maintain expanded versions of their virtual schools. All three added elementary grades during the pandemic.

Others are building something from scratch. In New York City, one of the few large districts that didn’t offer virtual learning this year, officials plan to launch two new virtual schools this fall that will initially serve ninth graders.

“There are some folks who are absolutely opposed to this — it’s not for them,” said Carolyne Quintana, who oversees teaching and learning for the district. “And for the folks who absolutely need it, it is.”

Elsewhere, officials have raised concerns as plans to launch new schools came together. In Los Angeles, then-interim superintendent Megan Reilly was blunt when she told the school board earlier this year: “We all believe that in-person education is absolutely the best.”

Despite that, she recommended starting six new virtual schools, framing it as a way to accommodate families with lingering pandemic safety concerns, which could stave off more enrollment losses. Nearly 18,000 students, or 4% of the student population, enrolled in the district’s remote learning option this year, an “independent study” program that suffered staffing shortages and drew complaints about lesson quality.

Reilly faced some pushback — “When do kids get to go poke each other and run around and throw balls at each other?” George McKenna, a former district teacher and principal, asked rhetorically. But the board, with McKenna the sole dissenter, ultimately signed off on the plan.

Research on virtual schooling remains largely discouraging. Prior to the pandemic, students who opted into virtual charter schools tended to have lower test score gains and graduation rates. Studies during the pandemic showed that students who weren’t attending school in person fell further behind academically than those who returned to classrooms.

Data from Chicago Public Schools showed students enrolled in its virtual program this year had lower-than-average attendance. In Detroit, the district’s virtual school struggled to stay fully staffed, and Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said recently that about one in three students both failed a core class and were chronically absent during the first semester.

Officials say improvements are coming, but some families plan to change course after a frustrating virtual year. “They really hate going to school because they’re not being taught,” Sharon Kelso, a caregiver and special education advocate, said of her two nephews in Detroit.

Some have questioned the pre-pandemic research findings because students who choose an online school may face other challenges that push down their test scores. Others say that while virtual school might not be ideal, it could help keep some students in school.

“Certain students might be dropping out in lieu of remote learning,” said Bree Dusseault, an analyst with the Center on Reinventing Public Education.

In Dallas, Morris is trying to head off some of those concerns. Elementary-age children will spend more live time on video than older students, and staffers are already planning in-person activities — something potential students often inquire about.

“They want to know about the clubs, and the field trips, and the opportunities to connect, because I think that’s what they missed the most in the virtual experience,” Morris said. “We want the kids to feel a part of something.”

Other large districts have scrapped or chosen not to expand their virtual options. Fairfax County in Virginia is dropping a virtual program available to students with specific medical conditions this year. Wake County, North Carolina is also eliminating its virtual school, while Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools will begin phasing out its virtual option for elementary students while keeping it for older grades.

“We believe two things — our schools are safe for all students and our students are more successful learning in person,” Fairfax County officials told families in March when officials announced the upcoming end of the virtual program, which enrolled less than 400 students this year.

Hawaii’s state-wide district will allow individual schools to offer remote learning, but officials decided against creating a standalone virtual school for now.

Other districts are rolling back the live instruction they offered to virtual learners, reverting to a more self-paced strategy they employed before the pandemic.

In Duval County, Florida, educators are expecting some 2,000 students at the district’s standalone virtual school next year, many more than the few hundred students it served pre-pandemic. Live virtual instruction will no longer be available, and teachers anticipate some younger students will struggle to stay on top of their schoolwork without the typical school schedule they followed this year.

That’s why teachers are planning to host extra virtual “success sessions” with students and their families, and offer in-person help when needed.

“Brick and mortar might be a better option for some students,” said Leslie Jones, who teaches 12th graders at the school. “But if they are with us, their teachers are doing everything they can to build that rapport.”

Ethan Bakuli contributed reporting.

Kalyn Belsha is a national education reporter based in Chicago. Contact her at kbelsha@chalkbeat.org.

Matt Barnum is a national reporter covering education policy, politics, and research. Contact him at mbarnum@chalkbeat.org.

Universal masking returns to Philadelphia schools Monday

2022-05-20T19:50:28+00:00

Editor’s note: This article was updated to reword material that appeared in a City of Philadelphia press release.

The Philadelphia school district will require all students and staff to wear masks in schools, offices, and on buses and vans starting Monday until further notice.

The decision to return to masks was recommended by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health due to rising COVID-19 case counts, said Superintendent William Hite in an email to staff Friday.

“As we learned since the pandemic began, the coronavirus continues to evolve and so too will our response to it,” Hite said. “As we work together to minimize the spread, please remember that our Health and Safety protocols are still in effect, including the importance of notifying the district if you test positive for COVID-19.”

Philadelphia schools ended a previous mask mandate March 9, although officials announced at that time a mandate would return briefly from April 18-22, the week after spring break. On May 13, the district ended a mandatory quarantine period for people exposed to COVID, although it did require those students and staff to wear masks while at school.

Friday’s announcement comes after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that children ages 5 through 11 receive a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine five months after being fully vaccinated.

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan said the move “makes sense.”

“We all want school buildings to remain open, and we want students and staff to be safe. This is one key measure of ensuring just that,” Jordan said.

Nearly 12% of COVID-19 tests have come back positive in Philadelphia over the last two weeks, with an average of 364 new cases of the virus per day. Two weeks ago, the city was averaging 261 new cases a day.

“Once again, we are seeing the number of COVID-19 cases rise in Philadelphia,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole earlier this month. “I still strongly encourage people to wear masks while in indoor public spaces to help stop the spread.”

Bureau Chief Johann Calhoun covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. He oversees Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s education coverage. Contact Johann at jcalhoun@chalkbeat.org

Philly schools lift quarantine mandate for people exposed to COVID

2022-05-13T22:33:47+00:00

The Philadelphia school district modified its protocols Friday for staff and students who have had “close contact” with someone known to be infected with COVID. Instead of entering a mandatory 10-day quarantine, they can go to school as long as they wear masks, the district said. But if they experience any symptoms, they must isolate and get tested before returning to school, according to the new guidance.

Under the new guidance, people who have been exposed but are asymptomatic must wear a mask in school for 10 days after their last known exposure “regardless of vaccine status.”

The so-called “mask-to-stay” option comes a little more than a month before the end of the school year and as cases in the city are on the upswing. On Monday the city reported an average of 261 new cases per day, which Philadelphia described as a “less than 50% [increase] in the previous 10 days.” There were 112 hospitalizations as of May 11, according to the city’s data.

“Requiring students who have been exposed to COVID-19 but are not exhibiting any symptoms to quarantine at home has the unintended consequence of reducing in-school learning,” Superintendent William Hite told parents and guardians in a Friday letter.

The change was made at the recommendation of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Hite said.

In general, masking is optional in schools. The district ended its mask mandate on March 9, although it did require masks for the week after spring break last month, and masking is still required in early childhood education classrooms.

In a statement, district officials said that the “in-school alternative to quarantining” is meant to “support in-school learning and reduce the strain on classroom coverage.” The district is experiencing a shortage of substitute teachers, and this year some schools have struggled to have enough staff on hand to open safely.

Schools that are experiencing “active clusters” of cases across grades or cohorts can require mandatory masking.

At least one school, Masterman, is experiencing an active cluster and therefore is requiring masks, said Principal Jeannine Payne. She said she decided to require masks based on recommendations from the city health department and the district’s Office of Student Health Services. She said students accounted for most of the recent COVID cases.

Masks will be mandatory at Masterman, a magnet school with students in grades 5-12 from all over the city, until May 23.

Robin Cooper, president of the Commonwealth Association of School Principals, did not say she disagreed with the decision, but did criticize the district for not consulting first with its union leadership.

“There was no discussion,” she said, adding that “schools have had to shut down multiple grades, the virus is so widespread.”

Currently, there are no Philadelphia public schools closed due to COVID outbreaks.

According to the district’s statement, officials “will continue to work with [the health department] to closely monitor COVID case counts and implement any actions needed to protect the health and well-being of everyone in our schools.”

The district maintains a dashboard of COVID cases that tracks tests and positive results. It shows that nearly 15,000 of 138,000 tests administered to students and staff, or nearly 11%, have been positive throughout the school year. The dashboard also tracks the number of cases school by school.

“Everybody just wants to get to the point where we can say things are normal again,” Payne said. “Then things like this pop up. This is not normal.”

Chicago Public Schools CEO tests positive for COVID-19

2022-05-12T23:11:20+00:00

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez is isolating after testing positive for COVID-19, the district announced Thursday.

Martinez, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, is experiencing mild symptoms. He began experiencing cold-like symptoms on Wednesday before testing positive on Thursday.

“This is a good opportunity to remind our CPS staff and families to please get vaccinated and boosted,” Martinez said in a statement. “Because of the vaccine, I expect that I will be fine.”

The district said in a statement that Martinez will work from home following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which recommends people isolate for five days or until symptoms have subsided.

Currently, the district requires people who test positive to quarantine for five days. Unvaccinated students and staff who are a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID are required to isolate for five days.

The news comes as Chicago is experiencing an uptick in COVID-19 cases. The city is currently averaging 971 new cases with a 5.2% positivity rate, data shows.

Last week, the city’s risk of COVID-19 transmission was raised from low to medium, prompting Chicago’s Department of Public Health to encourage people to wear masks indoors including school and public transportation.

“It’s not a cause for alarm, since most cases right now are mild and thankfully our COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths remain at or near all-time pandemic lows in Chicago,” Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner said last week.

Officials said the move from low to medium would not trigger a citywide mask mandate, restrictions on public gatherings, or reinstatement of vaccination requirements.

Such measures would be considered if the city moved from medium to high risk, Arwady said.

The district lifted its mask mandate in mid-March prompting criticism from some parents and the teachers union who alleged the district violated its safety agreement with the union.

About 1,062 students and 366 staff members tested positive during a span of four days between May 8 and May 10, according to school data.

Last week, the district recorded 1,403 students and 480 staff positive cases between May 1 and May 7 — an increase from the previous week when 823 students and 324 staff tested positive between April 24 and April 30, according to district figures.

About 2,128 students and 357 staff were quarantined as of Thursday, according to city data.

The positivity rate for school-based testing is shy of 1%, according to the district.

Across all district-run schools, the average school is 44.7% fully vaccinated, but rates vary widely. Although there has been a gradual increase in overall vaccine rates since December, the nation’s third largest district is still struggling to make inroads at predominantly Black schools on the South and West Sides, according to a data analysis by Chalkbeat.

Currently, majority Black elementary and high schools have an average vaccination rate of 26.7%, compared to majority Latino elementary and high schools, which average about 54%, data shows.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

New name, new dates, and other highlights from Detroit’s school board meeting

2022-05-11T18:48:08+00:00

Students and staff in the Detroit school district may have to cut short their summer plans this year.

The school board on Tuesday approved a partial academic calendar for the 2022-23 school year, which includes the first pre-Labor Day start in at least 15 years.

The calendar change was one of several major agenda items the board advanced Tuesday, including the approval of the $700 million facility plan, a name change for one of Detroit’s oldest high schools, and a loosening of the employee vaccine policy.

Here’s a look at some of the key developments out of the meeting:

A pre-Labor Day start to the school year

Under the new partial calendar approved Tuesday, the first day of school will be Monday, Aug. 29 — a week before Labor Day. Detroit Public Schools Community District.

A full academic calendar still needs to be approved by the board before the fall. The district is currently in negotiation with employee unions.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the early start could give the district more time to increase student enrollment ahead of Fall Count Day.

Keith Johnson, a former district teacher and union president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, disputed that during the public comment session.

Increased enrollment and the opening of schools “are not dependent upon one another,” Johnson said. “We still have the opportunity to market DPSCD and encourage people in our community to bring their children back to DPSCD without having to open schools prior to Labor Day.”

Johnson said he was concerned about whether schools open early could meet the daily student attendance threshold of 75% that’s required for a school day to be counted as a full day of instruction.

He called on district officials to table the early start until 2023-24 so families have more time to make their summer plans.

In his rebuttal, Vitti said that although the district could “run the risk” of falling below 75% attendance at the start of the year, the district saw “over 10 days” of below-threshold attendance rates in June 2019, toward the end of the 2018-19 school year.

“One of the strategies behind starting early is to end early,” Vitti said.

The school district still needs to apply and be approved for a waiver from the Michigan Department of Education before the early start can be confirmed. A 2005 Michigan law championed by the tourism industry bars schools from starting before Labor Day, but a growing number of school districts and charter schools across the state have sought and received waivers.

A spotlight on mental health support

Board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo launched a conversation over how the district intended to offer mental health support to students dealing with the effects of the pandemic.

She called on the district to adapt its strategies for promoting services given the stigma of mental health among African Americans.

“I think we need to re-envision the way we are approaching this,” Gay-Dagnogo said.

“As we’re talking about the vendors for the summer, we have to be intentional … . You’re not going to get our community to buy in the way we should, but all of us are going through some form of mourning, some type of trauma, as a result of two years of trying to figure this all out.

Gay-Dagnogo suggested the board call on its student representatives to offer feedback on “what would be more palatable for young people” to address the need. The school board first introduced its delegation of DPSCD students at its March school board meeting; those representatives are tasked with offering input on academic, financial, and policy decisions made by the board.

Vitti said the district has made progress with its mental health challenges this year in large part because of COVID relief funding, which has enabled the district to contract out services for small group mental health sessions.

School districts across Michigan have used their federal dollars to hire social workers, select social-emotional learning curricula, and purchase therapy dogs. But the varied needs of students, as well as labor shortages across the mental health professions has placed a limit on how ambitious schools can be with their funds.

The district has previously partnered with TRAILS to Wellness, a nonprofit that shares research-based mental health practices with schools. Students, he said, are routinely identified and referred for mental health support based on their completion of surveys during the school year.

The main issue, Vitti said, is that students need parental consent to receive mental health services. The district additionally did not require the mental health survey be completed, and gave schools flexibility to conduct the survey at any time during the year.

“We just have to make it more accessible and easier to take during the school day,” Vitti said of the survey.

Board member Corletta Vaughn suggested district-wide “mental health days” or assemblies for students and teachers.

Melissa Redman, a district parent and parent action leader for Paul Robeson/Malcolm X Academy, encouraged the district to go deeper with its mental health support.

“Since the school is the safe zone for our children, let’s make sure they have the resources for our children for mental health — not a hotline, a person that you can see face to face,” she said, adding: “Some of these kids are scared to tell their parents because their parents don’t want to raise the issue.”

Student representative Perriel Pace thanked board members and public commenters for advocating increased mental health support for students, saying it “was definitely needed with the times that we are in.”

Northwestern High School regains its historic name

Detroit Collegiate Preparatory High School at Northwestern will regain its storied, and considerably shorter, name.

The board approved renaming it Northwestern High School.

One of the city’s oldest high schools, Northwestern had its name changed during emergency management in 2013. At the time, the school building held two high school programs — Northwestern and Detroit Collegiate Preparatory High School. The district moved to phase out Northwestern as it repeatedly appeared on the state’s list of low-performing schools.

Since then, former and current students and staff have petitioned the district to restore the old name. And alumni spoke during the public comment session of Tuesday’s meeting in favor of the name change.

Dorothy Terry, a Class of 1970 Northwestern alum, said under the current name, students lose their ties to history and people attached to Northwestern.

“If you say ‘Northwestern High School,’ you have a community, you have people who still live there in that community that attended that school,” Terry said.

In a district survey of current students, staff, and parents, 69% favored a name change.

The official renaming will most likely occur in time for the 2022-23 school year, Vitti said. The district estimates it will cost $75,000 to change building signage and some athletic uniforms.

Employee vaccine mandate will become a recommendation

The district is reversing its decision to require that staff be fully vaccinated, switching its policy from a mandate to a recommendation.

The final version of the policy “requires all employees to disclose their COVID vaccine status and strongly encourages employees to vaccinate.”

The board originally approved the employee vaccination mandate in December.

Although Vitti initially said the district would use a progressive disciplinary process to enforce the policy, by February he said he likely wouldn’t seek to terminate unvaccinated employees, citing a lack of state or local support for an employee vaccine requirement, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that blocked a Biden administration vaccine-or-test requirement for large employers.

Employees are still required to get tested and wear masks while in school for the remainder of the school year.

Expanded summer school offerings continue

Detroit’s robust Summer Learning Experiences program is back again this year.

Vitti announced that summer school will go from July 11 to Aug. 4, comprising both academic courses and recreational activities for students.

“I know a lot of you have reached out and stated that there was some personal academic loss in your house with your young person during COVID,” said board President Angelique Peterson-Mayberry. “This will be a great opportunity to get some of that academic enrichment back.”

The program will be conducted in person for most students, while students who currently attend DPSCD Virtual School will be allowed to take their classes online. Summer Learning Experiences will be held for all district students across 20 K-8 schools and six high school sites.

“We’re hoping for as many students to participate as possible,” Vitti said. “This is not only about trying to make up for learning loss, but also just to keep students engaged over the summer and expand enrichment opportunities to go beyond the basic academics.”

Outside of academic recovery and enrichment courses, the district prioritized vendors that focused on youth development, performing and visual arts, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The investment in summer school programming both this year and last year comes courtesy of COVID relief funding, he added.

Transportation will be provided, as well as free breakfast and lunch. The deadline to apply for Summer Learning Experiences is June 24.

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

TikTok videos and teacher calls: How a South Side Chicago school increased vaccine uptake

2022-05-06T19:32:04+00:00

More than a dozen elementary school students, sporting bright yellow T-shirts with the words: “Doing my part. Vaccinated,” walked down a hallway at Dunne STEM Academy and recited lines while filming a public service announcement.

In take after take, students corrected one another on pronunciation and encouraged classmates to carry on if they fumbled a line. In the PSA, they shared statistics on the health impacts of COVID-19 in children and teenagers: There were more than 8,200 COVID-related hospitalizations among children as of mid-October 2021. Some suffered serious complications such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

Before the end of the video, a handful of students walk into the frame to proclaim: “I’m vaxxed.”

For eighth grader Nandi Guy, the goal was simple: See her peers get vaccinated.

Since the height of the omicron surge in January, the Roseland school on Chicago’s far South Side has taken an all-hands-on-deck approach to boosting COVID vaccine uptake while raising awareness and dispelling myths around the vaccine, says assistant principal Jason Davis.

Teachers made calls to students’ homes, listening to parents who were interested and others who were on the fence about the vaccine. The school provided resources around the vaccine, and partnered with faith leaders and local health providers including Phalanx Family Services. And students made a public service announcement and TikTok videos to encourage classmates to get vaccinated.

In December, only 5.4% of Dunne students were fully vaccinated. But in the last few months, the school has seen an increase in uptake to 42.3% — nearing the overall district vaccination average, data shows.

The school’s effort to increase vaccination rates was born after teachers across the district voted to walk out over safety concerns in January as COVID-19 cases hit a peak in the city. During a four-hour virtual call on a Saturday that month, teachers, administrators, and staff brainstormed ways to increase vaccine uptake at the school, Davis said.

“All this came about to make the space safer for everybody,” he said.

Across all district-run schools, the average school is 44.7% fully vaccinated, but rates vary widely. Although there has been a gradual uptick in overall vaccine rates since December, the nation’s third largest district is still struggling to make inroads at predominantly Black schools on the South and West Sides, according to a data analysis by Chalkbeat.

Currently, majority Black elementary and high schools have an average vaccination rate of 26.7%, compared to majority Latino elementary and high schools, which average about 54%, data shows.

Asked about the vaccine disparities during a roundtable discussion at Phalanx Family Services in late April, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said it was a concern and frustration of hers.

“We have literally tried everything,” including public clinics at the local level, working with the faith community, financial incentives, and door knocks, Lightfoot said. “You name it we’ve tried it.”

She’s also talked to fellow mayors facing similar challenges with vaccine uptake with African American communities.

“No one has figured out the secret sauce, in part, because how do you overcome the fear? What do you do?” Lightfoot said. “The only answer is a trusted community partner.”

The mayor said working past vaccine fears and hesitancy remains a “huge priority.”

“We have to keep at it,” Lightfoot said.

From left to right: Health Commissioner Dr. A;lison Arwady, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, EverThrive Illinois executive director Chi Chi Okwu, and Dr. Melissa Simons with Illinois Unidos discuss the decline in life expectancy in the city during a roundtable on April 25.

During the April forum, where officials announced an overall decline in life expectancy in the city — the steepest drop among Latinos, the city’s health commissioner said the biggest predictor of whether a child is vaccinated is if a parent or guardian has been inoculated. Still, Dr. Allison Arwady noted, the city continues to average about 3,000 vaccines a day, and for the past month Black Chicagoans are the most likely to be getting first and second doses.

Arwady thanked community partners for continuing their work to get more people on the far South Side vaccinated.

“We have not stopped,” Arwady said. “We have not pulled back.”

Neither has the Dunne community.

“It’s been a collective effort to make sure that we were all safe,” said assistant principal Davis.

The school, in partnership with nearby Allen Metropolitan C.M.E Church, hosted a vaccine town hall that included a medical doctor to answer questions and address concerns. The aim, Davis said, was to empower parents and students to make an informed decision about the vaccine.

Dunne saw about 10% of students get vaccinated following the town hall — some of whom were inoculated at a vaccine clinic held at the school, the assistant principal noted.

“This neighborhood has some reservations about the vaccine,” Davis said. “So if we have willing participants, we want to jump right in.”

David Bryant, pastor at Allen Metropolitan C.M.E., noticed a spike in interest in the vaccine following the town hall.

“We knew that education was key,” Bryant said. “It eliminates some of the fears parents have.”

The school worked with the church and Phalanx Family Services to connect interested parents with vaccine opportunities. School staff also followed up to remind parents of their child’s second dose.

“We wanted to be supportive, and make it as easy as possible,” Davis added.

Because of a long-standing relationship with Dunne, the church worked with the school to host outdoor events that included movie screenings alongside COVID-19 tests and vaccines administered by the Roseland Community Hospital, Bryant said.

About 1,000 Roseland residents, including CPS students, were vaccinated at these events, he noted.

“We were in a crisis — a global crisis — and on the local level, we had to work collaboratively to use all the resources we had,” Bryant said.

School administrators also centered student voices after a parent told staff she was leaving the decision to get vaccinated up to her child. Dunne officials held a vaccination day and a pep rally, and partnered with nearby Corliss High School students to write and create a PSA.

“We want children to share with each other the importance of vaccination,” Davis said. “It just made a world of difference.”

The church also offered a pizza party to the class with the best TikTok video. In one TikTok video, a student dances to a remix version of “Macarena” before a classmate shares a written note that says: Get the vaccine. It saves lives!

“We are thinking of creative ways to get the message out,” Bryant added.

Projects such as the PSA and interacting with classmates again have been among eighth grader Nandi Guy’s favorite parts of returning to school.

“We missed out on a lot of things,” Nandi said. “We missed out on a lot of learning.”

Eighth grader Michael Ealey, 13, who helped write and edit the PSA, said he feels safer knowing that about half of his classmates are vaccinated.

“It’s a lesser risk that I get COVID-19,” Michael said.

In reflecting on why he got the vaccine, Jaleel Clemons said he didn’t want to catch COVID-19. The 13-year-old, who had an acting role in the PSA, worried about the health risk of catching COVID while not being vaccinated.

“I want to protect my family,” Jaleel said.

From left to right: Jaleel Clemons, Michael Ealey, and Nandi Guy discuss working on a student-created PSA to encourage classmates to get vaccinated.

With about six weeks left in the school year, assistant principal Davis says the school community is proud of the vision of principal Chandra Byrd-Wright and the hard work of teachers to get them through a challenging year.

“It couldn’t be done without the teachers,” Davis said. “Teachers did the heavy lifting — calling every parent, sometimes three times, leaving messages, following up. It was through their diligence that we were able to have the success that we have had.”

But Davis said there is still more work to be done around the vaccine.

“We are still pushing,” Davis said.

Thomas Wilburn contributed to this report.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit school district delays decision on lifting mask mandate

2022-05-04T23:40:33+00:00

The Detroit school district is delaying a decision to lift its mask mandate in the face of strong opposition from teachers union members and a potential legal challenge.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti had planned to make a decision on the mask mandate after spring break ended on April 3. At the time he said he would move to a mask-optional policy as long as COVID case rates and hospitalizations remained low. Infection rates across the school district have remained below 1% in recent months, while the citywide rates are running below 3%.

But Vitti said that the Detroit Federation of Teachers is “not supportive of voluntary masking.” The union also believes that lifting the mandate would violate an agreement the union and district approved last summer outlining safety protocols ahead of the new school year. That agreement, which expires June 30, requires masks.

Terrence Martin, president of the federation, said the union is “exploring all options” and is preparing a legal challenge if Vitti lifts the mandate before June 30.

Vitti said a legal challenge would delay lifting the mandate until after the agreement expires.

“The worst-case situation is that we will shift to voluntary masking districtwide on July 1 unless the federal or state health departments require masking in schools,” Vitti said. “I doubt this will happen. I am hopeful that DFT will reconsider their position before July 1.”

The last day of the school year for Detroit Public Schools Community District students is June 27. If the district lifts the mandate on July 1, it would be ahead of summer school, which begins on July 11.

The school board approved COVID safety measures such as a mask requirement and weekly testing for employees as part of the district’s reopening plan. The plan also instituted 3 feet of social distancing, as well as daily symptom checks and rigorous cleaning of buildings.

Health officials across Michigan began relaxing mask rules and recommendations a few months ago for K-12 schools and day care centers, as COVID cases and hospitalization rates declined. The decision left it up to local school districts to decide whether to keep those requirements in place.

Martin said district officials were considering a repeal of the mask policy without coming to an agreement with the union.

A recent survey of union members found that roughly 60% of teachers favored keeping the mask mandate, up from an even split among teachers a few weeks prior.

The jump from 50% to 60% is “alarming,” Martin added, and “enough to keep the mandate right where it is.”

Across the Northeast, cities and school districts have had to reconsider COVID safety protocols in light of a rise in cases in part of being driven by a subvariant of the highly infectious omicron variant.

Face masks temporarily returned to Philadelphia public schools as the city moved to reinstate an indoor mask mandate in mid-April. Newark Public Schools will continue to keep its mask requirement and other COVID preventive measures in place as the infection rate rises across the city. Classrooms in New York City are currently mask-optional as the city has moved into a “medium” risk category for the spread of COVID in recent weeks.

As of the week of April 25, the Detroit district’s infection rate remained low, with 0.94% of tests coming back positive, while the city’s infection rate was at 2.5% over a seven-day average as of April 28.

The union, Martin said, is willing to be flexible on the mask policy depending on what future teacher survey results indicate and whether the district comes back to the negotiating table.

“What we have in place remains in place till the end of the school year, unless the district is willing to come to the table and bargain in good faith to change,” he said.

Detroit is among the few remaining school districts in the state, along with Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, that still have a mask requirement.

Among the factors weighing on his decision making, Vitti added, is ensuring that students are comfortable as temperatures begin to rise in school classrooms. Without air conditioning in most school buildings, he added, behavioral issues may increase if students are uncomfortable with having to wear masks.

“This will set up unnecessary confrontations between teachers and students,” Vitti said.

Clarification: This story has been updated to make it clear that the Detroit Federation of Teachers, and not Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, believes that lifting the district’s mask mandate before June 30 would violate a letter of agreement between the district and the union.

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

NYC’s COVID risk rises, but mask mandates haven’t returned to K-12 schools

2022-05-02T21:38:30+00:00

With New York City moving into a higher risk category for the spread of COVID, the city’s health department is “strongly” encouraging masking in indoor public places, including schools. But classrooms remain mask-optional, school officials confirmed Monday.

New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan announced the city is now in the yellow zone, or a “medium” risk category, under a color-coded system introduced by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration in March. The announcement noted that New York City has surpassed a rate of 200 COVID cases per 100,000 people over seven days.

“What this means for New Yorkers is that they must exercise even greater caution than they have the last few weeks,” Vasan said in a statement. People at high risk for complications from COVID should “consider additional precautions such as avoiding crowded indoor gatherings,” he said.

According to previously issued health department guidance, once the city reaches the medium-risk COVID level, officials may consider reinstating mask mandates in “high-risk settings where it is crowded and distance cannot be maintained,” which includes schools.

A spokesperson for the health department did not immediately respond about whether Vasan would recommend bringing back universal masking in classrooms.

The school mask mandate was lifted for most students on March 7, but it has remained in place for children in preschools and daycares. Children under 5 remain ineligible for vaccinations against COVID, though they might be able to get their jabs beginning in June.

Last week there were more than 4,700 cases of COVID reported among students and staff, according to public data collected by the advocacy group PRESS, or Parents for Responsive Equitable Safe Schools. That total might include a backlog of cases that weren’t reported while schools were closed for spring break.

The city recently began sending students four at-home COVID tests to use each week, two for the students to use five days apart and two for another household member. Previously, students only received two tests, and only after being in close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus. School staffers get two tests each week.

“The coming weeks will be critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and getting back to a low-risk level so we can more safely enjoy our spring,” Vasan said in a statement.

Christina Veiga is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on school diversity and preschool. Contact Christina at cveiga@chalkbeat.org.

Newark keeps face mask requirement in schools

2022-05-02T20:26:00+00:00

Newark Public Schools will keep its mask requirement, temperature checks, and other COVID preventative measures in place as the infection rate climbs across the city.

The district was set to end the measures this week. But an increase in the city’s COVID infection rate last week stopped any changes to protocols.

“In Newark, our numbers are starting to grow,” said Mayor Ras Baraka on Friday during a live Facebook update. “The numbers are still relatively low but they are growing, so we have to be cautious.”

Meanwhile, cases among students and staff dropped last week, according to the district’s most recent data posted Monday.

Baraka did not mention the district’s mask mandate during that update. The district did not respond to requests for comment.

John Abeigon, the Newark Teachers Union president, said the district’s decision to keep the COVID protocols in place came after the city’s health department advised Superintendent Roger León against making any changes.

Newark, the state’s largest school district, is one of the last in New Jersey to keep the mask mandate in place across its 65 schools and 38,000 students. Gov. Phil Murphy ended the statewide mask mandate in March, but school leaders were able to keep the rules in place for their districts. Paterson and New Brunswick are among the other districts to keep the rules in place.

Of the 500 largest school districts across the country, only 2% still require masks, including Newark, according to a school mask policy tracker from Burbio.

The city’s infection rate climbed in the last few weeks. On Friday, the seven-day rolling average was 5.31%, up from 3.25% two weeks earlier.

In the district, there were 49 positive cases among staff the week of April 18, when schools were closed for spring break. That was an uptick from 15 cases among staff the week prior.

“The slight bump was expected due to travel during the break,” Abeigon said.

But when the district updated its COVID dashboard Monday, it showed 16 positive cases among staff and 18 among students last week, a return to case counts seen before the break.

The district did not respond to a question about when it plans to revisit the mask requirement.

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

NYC schools to give students weekly at-home COVID tests as cases rise

2022-04-27T19:38:06+00:00

New York City schools are now providing four at-home COVID testing kits to all students each week and asking families to use them on a regular basis, according to an education department letter sent to families on Wednesday.

The new policy comes as students have returned from spring break, and “cases are on the rise again across New York City,” according to the letter posted on the education department’s website.

Two of the tests are meant for the student, and the other two are for a family member, the letter said. The tests should be taken weekly, at least five days apart, unless the person has COVID symptoms.

The change comes as a new subvariant has spread and seven weeks after the city dropped the mask mandate for schools with K-12 students. While there isn’t robust research on the effectiveness of masking in schools, there is evidence that surgical masks lead to lower spread of COVID.

This Tuesday saw 844 positive COVID cases reported among students and staff, according to public data. That was significantly higher than the Tuesday before masking became optional in schools, when there were 229 cases reported across the city’s schools, according to city data from Parents for Responsible Equitable Safe Schools. In both snapshots, 70% of the cases were among students. The recent rise might be attributed to families traveling during spring break.

Previously, schools distributed at-home tests to students if they were close contacts of someone at school who reported testing positive for COVID. They also gave kits to all students before the mid-winter and spring break, and urged children to test before returning to school.

Children will still receive two test kits if they are exposed to an infected person in the classroom. They’ll receive two more test kits during that week.

An education department spokesperson did not immediately respond for comment, including on whether other COVID-related policy changes are in the works. A representative for the teacher’s union also did not immediately comment.

Positive COVID cases are on the rise across the five boroughs, while hospitalizations and deaths are decreasing. New York City saw an average 7.12% COVID positivity rate over the past week, about two percentage points higher than the previous week, according to city data. Those numbers, however, may not capture the full picture since test results from at-home kits are not reported to the city.

The education department letter emphasized that vaccination is still “the best tool” to prevent COVID infection.

In New York City, the positivity rate was highest among unvaccinated people – at 633 cases per 100,000. That is compared to 191 cases per 100,000 for those who are vaccinated and boosted.Those who are vaccinated without a booster had the lowest rates with 90 cases per 100,000, according to data from April 9.

Newark schools may go mask-optional in May if COVID case numbers remain low

2022-04-22T19:53:32+00:00

Newark Public Schools students and staff might be allowed to drop their face masks starting May 2, if the COVID infection rate in the district remains low, the teachers union president said.

The decision to ease the district’s face mask mandate and other COVID-related rules will depend on results from at-home rapid tests students and staff must take on Sunday, the day before they return to school from this week’s spring break. The district distributed the test kits to families and staff members before spring break began April 18.

“If the numbers continue to hold, we’ll be mask optional by the first week of May,” John Abeigon, the Newark Teachers Union president, said on Thursday. Citywide and districtwide positive test numbers were relatively low the week before spring break, according to the latest data available.

Staff members will need to upload their rapid-test results to the employee portal, Abeigon said. Parents and caregivers will need to reach their child’s school nurse to report a positive result. Another round of rapid tests will be administered in schools during the week, Abeigon added.

Abeigon said Superintendent Roger León briefed union leaders earlier this week on plans to roll back some COVID mitigation policies if results from the at-home tests show a “low number” of positive cases. A district spokesperson did not respond to emails asking for more details on these plans.

The district would also end temperature checks and the symptom screening questionnaire on May 2, he said. León shared those plans at a school board meeting last month.

The statewide mask mandate for schools and childcare centers dropped March 7, but district leaders were able to keep requiring masks in their schools. Newark, the state’s largest district, with 37,000 students, kept its mask rules in place, as did Paterson, New Brunswick, and Trenton.

León started easing other mitigation rules by removing desk shields and footwear sanitizing stations. State and federal guidance did not include either of those measures at the start of this school year.

And at the board meeting last month, León said water fountains would be turned back on for the first time this school year. León has said the fountains were shut off as a COVID mitigation effort, even though that step was not recommended in any state or federal guidelines either.

Chalkbeat found the district did not complete lead testing before buildings reopened in September.

The district’s COVID-19 dashboard shows positive tests were low across schools in the weeks leading up to spring break.

The week before break, the district reported 18 positive cases among students and 15 among staff. Those numbers were slightly up from the previous week, but still significantly lower than the hundreds of positive cases the district saw before winter break.

Citywide, too, confirmed cases of COVID-19 have remained low for a few weeks, according to figures city officials shared on Facebook this week. The city’s seven-day rolling average showed a 3.25% rate of positive tests on April 15, slightly up from 2.72% on April 11, but well below the 38% rate in late December, before students were to return from winter break. At that time, the district decided to switch to remote learning for two weeks after the break ended.

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit school district plans to scale back COVID testing next year

2022-04-19T13:00:00+00:00

The Detroit school district will scale back its COVID testing next school year, switching from universal, weekly screenings to random tests on a small segment of people in the district.

Detroit is one of the few school districts in Michigan requiring universal testing for all employees, students and contractors. In late January, the school district required all students to submit to weekly COVID tests or transfer to the district’s virtual school.

Under the new policy, the district will randomly test a pool of 10% to 20% of the district’s population. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the decision was based on cost considerations, as well as the shifting opinion from health experts on the current stage of the pandemic.

“Right now — and we do not plan for a difference by the fall — the federal and state (government) and their health guidance are no longer naming COVID as a public health crisis,” Vitti said. “If the public health status of the COVID remains as it is, then we will be, and have been, scaling back our COVID safety protocols.”

Vitti said last week he is likely to drop the district’s mask mandate if Detroit and schools continue to see low infection rates. Meanwhile, the school board is considering eliminating its vaccination mandate for school employees.

For testing, the district’s school board approved a contract with LynxDX on April 12 to provide weekly saliva polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, testing through June 2023. The total cost for testing next year is expected to be about $31 million, covered by federal COVID relief funding. The district has paid $71 million for testing during the 2021-22 school year.

Vitti said the contract with LynxDX provides the district with an option to expand testing in case COVID cases surge during the 2022-23 school year. On the other hand, the superintendent didn’t rule out the possibility that the district would forgo testing completely if COVID infection rates in the city or district remained low.

“We may not even implement the 10%-20% of testing by the fall,” he said. “More likely, we will continue providing our contracted nurses at each school with rapid tests for symptomatic employees and students while perhaps leaving drive-thru testing available as a courtesy to employees and students.”

Janet Martinez, a district parent, said she was concerned that reduced testing by schools could become a financial challenge for families seeking out testing kits. “This is something that’s still going around,” she said. “It’s very serious.”

For now, though, many families have access to free tests. A Biden administration mandate from January requires private insurers to cover the cost of up to eight at-home tests per person per month. Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program recipients can receive over-the-counter testing kits at no cost as long as the pandemic is designated a public health emergency.

Uninsured patients may be required to pay for COVID testing in some cases as the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration ran short of funds to reimburse clinics and hospitals in late March.

Terrence Martin, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said “some form of testing needs to continue to occur” next year, adding that the 10% to 20% pool testing rate is consistent with health expert recommendations across the district.

“I think the district has been nimble about its testing plan,” Martin said. “If there’s a need to increase testing, we’ll push for it.”

“For some of our folks it’s going to be somewhat of a relief of not having to test every week,” he added, “and for other folks there may be mixed feelings about it.”

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

Dubious research, vexing guidance: CDC struggles to help schools during pandemic

2022-04-18T11:00:00+00:00

In January of last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mischaracterized an outside study about school reopening. The researcher emailed the agency to complain, but the error was never corrected.

In fall 2021, a CDC study acknowledged that it could not identify the direct effects of masking on COVID spread in schools. The agency nevertheless claimed the study supported the need for universal masking.

And just a few months ago, the CDC failed to clearly describe how revised masking guidance applied to young children, causing significant confusion. The agency’s pages for schools and childcare centers still contain outdated information.

Many have debated the substance of the CDC’s recommendations to schools throughout the pandemic. But a Chalkbeat review suggests that over two years, the agency fell short at a more straightforward task: to communicate clearly and accurately with schools about its guidance and research.

The CDC did not respond to requests for comment about a detailed list of concerns.

Those missteps have left school officials without a precise sense of the benefits and downsides from different mitigation measures, including masking. In other cases, officials missed or disregarded CDC guidance because it was unclear or overly complex.

“Every step along the way, the communication has been very bad,” said John Bailey, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of a newsletter about the pandemic and schools.

“They had a really hard job. This has never happened before in anybody’s lifetime,” said Doug Harris, a Tulane University researcher who has studied schools through the pandemic. Still, he said, “The quality of research coming out was disheartening.”

Dubious research

The CDC has played a central role in publishing and disseminating research related to schools and the pandemic. Its “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report” is meant to produce “timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations.” The agency’s press and social media arms often spotlight specific studies, drawing media attention.

And yet much of the research the CDC has released and promoted is strikingly limited, even flawed.

Take the issue of masking. Remarkably, two years into the pandemic, there is little definitive research on either the benefits or the downsides of requiring masks in American schools, even though the CDC has released a number of studies on the topic.

For instance, one paper compared COVID rates in schools with and without required masking in Arizona, but didn’t adjust for vaccine levels, testing rates, or other safety precautions in schools that might explain differences between schools. “If you’re really going to assess the utility of masking, you’ve got to control in any study for all those other things,” said Susan Hassig, a Tulane epidemiologist.

Another CDC study using national data found pediatric COVID cases were higher in counties without school mask mandates — but the authors admit at the end that “causation cannot be inferred” from their study. That is not a small caveat. If the studies could not establish the effect of masking, what exactly is the point?

Nevertheless, CDC promoted these results, suggesting a direct link between masks and COVID spread. “New [CDC] data reinforce the benefits of masks and vaccinations in preventing #COVID19 outbreaks in schools,” Director Rochelle Walensky tweeted about the Arizona findings.

The CDC also published a dubious analysis suggesting that COVID-19 increased diabetes risk in children. Again, the paper failed to account for other factors that might explain diabetes rates.

“They were releasing and even highlighting a lot of studies that were pretty correlational and not very convincing,” said Harris.

Jay Varma, who was previously a health advisor for New York City, says clear information on the effectiveness of different mitigation measures would have been especially helpful — but was lacking. “What if I do this ventilation technique? What if I try this masking approach? What if I do this distance?” he said.

In other instances, the CDC simply mischaracterized research evidence.

In March 2021, the agency announced an important shift to its guidance: it was relaxing recommended distancing in schools from six feet to three feet. In an accompanying scientific brief, it claimed that COVID transmission in schools was low “even when student physical distancing is less than 6 feet.” One piece of evidence was a Florida study that purportedly showed that COVID spread was higher when fewer students were learning in person.

In fact, the study showed exactly the opposite, undermining the new guidance. After Chalkbeat inquired about this discrepancy, the CDC quietly corrected its brief but did not change its characterization of the overall research.

In another case, the CDC published a paper in early 2021 that mischaracterized research by Harris and Hassig, who found that school reopenings did not contribute to hospitalization rates when COVID spread is low to moderate. But their study could not make firm conclusions about school reopening when case rates were high.

The CDC paper described the first part of the results but omitted the second part. “I emailed them immediately — you’re missing the whole point of the study,” Harris said. The CDC never corrected its report, and the misleading reference remains.

A lack of clarity

The CDC has also struggled throughout the pandemic to provide clear guidance to schools.

The agency did not get off to a good start on this front. The agency issued guidance in May 2020 about reopening schools. But the brief “decision tree” included little more than obvious tips like complying with local health guidance and ensuring those who are sick stay home. More detailed guidance was reportedly suppressed by the Trump administration.

Over the summer, the CDC issued additional guidance, but it was often contradicted by Trump himself, who criticized the agency’s approach.

“Unfortunately, at the time where the guidance was most needed, it was least available,” said Sasha Pudelski of AASA, the school superintendents’ association.

Recent communication challenges cannot be blamed on the Trump administration, though.

In summer of 2021, the CDC released a new round of detailed recommendations for schools on masking, quarantines, and distancing. But by fall, it was clear that a crucial part of that guidance had not been widely followed.

Throughout, the CDC highlighted the need to quarantine “close contacts” — generally defined as people who were within six feet for an extended period of someone who contracted COVID.

In a confusing but crucial caveat, the guidance instructed readers to “see the added exception in the close contact definition.” On a separate page, the agency noted that for students in K-12 schools, the threshold for a close contact had been lowered to three feet if students were masked.

This guidance didn’t seem to trickle down, possibly because it was not widely publicized and was hard to find and understand. (Chalkbeat even created its own guide to help confused school officials.)

“Districts do not appear to be following CDC quarantine guidelines, which while unclear, do recommend that masked students be exempted from quarantine — a less rigid recommendation than we are currently seeing among most districts,” noted analysts at the Center on Reinventing Public Education in August 2021.

As the school year began and the delta variant raged, precautionary quarantines were widespread and schools struggled to help students continue learning. Many of those quarantined might have been unnecessary if the CDC’s guidance had been understood and adhered to.

This February, the CDC issued another update to its schools guidance. This time, it recommended that schools and child-care centers make masks optional when community COVID levels are low to moderate.

Most K-12 school officials got the message. The update specifically mentioned K-12 schools, and the change garnered widespread media coverage. But the takeaway was muddled for providers of early childhood education and childcare, which were not specifically mentioned in the new guidance.

Economist and influential commentator Emily Oster wrote an article for The Atlantic based on the assumption that the CDC was still recommending masking for young children. She learned this was incorrect only after someone with the CDC reached out to her directly.

“There is a fair amount of people looking to this guidance and trying to interpret it and the way that it is currently stated is extremely difficult to interpret clearly,” Oster told The 74.

Despite new guidance being issued months ago, CDC’s pages for schools and childcare centers still contain outdated information, including a reference to “universal indoor masking.” On its site, the agency notes that it is in the “process of updating this page with these new recommendations.”

Matt Barnum is a national reporter covering education policy, politics, and research. Contact him at mbarnum@chalkbeat.org.

Face masks return to Philadelphia schools Monday. But for how long?

2022-04-14T21:12:46+00:00

The Philadelphia school district will require mask wearing in schools and offices indefinitely when students return from their spring break Monday, following this week’s announcement by the city’s Department of Public Health.

Last month, the district announced that as a precaution to help minimize the risk of a COVID surge following the break, all students and staff would be required to wear a mask from April 18-22. But since schools are covered by the city’s mask mandate, they will be required to wear masks until the mandate ends, which could last longer than a week.

The move to reimpose the mask mandate makes Philadelphia the first major U.S. city to reinstate an indoor mask mandate after dropping one earlier this year, and the city’s school district, one of the 20 largest in the country, must now follow suit.

District spokesperson Monica Lewis said the return of the mask mandate is a measure that helps to keep schools and offices safe. “We recognize that this is a move that some may wish wasn’t necessary,” she said.

Philadelphia is back to averaging 142 new cases per day over the last two weeks, which is more than double the number from last month and the reason why Mayor Jim Kenney is moving the city to “Level 2: Mask Precautions.” That level is part of the city’s system for how it determines what type of COVID restrictions it applies to restaurants and other public places. The system includes four tiers: Extreme Caution, Caution, Mask Precautions, and All Clear.

In reimposing a mask mandate, the city is also departing from guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which emphasizes hospitalizations over case counts when setting parameters for precautionary measures like masks.

“Everyone in Philadelphia should be concerned about the increase in COVID-19 cases,” said James Garrow, communications director for the city’s health department. “It was only a couple of months ago when we were seeing thousands of new cases every day and schools were closing because of a lack of teachers and staff. We believe that if people wear their masks diligently, things won’t get as bad as they did in January.”

The city’s health department reported on Monday an additional 20,576 doses of COVID vaccine have been administered since April 4. More than 35% of children ages 5-11 in Philadelphia have received at least one vaccine dose. Among eligible Philadelphians ages 12 and older, 76% are fully vaccinated, and 93.6% have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“Given the recent rise in cases, we are moving to Level 2 in hopes of preventing higher case rates and stricter measures,” Kenney said Monday. “Our city remains open; we can still go about our daily lives and visit the people and places we love while masking in indoor public spaces. I’m optimistic that this step will help us control the case rate.”

For Jemille Q. Duncan, a senior at Philadelphia’s Multicultural Academy Charter School, the mandate seems like an overreaction to what is only a potential bump in hospitalizations.

“Aside from mask-wearing being annoying, no other major city has reinstated the mandate, and that is something worth noting. But we’ll soon see whether it was a misstep. If not, then great; if so, then the city will look more foolish,” Duncan said.

But Ellie Zdancewic, a junior at Masterman High School, said she’s happy about the mask mandate returning.

“I care about disabled and immunocompromised students who were put at risk when the mandate was lifted. I, for one, never stopped wearing my mask at school. I know some of my classmates found the masks to be annoying, especially during physical classes like gym, or while presenting to the class,” Zdancewic said.
Bureau Chief Johann Calhoun covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. He oversees Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s education coverage. Contact Johann at jcalhoun@chalkbeat.org

Detroit fires veteran teacher who fought to work from home

2022-04-13T21:06:07+00:00

The Detroit district school board fired a veteran teacher who challenged the district’s in-person work requirement and fought to be able to teach from home due to a medical condition.

The school board voted 5-1 at its Tuesday meeting to fire Nicole Conaway, with board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo casting the lone dissenting vote. Conaway has been a vocal critic of the district for years, and has been heavily involved in the By Any Means Necessary activist group, which has opposed face-to-face learning during the pandemic.

Critics of the decision said they feared it would hurt efforts by other teachers and students in the district to seek accommodations because of medical issues or disabilities.

Since the beginning of the school year, Conaway, a 16-year district math and science teacher, had repeatedly asked to be allowed to teach remotely from home, citing recurring issues with her sinuses as well as chronic asthma, which she says would put her at acute risk if she gets infected with COVID-19.

She filed a lawsuit in federal court last fall seeking to force the district to allow her to work remotely. During this time she also sought time off and accommodations from the district under the federal Family Medical Leave Act and the Americans for Disabilities Act, but was turned down.

A statement read by board member Sonya Mays ahead of the termination vote said that Conaway’s asthma and allergies are not covered under those two laws, and that Conaway had declined the district’s offer to let her work in person at the district’s virtual school.

“Ms. Conaway claims that her allergies and asthma keep her from coming into a school building but that she can still work from home five days a week,” the statement said. “To accommodate her medical concerns, the district offered her a position at the virtual school. Ms. Conaway rejected that offer.”

Conaway, speaking during the public comment section, called the board’s decision “wrongful and illegal” and told board members to “put a stop to this administration’s policies of retaliation.”

“As the board it is your duty to represent us, the community, who elected you to make decisions based on what is best for our students in our community,” Conaway said. “Protect us from COVID, grant our ADA requests, provide full opportunity for virtual learning and teaching and keep all schools open.”

Last summer, the Detroit Public Schools Community District reached an agreement with the Detroit Federation of Teachers union that required its members to return to in-person instruction for this school year.

According to the statement Mays read, Conaway’s request for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act was denied after she failed to submit a medical release form for the district to get information from her doctors. The district, the statement added, gave Conaway multiple opportunities to present her case and submit documentation through meetings with board members and union representatives.

“When no new different medical information was provided, and she failed to sign the medical release, she was informed that a recommendation to terminate for job abandonment would occur,” the statement said.

Former and current district students and teachers at the meeting urged board members to keep Conaway and approve her requests. Many of her supporters identified themselves as members of By Any Means Necessary, which staged protests in the early months of the pandemic when the district first launched an in-person summer school. The group eventually sued the district to halt the summer program.

Shawn Vaughn, a member of By Any Means Necessary and former Osborn High School student, said the decision could affect other teachers seeking medical accommodation to work remotely.

“This is a path that if the school board follows opens up for the attack on basic accommodation for students and staff with disabilities,” Vaughn said.

“Nicole has been fighting to get this ADA accommodation for months to keep herself, family and friends safe from the COVID pandemic,” said Maria Belman, an organizer with the group, who called the termination a “political attack.”

“Not letting her teach safely at home means depriving students, Detroit students, of the kind of top tier education they deserve. With her years of experience and knowledge, Nicole is not replaceable.”

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit school board considers rescinding employee vaccine mandate

2022-04-13T01:39:50+00:00

The Detroit school district is looking to turn its vaccination policy for school employees from a mandate into a recommendation.

The new policy, if approved by the board, “requires all employees to disclose their COVID vaccine status and strongly encourages employees to vaccinate,” according to a draft presented for its first reading during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

Board members didn’t comment on the draft during the first reading. All district policies must be reviewed by the board twice before they can be approved. The next scheduled board meeting is May 10.

The current policy requires all employees to have been fully vaccinated by Feb. 18, unless they received a medical or religious exemption from the school district. As of April 12, about 84% of school employees had been vaccinated, according to the district.

When the district adopted the policy in December, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the district would use a progressive disciplinary process to enforce it, moving from a series of reminders to verbal and written warnings, suspension without pay, and ultimately, termination.

But in February, he said he likely wouldn’t seek to terminate unvaccinated employees, citing a lack of state or local support for an employee vaccine requirement, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that blocked a Biden administration vaccine-or-test requirement for large employers.

Terrence Martin, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers union, said that the changing nature of the pandemic calls for reconsidering the policy.

“We’re hoping that (the vaccine policy) turns into more of a suggestion as opposed to a requirement for folks to be disciplined if they don’t do it,” Martin said.

“If we were talking about this a year ago, it would have made more sense,” Martin added. “But now, with the way things are with COVID, it’s going to be something that we’re going to live with.”

Vaccination rates in Detroit remain low compared with the rest of the state. About 48% of city residents ages 5 and older have received at least one vaccine dose. The rest of Wayne County has a 72% vaccination rate, while statewide, the rate is 65%.

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit schools could go mask-optional as soon as next week

2022-04-12T23:04:14+00:00

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, students in the Detroit district may soon be able to go to school without having to wear a mask, though some say they’ll continue to play it safe.

Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said he is likely to drop the district’s mask mandate as early as next week, citing low infection rates in the city and across schools in recent weeks.

“The district’s infection rate last week was below 1% and the city’s rate is under 5%,” Vitti wrote in an email to Chalkbeat on Tuesday, referring to the percentage of tests that come back positive for COVID-19. “If this continues this week then we are likely to move to an optional mask situation by next week.”

State and county health officials across Michigan began relaxing mask rules and recommendations a few months ago for K-12 schools and day care centers, as COVID cases and hospitalization rates declined. That left it up to local school districts to decide whether to keep those requirements in place.

Detroit is among the few remaining school districts in the state, along with Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, that still have a mask requirement.

Vitti said in February that the district’s mask order would remain in place, based on recommendations from the Detroit Health Department. Later that month, he told Chalkbeat that he envisioned lifting the rule sometime after the district’s weeklong spring break ended on April 3, as long as the district and the city did not observe a surge in COVID cases when students returned from vacation.

And they didn’t. For the week of March 21, before spring break, the district reported an infection rate of 0.46%; the week after spring break, the rate was 0.43%.

Currently, Wayne County falls in the “low” tier of case rates, for which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend mask mandates.

Last month, the district began to dial back other COVID precautions, discontinuing its daily symptom and temperature checks for employees and students, based on city health department recommendations. The district currently requires weekly testing of students and staff, as well as social distancing in classrooms of at least 3 feet.

Meanwhile, health officials are reporting rising COVID cases elsewhere in the country, particularly in the Northeast, driven in part by a subvariant of the highly infectious omicron variant. Philadelphia announced Monday that it would reinstate its indoor mask mandate in light of a sharp increase in COVID infections.

Some Detroit students said they remain wary of the district making masks optional.

“I know for a fact that I’m still going to be wearing my mask, but I genuinely don’t feel as though that’s a smart decision,” said TaLia Price, a student from Cass Technical High School. “I just don’t think that is safe until we know that we can fully manage COVID and keep it low.”

Alexis Pickett, a student at Renaissance High School, said she believes the school district needs “to move forward,” although she has reservations.

“COVID has kind of been low at the moment. It’s been getting a lot better, which is really good,” she said. “But I’m not sure about releasing the mask mandate, especially with after school activities, and how close in proximity we are with each other in classrooms.”

Terrence Martin, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said that a recent survey of the union’s members found an even split among teachers on whether to keep the mask requirement beyond spring break.

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

It’s official: NYC children under 5 must continue wearing masks in school next week

2022-04-02T02:13:23+00:00

New York City’s mask mandate for children under 5 will remain in place on Monday, an appeals court ruled, pausing a decision from a Staten Island judge who struck it down earlier on Friday.

“Every decision we make is with our children’s health and safety in mind,” Mayor Eric Adams tweeted. “Children between 2 and 4 should continue to wear their masks in school and daycare come Monday.”

The Friday night stay from an appellate judge paves the way for the mayor to continue enforcing the mask requirement in day care and pre-K settings amid rising COVID cases across the city. Children under 5 are the only age group not eligible to be vaccinated, and they remain the only students subject to mask mandates, as the city removed the requirement for those in K-12 schools on March 7.

Adams previously hoped to lift the mask mandate for the city’s youngest children on Monday if virus cases stayed low. But on Friday, he said he was heeding advice from public health advisors and would wait at least another week.

That move was briefly in doubt after a state court judge ruled the mask mandate for children under was “void and unenforceable.” The city’s lawyers promptly challenged the ruling and convinced an appeals court to reinstate the mandate while the case winds its way through the courts.

Adams has generally leaned toward removing virus protection measures, including for bars, restaurants and gyms, so his move to keep children under 5 masked is notable. Many parents of younger children have urged the mayor to allow their children to go mask-free.

Officials said they don’t plan to reinstate the mask mandate for students in grades K-12 despite the rise in cases, including among public school students and staff, but the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan said it was his “strong recommendation” that people of all ages wear masks indoors for now “according to their level of comfort.”

Adams urged calm on Friday and characterized the uptick in virus cases as “slight.” He indicated the city would continue to monitor the situation and “update New Yorkers in a week.”

“We want to be prepared, not panic,” he said.

Christina Veiga contributed.

Adams hopes to keep mask requirement for NYC children under 5 amid COVID uptick

2022-04-01T20:01:20+00:00

New York City Mayor Eric Adams hopes to keep a mask requirement in place for the city’s youngest students as the city sees an increase in COVID cases. But a Staten Island judge threw a wrench in that plan Friday by striking down the mandate.

Adams vowed to appeal the judge’s ruling in an attempt to keep the requirement in place for children under 5, leaving it unclear whether students in pre-K or daycare programs will be required to wear face coverings Monday. Those under 5 are the only age group not currently eligible for COVID vaccines.

The mayor had planned to remove the mask mandate for the city’s youngest children next week as long as COVID transmission remained low. But with an uptick in virus cases and with the more contagious BA.2 variant circulating, the mayor said his health advisors recommended changing course.

“We’re recommending to wait a little bit longer before making masks optional for this age group,” said the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “We’re looking for the earliest opportunity to do this safely and we can assure you the day is coming for your children.”

Earlier Friday, however, a state judge ruled that the city’s mask mandate for young children is “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable” and is therefore “void and unenforceable.” Adams indicated the city will appeal and try to block the judge’s decision, though a timeline for the city’s appeal or a possible ruling on it was not clear. The mayor said the city would abide by the court’s decision.

Adams’ attempt to keep the mask mandate for young children is notable because his administration has generally moved toward removing virus protection measures, including for bars, restaurants and gyms. Children under 5 are the last group of students covered by a mask mandate and the requirement for students in grades K-12 was lifted March 7, prompting criticism from some parents of younger children who urged the mayor to do the same for their kids.

Officials said they don’t plan to reinstate the mask mandate for students in grades K-12 despite the rise in cases, including among public school students and staff, but Vasan said it is his “strong recommendation” that people of all ages wear masks indoors for now “according to their level of comfort.”

Adams urged calm on Friday and characterized the uptick in virus cases as “slight.” He indicated the city would continue to monitor the situation and “update New Yorkers in a week.”

“We want to be prepared, not panic,” he said.

Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org

After Mayor Adams lifts vaccine mandate for athletes and performers, NYC teachers union asks about their workers

2022-03-24T20:50:14+00:00

New York City’s teachers union wants to open discussions with Mayor Eric Adams about allowing their unvaccinated members to work — one month after 900 education department employees were fired for not getting their shots.

The ask from the union came Thursday, after Adams made the controversial decision to allow the city’s unvaccinated professional athletes and performers to play and perform once again within the five boroughs, even as outsiders had still been permitted to perform or play in those same venues. Adams said the policy change closed a “confusing loophole” in the rules.

The move immediately brought backlash from labor unions, after Adams said the city is not currently considering changing rules for city workers.

The United Federation of Teachers, or the UFT, issued a statement on how vaccines remain a “critical tool” against COVID, and “the city should not create exceptions to its vaccination requirements without compelling reasons.”

“If the rules are going to be suspended, particularly for people of influence, then the UFT and other city unions are ready to discuss how exceptions could be applied to city workers,” the union said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio instituted a vaccine mandate in the fall for the education department and other city employees, drawing multiple legal challenges, including from teachers and unions representing schools staffers. Those challenges were unsuccessful.

Adams supported de Blasio’s mandate. In February, the new mayor fired more than 1,400 city workers — less than 1% of city staff — who had been on unpaid leave for months after failing to get vaccinated, the New York Times reported. Sixty-three percent of the fired workers were education department employees, who made up less than 1% of all schools employees.

Other unions blasted Adams’ decision for giving athletes a pass but not doing the same for public employees, including the union representing police officers and Harry Nespoli, the chair of the Municipal Labor Committee.

“There can’t be one system for the elite and another for the essential workers of our city,” Nespoli said in a statement. “We stand ready to work out the details with the Mayor, as we have been throughout this process.”

In his announcement about athletes and performers on Thursday, Adams insisted he was not making the decision under pressure or “loosely, haphazardly,” but rather “because the city has to function.”

Asked Thursday if he’s considering rehiring unvaccinated city workers, Adams told reporters “not at this time.” While lauding the majority of city workers who got their shots, he said those who were unvaccinated workers “understood” the rules.

“And they decided not to do so, so at this time we’re not entertaining it,” Adams said.

On top of peeling back vaccine restrictions for professional athletes and performers in private venues, Adams has steadily peeled back other COVID mitigations, including dropping the proof-of-vaccine requirement for restaurants and other indoor venues. For the city’s public schools, Adams gave the green light to make masks optional for K-12 earlier this month, and is expected to extend that policy to children under 5 early next month.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on state policy and English language learners. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.

COVID case counts more than doubled in NYC schools since last month, data shows

2022-03-24T15:06:00+00:00

This story was originally published on March 23 by THE CITY.

Reported COVID cases in New York City public schools rose rapidly in the last seven days, registering their biggest weekly gain since the peak of the omicron wave in January. The rise in school cases exceeded a general uptick in positive tests seen in some parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn in the past week.

The city Department of Education reported 1,422 infections in the seven-day period ending March 22, more than twice as many cases as reported in the seven-day period a month ago – while also marking the fourth consecutive weekly gain, DOE statistics show.

Average daily infections per 100,000 students for the week were 13.3 as of March 22, compared with the citywide incidence rate of 9.6 cases per 100,000 people.

Only a fraction of those positive tests came from DOE’s own in-school testing program of students whose parents have consented to periodic swabs, an effort some public health experts suggest is not worth the $30 million a month DOE spends on it.

And school cases detected by in-school testing are relatively rare: The seven-day positivity rate in that program is currently just 0.14%, versus the citywide average of 1.3%.

But still, the school numbers are rising. On Tuesday, the daily seven-day average of cases among students and staff of public schools was 203, compared with a seven-day average of 85 cases a month ago. Citywide, the seven-day average was 678 cases, versus an average of 1,034 a month ago.

The DOE “Situation Room” also centrally collects reports of positive student, teacher and staff coronavirus tests that arise from at-home kits as well as COVID testing centers around the city.

“A continuing concern is that there’s been a premature relaxation of many of these COVID-19 precautions because the pandemic is still happening right now,” said Bruce Y. Lee, professor of health policy at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health.

Lee noted that it’s a challenge to “really know what the true positive might be,” with so many people testing at home in recent months.

But he underscored that broadly, with any type of respiratory virus, schools are “cauldrons for transmission” — because kids interact closely and spend a lot of time together. They then take those cases home to their families. In that way, the school testing system may be a glimpse of what’s to come among the general population.

“Schools tend to be high transmission areas for any type of respiratory virus. That would not be too surprising to see an upswing in cases occur subsequently elsewhere,” Lee said.

The uptick comes as Mayor Eric Adams announced this week that the city’s youngest students, below age 5, will not have to wear masks as of April 4. Masks became optional for the rest of the public school population two weeks ago, on March 7.

The prevalence of a new variant of COVID-19, dubbed B.A.2, is climbing, as well, according to recent data. It now makes up 42% of all COVID-19 cases in the state, state officials announced earlier this week.

“We have seen a more than 97% reduction in COVID cases since the peak of the omicron surge this year and students have been able to remain learning in-person and receiving the supports they need,” said DOE’s associate press secretary Jenna Lyle.

“We will continue to follow the science and adjust if needed, putting the health and safety of our students and staff first,” said Lyle.

The uptick is disappointing to Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, a newly appointed member of the citywide Panel for Educational Policy who has been vocal with COVID concerns as city schools moved back to in-person learning. She is a parent of two, including a fifth grader at an East Harlem public school.

“We relaxed all of the mitigation measures that we had. We’re not requiring vaccination in certain spaces, and we’ve lifted the masking mandates in all of our schools,” she said. “We’re seeing the results of taking away our protections.”

She feels lucky that her fifth-grade son’s school is supportive of kids who want to continue wearing masks; all of the teachers and paraprofessionals still wear them, she said.

“The majority of kids are still masking,” she said, but her son says “he feels unsafe when he has a lot of kids around him that are unmasked.”

Jesse Hackell, the head of the state American Academy of Pediatrics’ chapter that covers Manhattan, The Bronx and Staten Island, said that it is too soon to draw “too many conclusions from a week of data.” But, he said, if the schools sustains cases at the current level in the coming days, he hopes “the mayor would reconsider his decision about masks.”

“Although I am a little nervous about unmasking all the people, the mayor has a few weeks to see data and he can pull back,” Hackell added.

In the omicron variant wave in January, staffing shortages and low attendance plagued city schools while parents struggled to find child care amid the surge.

After hovering around 70% in late February, school attendance rates have improved as virus transmission slowed. The attendance rate hit 87% this week.

Vaccination rates for children under 18 remain low compared to the general population. Just 57% of 5- to 17-year-olds have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines as of March 22, according to city data. Among the 13-to-17 age group that is eligible to receive a booster shot, only 22% have taken the additional shot.

Overall, 78% of the city population has received two doses of vaccine, but just 36% have taken an additional dose.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that children of age 6 months to 4 years “may soon” become eligible to receive COVID vaccine.

“Even though kids are at lower risk of severe outcomes, they can still have more severe outcomes, and there’s still a possibility that they may suffer from long COVID. On top of that, they can spread it to other people,” Lee said.

“We have to remember that all this, everything is connected.

Chicago school board ‘discouraged’ by district’s spending on academic, mental health support: ‘This is an emergency’

2022-03-23T22:27:06+00:00

Some Chicago school board members are urging the district to pick up the pace on its federally-funded push to address the pandemic’s academic and mental health fallout, saying the money isn’t being spent fast enough to meet the immediate needs of students.

The district has so far spent only 12%, or $62.9 million, on a two-year, half-billion dollar initiative called Moving Forward Together, which was designed to help students bounce back from COVID disruption. And it has made use of less than 7% of its $1.8 billion allocation under the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan, the third and final round of federal COVID relief dollars.

District officials said they have run into a slew of hurdles to spending the money faster: The delta and omicron variants diverted energy from academic recovery efforts, and the national “Great Resignation” made it harder to line up the staffing needed to roll out new programs to support students.

CEO Pedro Martinez also noted that the district had to spend dollars from earlier federal relief funding rounds first, and that not all expenses are included in the American Rescue Plan figures because the district hasn’t reported them to the state.

Some school members said they understand the challenges, but still would like to see stepped-up efforts to get help to schools now.

Board president Miguel del Valle said the district needs to expedite its hiring processes for community-based organizations that provide CPS with social, emotional, and mental health support.

“This is an emergency,” del Valle said. “Schools are crying out for additional help.”

Board member Luisiana Melendez acknowledged the persistent challenges, but said “timely interventions” for students were immediately needed to prevent more problems in child’s learning, and social and emotional development.

“I am a little discouraged by the low amount of investment so far,” she said.

The Moving Forward Together plan announced last June uses $525 million — a portion of the $1.8 billion in American Rescue Plan dollars the district received — to address academic and mental health trauma from the pandemic over the span of two years. Chicago Public Schools got a total of roughly $2.8 billion from three rounds of federal COVID relief.

The program investments include:

learning acceleration and access to grade-level content ($35 million)
targeted intervention and tutoring ($15.3 million)
supporting students with disabilities and English language learners ($7.6 million)
early literacy ($1.9 million)
transition-year support ($11.1 million)
social, emotional, and healing supports ($3 million)

Real-time spending data that Chalkbeat obtained and analyzed suggests that the district has so far used a significant portion of its federal COVID relief dollars to cover the salaries and benefits of existing teachers and support staff and other routine expenses for which it had previously budgeted state and other funds. The district told the state it would use about $764 million in federal emergency relief to pay for existing instructional positions alone. It plans to separately cover support staff such as cafeteria workers and security guards as well as pre-kindergarten personnel with COVID dollars.

During a meeting at the beginning of the school year, board members pressed district officials to spell out how they would track whether the initiative was paying off for students. Some members voiced concern about the possibility of making a substantial investment without having results to show for it.

At the time, officials said they were still exploring ways to capture the program’s outcomes, noting some challenges such as quantifying student mental health improvements. But they promised to report back with concrete measures of success.

On Wednesday, district officials didn’t outline a metric for measuring the success of the program. Rather, board members echoed Melendez’s concerns around the pace of spending for such interventions.

The school year had been dubbed as a “recovery year,” but in reality the district has been focused on reopening and keeping schools open amid surges, staffing retention, and other issues, Martinez said.

“We all wanted this to be a recovery year, but it has not played out that way,” Martinez said.

Across the country, school districts are grappling with learning gaps and mental health challenges created by the pandemic that upended the education system. The federal government has issued billions in COVID relief funding to help school districts respond.

In detailing the initiative last summer, Chicago Public School officials said about 84,500 students had been flagged for target support and another 18,130 students would qualify for more intensive outreach. The district’s effort would primarily be focused on the South and West communities hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, officials said at the time.

The initiative is broadly focused on re-engaging students who tuned out after the district shifted from in-person to remote learning in March 2020. Chicago Public Schools used portions of the funds to create behavior and mental health teams at school, while also partnering with outside providers for mental health services.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Melendez and other board members asked the district how they planned to speed up the use of these funds to ensure students were receiving necessary interventions now and in the coming years.

“This is not meant to be finger-pointing or blaming anybody,” Melendez said, “but I think this is an issue that is becoming increasingly urgent as time continues to go by and children are suffering from the long-term learning impacts — and social emotional impacts— of COVID.”

The presentation was only “a partial picture,” in part, because of the complexity around how those funds are reported, Martinez said, promising a more in-depth analysis of spending by May. Still, Martinez said the district was “doubling down” on providing support that principals were asking for including social workers, counselors, and nurses by next year.

Board member Melendez acknowledged the complexity of the funding but argued that “schools are hurting, they need support now.”

Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

At $30 million a month, is NYC’s in-school COVID testing program still worth it?

2022-03-22T18:17:25+00:00

As New York City peels back virus safety measures in schools, including mask mandates and social distancing guidelines, one tool remains in place: its in-school COVID testing program that swabs a slice of each school community every week.

But that program comes at a significant cost, roughly $30 million a month on average, Chalkbeat has learned, raising questions among some public health experts about whether it is the best use of resources to protect school communities from the coronavirus.

Some epidemiologists said the current level of surveillance testing can be valuable, with the city aiming to test at least 10% of students at each school every week. As the city rolls back some mitigation measures, and with another virus surge potentially on the horizon, regular testing can provide a check that the virus remains under control in the city’s schools.

But other health experts remain skeptical that the in-school program — which relies on lab-based PCR testing and requires pulling students out of class for up to 30 minutes — is worth the time and money. And the testing program’s main architect acknowledged in an interview with Chalkbeat that it’s worth reassessing it given the substantial cost, availability of vaccines, more contagious variants, and changing value judgements about what degree of risk is acceptable in schools.

“It’s difficult to argue that that’s the best use of money to keep an individual safe,” said Dr. Jay Varma, a top health advisor to former Mayor Bill de Blasio who designed the in-school testing program.

Still, there are other reasons it may be wise to keep the program, including giving educators and parents peace of mind by showing there aren’t a large number of virus cases lurking in classrooms.

“From that perspective,” Varma said, “it may very well be worth the money.”

For now, city officials say they are planning to continue the program and are searching for new funding sources to keep it running this school year as the city exhausts $251 million in federal grant funding that has supported it.

Putting testing to the test

Launched in fall 2020, the in-school testing program is one of the longest-running school safety measures and has been the subject of intense debate, as some educators, parents, and union officials have pushed to increase the scope and frequency of testing throughout the pandemic.

The goal is to help detect virus outbreaks and help measure whether other tools such as masking or ventilation are keeping virus cases low. It was not set up to directly interrupt transmission by removing most people who are contagious from schools. Doing so would require more frequent and widespread testing, Varma said.

With rapid test kits becoming more widely available — and sent home with students if anyone in their class tests positive or if they start showing COVID symptoms — it may be worth dialing back the in-school PCR testing program, some observers said.

Though having some “barometer” for COVID transmission is helpful, said Dr. Benjamin Linas, an epidemiologist at Boston University, “it seems like a really expensive commitment to that concept.”

Linas argues that resources for the city’s in-school PCR testing could be better spent making additional ventilation upgrades or turbocharging the city’s vaccination efforts, as only 53% of the city’s public school students are fully vaccinated. Using rapid tests for students who develop symptoms at school, and their close contacts, could still help detect outbreaks, he said.

Varma indicated the city considered using rapid tests to conduct surveillance testing early on, but said the kits are more cumbersome and take longer to administer in schools compared with quickly swabbing students and sending the results to a lab. Although the PCR test results take longer to return — about 27 hours on average, city officials said — they are also more accurate.

Some public health experts said they would not remove the testing program yet.

“With the BA.2 variant, we’ve only just taken masks off in schools, I think it makes sense just to keep our finger on the pulse,” said Dr. Anna Bershteyn, an assistant professor of population health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “It’s quality assurance.”

Few details on how testing influences policy

The testing program’s value hinges to some degree on how the information is used to inform policy decisions, and city officials have offered few specifics. Even at the height of the omicron wave, city officials largely shied away from using the testing data to close schools, individual classrooms, or conduct investigations into virus transmission, public data show. The city has also backed away from contact tracing when individual cases pop up.

“If there’s no downstream action tied to any of this surveillance, its benefit definitely decreases,” said Dr. Meagan Fitzpatrick, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who specializes in infectious disease modeling. “But if there are, then there can be benefits.”

Nathaniel Styer, an education department spokesperson, wrote in an email that the testing program “informs all of our COVID decisions.” He said it played a role in the move to end the city’s mask mandate in schools. That change also came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended lifting mask mandates in much of the country based on local infection and hospitalization rates.

Even if the program’s impact on policy making remains murky, it may be politically untenable for officials to roll it back. The program enjoys strong support from many educators and the city’s teachers union, which has consistently pushed for more testing throughout the pandemic. (The program allows for up to 10% of school staff to be tested, but educators have said the testing company often declines to test them.)

At the same time, some parents said the program serves as an important accountability tool, allowing them to push for changes to safety measures if virus cases in schools surge.

“In-school testing is a source of data that I wouldn’t want to eliminate just because it’s not clear how the city uses it in decision-making,” wrote Liz Rosenberg, a Brooklyn parent of two who helped launch a dashboard that aggregates school COVID data as an advocacy tool with a group called Parents for Responsive Equitable Safe Schools.

Most students don’t participate

But some experts have questioned how useful the data is. The city only tests students who have consented to participate in the program, and less than half of eligible students in grades 1-12 have done so, according to city data. At roughly 400 city schools, fewer than a third of students have consented to testing. If students who don’t consent are more likely to take fewer COVID precautions in other settings, that could skew the results.

“The presence of testing can be comforting,” said Dr. Susan Hassig, an epidemiologist at Tulane University. “But the presence of PCR testing as it’s currently practiced is probably not that beneficial.”

Varma, the testing program’s designer, said the consent issue is “the biggest weakness of the program,” but city lawyers argued they could not require consent as a condition of attendance, especially without a remote learning option.

“Why is it that lice is something that you can check kids for without parental consent, and dismiss them from school for, but you can’t do it for COVID?” Varma asked. “That baffles me to this day.”

At the beginning of this school year, city officials ran into another implementation problem: One of the four testing companies the city uses to run the school-based program, Fulgent Genetics, was returning a higher share of invalid tests, meaning some test results were not being returned.

About 3% of Fulgent tests were invalid in September, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of city data, far higher than any of the other three companies. The city considers an invalid rate below 1% to be acceptable.

A spokesperson for Fulgent did not return multiple requests for comment. City officials pegged the blame on the type of swab Fulgent was using and said they worked with the company to resolve the issue by retraining staff and changing the swabs it used.

For now, the city has no immediate plans to end the in-school testing program, said Adam Shrier, a spokesperson for the city’s Test and Trace program, which operates it in partnership with the education department.

“We will continue to follow CDC guidance, and direct our program based on science and results, which have ensured schools are the safest place for students in New York City to be,” he said in a statement.

Cam Rodriguez and Thomas Wilburn contributed data analysis

NYC plans to drop masks for children under 5 next month

2022-03-22T15:00:06+00:00

New York City plans to drop its mask mandate for its youngest students on April 4, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday, as long as COVID cases remain low.

With children under the age of 5 the only age group still required to mask in school, many of their parents have relentlessly pressed Adams on the issue as he has traveled around the city in recent days.

“We want to see our babies’ faces,” Adams said at a press conference at City Hall insisting that “science,” not parent pressure, guided his decision. “Now it’s time to peel back another layer.”

In the meantime, health officials will keep an eye on COVID cases as concern mounts over the more contagious subvariant known as BA.2.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday said the state was “closely monitoring” the subvariant, and pledged to “remain vigilant” as positivity ticks slightly upwards.

New York City’s health commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said that cases are “just one data point we’re looking at,” while noting that hospitalizations remain low and healthcare capacity is, so far, not strained as with the previous omicron variant this winter.

“With BA.2, we’re not seeing any signs that it causes more severe illness in any age group, as yet,” he said. “Right now, overall risk remains low. Overall cases in children remain low. Hospitalizations in children remain low, which is giving us comfort to make this decision at this point.”

Mask-wearing became optional for most students in New York City public schools about two weeks ago, prompting a range of emotions from shrugs, to excitement, and fear. But Adams left the requirement in place for the youngest students, who are not yet eligible for vaccines. At the time, he pointed to data that those children had higher hospitalization rates than other children.

Vasan said that is still the case, but that overall, cases of hospitalization for young children “remain extremely low.”

The new rule would apply to children in pre-K and day care settings, according to officials.

While parent pushback over mask mandates has received intense media attention, polling has shown widespread support for requiring children to cover their nose and mouth while in school.

Sharon Stapel, a Brooklyn parent of pre-K child and a third grader at P.S. 20 on the Lower East Side, said she was “very concerned” about what she called a “rush to ‘return to normal,’” and the possibility of making masks optional for the city’s youngest students.

“Those of us with young children have not returned to normal since March 2020 - and we won’t be able to until our kids can be vaccinated,” she said.

Amy Zimmer contributed.

NYC schools renew vaccination push, facing steep climb to get more shots in arms

2022-03-21T19:59:40+00:00

When high school senior Michaell Santos logs into the online portal that the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice uses to post grades, he can often find information about how to get the COVID vaccine nearby.

When his principal shares messages with the school community about how to stay safe during the pandemic, getting vaccinated is often included.

And, if students are looking to participate in extracurriculars, they can choose from a number of school-sponsored sports teams, all of which require vaccination to join.

Combined with a history of strong leadership — the current chancellor, David Banks, and his immediate predecessor, Meisha Porter, were both principals there — all of that may help explain why Santos’ school has a higher vaccination rate than others with similar demographics. Almost 66% have been fully vaccinated there.

That’s compared to 44% at other campuses where most students are Latino, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of city data. It also is an outlier compared to other schools that serve more low-income students than the citywide average of 73%. In those schools, fewer than a third are vaccinated, on average.

“I think it’s just an important message to put out like, ‘Hey, if this is a choice you do want to make, here’s how to get it,’” Santos said. “The messaging was there, and the resources were there, not in like, a forcing manner.”

Understanding why certain schools have higher vaccination rates could be critical as New York City’s education department and public health officials are renewing efforts to get more students vaccinated to address gaping disparities. Mobile units began visiting schools again on Monday, following an initial push in the fall when younger children first became eligible for the shots. The city aims to open 20 pop-up clinics a day for the next three weeks in areas where vaccination rates remain low.

An uphill battle

City data show it will be a steep climb in some communities. While about 53% of students have been vaccinated as of early March, rates are markedly lower in certain schools. For example, those where most students are Black have about 35% vaccinated, on average.

When it comes to grades served, the lowest rates are in elementary schools, where students haven’t been eligible for vaccines for as long, and only 34% have gotten the shots. Schools serving grades six through 12 had the highest average: 63%.

There were wide ranges based on how schools admit students. Middle and high schools with selective admissions standards average 73% of students vaccinated, a Chalkbeat analysis found. These schools also tend to have plugged-in families and offer robust programming, like band and sports, that might require vaccines. At the opposite end, only 33% are vaccinated at transfer schools, which cater to high schoolers who have fallen behind on credits.

A recent national study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 92% of children ages 5-11 now live near a vaccination site. Yet despite widespread availability, vaccination has plateaued. The CDC study said lagging rates may be explained by persistent vaccine hesitancy among parents, and point to a “need for alternative convenient, trusted vaccine access points.”

Jason Autar, a leader of the nonprofit Oyate Group, said those access points could be schools — calling them “trusted entities within the communities.”

Oyate Group has been spearheading vaccination campaigns in the South Bronx and Washington Heights, including helping organize pop-up clinics in a handful of schools. But interest has waned so much that the group is now ending its vaccination campaign.

When city schools held pop-up vaccine clinics in November, shortly after children ages 5-11 became eligible, almost 60,000 students got vaccinated, according to education department officials. In October, the New York chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics pushed for a vaccine mandate for students. While New York City Mayor Eric Adams has signaled he’s open to the possibility of such a requirement, he has also steadily peeled back other COVID restrictions in recent weeks.

There are, however, vaccine mandates to participate in many of the types of activities that make school a draw for some students. Playing on a sports team requires vaccination. So does participating in “high-risk” activities after-school like performing in a band or singing in a choir. As does going to prom or on overnight school-sponsored trips. (Field trips and visits within the tri-state area do not require vaccination. Nor does participating in high-risk activities that take place during the school day, according to the education department.)

‘We shared our stories’

At Frederick Douglass Academy VII in Brownsville, Brooklyn, almost 53% of students are vaccinated. That’s significantly higher than the overall average student rate in Brownsville’s District 23, where only 38% had gotten the shots by early February. The vaccine rate at the school, also known as FDA, is also more than 10 percentage points higher than another high school that shares the same building.

What could help explain FDA’s higher numbers? For one, students there are starting to take trips again, something that has been a big part of what makes the school unique. Last week, students went on their first overnight visit, to Washington, D.C. When permission slips went out, Principal Tamika S. Matheson said a few students asked why they didn’t get one. Staff explained privately that only those who were vaccinated could go. A few got their first dose hoping to join, Matheson said.

“Now I have a little wave, a trickle of kids who are aware that we can take trips,” she said.

Matheson has also made it clear to her students and their families that she supports getting vaccinated against COVID, through conversations she called “respectful,” “not combative,” and “discreet.”

She made sure her families could turn to the school, working with the parent coordinator, to secure vaccination appointments back when they were still difficult to come by. In virtual town hall meetings with the school community, she and her staff shared their own stories of getting vaccinated. She told of her own hesitations to get her young daughter vaccinated and even let a concerned employee hold up a magnet to her body — disproving a widespread false claim that the vaccine made people magnetic.

“We didn’t push and encourage people to get vaccinated, but we shared our stories,” Matheson said. “And I think that was important.”

Thomas Wilburn contributed data analysis.

Christina Veiga is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on school diversity and preschool. Contact Christina at cveiga@chalkbeat.org.

As schools try to recover, COVID’s toll lingers: ‘We haven’t seen fine, ever’

2022-03-19T10:00:00+00:00

This story is being co-published with The New York Times Sunday Review.

As class ended on a recent Tuesday, Ana Barros, a middle school teacher, signaled for a seventh grader wearing Crocs to hang back. Minutes earlier, he’d stormed into the hallway, slamming the door in her face.

“Walk me through that moment you just had,” she said.

Ana Barros, a seventh-grade social studies teacher, says more students are asking to see the counselor at her Tulsa school this year.

Barros, who teaches social studies at an Oklahoma charter school, listened with patience. The student had struggled to manage his emotions before the pandemic. A year spent at home when classes were fully remote without the neutral ground that school provided had intensified his anger.

“When you’re mad, when you’re feeling that rage,” she said, “you can’t slam the door.”

“Sorry,” the student replied softly, trying to keep his feelings in check.

“It’s OK,” Barros said. “But we’ve gotta find a way to channel those moments when you’ve got rage. We’re on the same team. I’m not against you. I want to help you.”

In some ways, this is typical middle school teaching. But the pandemic has upped the volume and intensity of students’ needs and raised the stakes for schools trying to meet them.

The cascade of new challenges started with the onset of the coronavirus in 2020, which closed school buildings and plunged teachers and families into the unknowns of remote learning. The year that followed was a patchwork of remote and in-person instruction, with school districts around the country varying wildly in their policies.

Many hoped this would be the comeback school year, when schools would focus on recovery. The last schools that had been operating remotely fully reopened. COVID relief dollars poured into districts. The availability of vaccines for teens, and then children over 5, created hope.

But just as the pandemic’s emotional and academic toll on students grew clearer last fall, staff shortages hobbled schools. When the virus seemed like it was under control, the omicron wave of cases brought half-empty classrooms or temporary returns to virtual learning. It’s been a year of survival and triage for teachers, school leaders, students, and their families.

Now a shift is underway. Mask mandates have largely lifted, and more Americans say they are ready to leave the pandemic in the rearview mirror. But teachers like Barros are still grappling daily with issues that COVID has left in its wake, most of which defy easy solutions.

“I really feel scared to say that we’ve turned a corner,” she said. “The things that we were struggling with, even outside of COVID, are just still there.”

Barros found herself scrolling through job listings earlier this winter, but like most teachers, she’s sticking it out. “I’m choosing to stay because I love this,” she said.

In Barros’ classroom at the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences, many students require intensive support. One boy didn’t attend a single virtual class as a sixth grader or return when the school building reopened last spring. It’s her job to keep him tethered to school.

When another student started clutching a stuffed toy shaped like an avocado, Barros didn’t press her for a reason. And when one of Barros’ top students started having panic attacks in class, she helped come up with a plan to calm her heavy breathing. Her school has noticed an uptick in thoughts of self-harm, negative self-talk, and meltdowns. More students are asking to see the counselor.

Two years into the upheaval, teachers are depleted. On top of the needs in their classrooms, teachers and their unions have faced scrutiny over school shutdowns, vaccine and mask mandates, and COVID safety protocols, leading to labor strife in Chicago and elsewhere.

Some teachers have begun having doubts about their ability to keep going. As three colleagues departed midyear for higher-paying jobs outside the classroom, Barros, who has taught for four years in Tulsa, found herself scrolling job listings earlier this winter. Like most, she’s sticking it out. “For a while, I was in that victim mentality of ‘woe is me,’ but I do have choices,” she said. “And I’m choosing to stay because I love this.”

But America’s schools remain fragile. As teachers catch their breath after the latest wave of COVID cases, many are teetering between cautious optimism and lingering exhaustion.

Across the country, teachers like Neelah Ali are trying to help students who are struggling emotionally and keep them on track academically after two years of stop-and-start learning.

Ali teaches freshman biology at Denver’s South High School, where she is also a teacher coach, an assistant track coach, and a sponsor of the dance team, Jewish Club, and Black Student Alliance. She’s the kind of teacher who knows nearly everyone and will hop up on a table to help students understand a lesson.

Ali much prefers in-person teaching to what she called “the abyss” of virtual learning. Students had the option to return to classrooms part-time last spring and have been learning in-person all of this school year, though COVID cases meant attendance was spotty until recently. There are signs of genuine joy in school: students giggling together in class, cranking pump-up music in the weight room, and eating pizza off trays in the hallways.

But Ali says her students have less academic stamina than she is used to. Before the pandemic, all of her freshmen would most likely have finished their lab, which involved flipping pennies to determine the odds that two parents’ offspring would have dark hair or freckles, in a 50-minute class period. This year, only one pair of students did. More students are asking for breaks during class, too.

“I’m having more conversations with kids about not liking school,” Ali said.

Neelah Ali, a biology teacher at South High School in Denver, has noticed that her students have less academic stamina than they typically did pre-pandemic.

Students also seem more attached to the digital world. Despite posted signs prohibiting cellphone use, nearly all of Ali’s students on a recent day had their phones out at some point. A few used them in ways that were arguably academic, walking up to the white board and snapping a photo of the lesson on chromosomes and meiosis to copy it onto paper. For others, the phones were a distraction.

Ali knows that taking a student’s phone is likely to upset them deeply. That wasn’t as true before the pandemic, she said.

“Now it’s like, if I take the phone, it threatens their identity,” she said. “If I take it, that’s going to damage our relationship so much that I don’t even broach the topic.”

Despite the difficulties, Ali said she was getting through the curriculum, partly because the pandemic meant fewer guest speakers and field trips. But student absences because of COVID or COVID exposure have been another complication. In each of her classes, several students were on their laptops doing makeup work instead of the penny lab.

The absences, a national challenge this year especially during the omicron wave, pose a daily dilemma. When should teachers reteach a lesson that some students missed and when should they move on? The answers matter, as ninth-grade success is seen as a key predictor of whether a student will graduate from high school in four years. Last year, graduation rates dipped nationwide and more ninth graders fell behind on credits in some states.

“A lot of teachers are struggling with: Do we make it up or do we not make it up?” Ali said.

The little boy arrived in Kendra Barclay’s kindergarten classroom on a chilly Detroit morning wearing a white mask so big it was hanging off his face.

“You need a kid’s mask!” she told him, scurrying off to find one.

Mask adjustment is still part of the job for Barclay, who spent much of that morning transitioning from lessons on letter sounds to gentle, and at times stern, reminders about classroom COVID safety.

“Ch says chuh, chuh, chuh,” Barclay said as she surveyed the students sitting on the rug in front of her. “Kamryn, you’ve got to cover your nose.”

Though schools in most of the country have lifted their mask mandates, Detroit district leaders are still weighing a potential change. For now, Barclay continues navigating the physical logistics as well as the emotional toll of teaching in a community that lost thousands to COVID.

“How do you keep 5-year-olds socially distanced?” she said. “They love being near each other. A lot of them need that contact. They need to feel nurtured.”

At Detroit’s Spain Elementary-Middle School, kindergarten teacher Kendra Barclay navigates the physical logistics of social distancing with young children that long for close contact with their classmates.

Barclay finds a way to do both, and her classroom at Spain Elementary-Middle School in the city’s Midtown neighborhood includes plenty of dancing and singing. When she needed her students to see how their tongues should sit between their teeth as they make the “th” sound, she moved to the far side of the room and pulled her two masks down for a few seconds.

Back in September, the stress of wanting to serve the students who needed her while avoiding getting sick herself got the best of Barclay, a South Carolina native who has taught in Detroit since 1999. On the school’s first in-person day, the principal, Frederick Cannon, popped his head in her classroom door before the kids arrived and asked how she was doing. Barclay burst into tears. “It was just the fear,” she says.

Barclay is optimistic about the progress of her kindergartners, though she worries if enough of them will be prepared for first grade.

Months later, as she was beginning to feel more comfortable, a new wave of cases disrupted everyone’s lives again. Schools in the district went remote for weeks as the omicron variant spread and again for winter storms, briefly severing the connection between Barclay and some of her students. A couple of children signed in daily, but never turned their cameras on or responded when she called on them.

Barclay remains optimistic about her students’ progress and was grateful recently to be among a group of teachers who received recognition from the district for their work during the pandemic. She knows her students aren’t all where they should be academically, though. She has found herself reteaching lessons from the fall, like how to write words on the correct lines of their handwriting practice paper.

“I’m still committed to coming in every day, trying to push and pull the greatness in and out of them,” she said. “I just still worry. How many of them are going to be prepared for first grade?”

“I have to realize this is just what it is in the world right now, and I am doing all I can.”

After a winter of emotions that rose and fell with COVID case rates, the nation’s teachers and families are looking to what comes next. Whether their fatigue will stretch on through the spring and even fall. Whether their schools can turn a fragile grip on stability into a firm grasp.

This pandemic may become less acute, but its effects on schools will linger: the children coping with the death of their caregivers, the fissures that remain over how to keep kids healthy and safe, the kindergartners struggling with their ABCs, the seventh graders tamping down anxiety, the high schoolers fretting over their diplomas.

Schools are now spending big on mental health programs, tutoring, and other academic recovery efforts — work that is likely to stretch past the three years they have to use their federal relief funds. “Our hardest and most important work lies ahead,” the U.S. education secretary, Miguel Cardona, said recently.

For Ali in Denver, that work looks like a full school day followed by a three-hour virtual training on a new science curriculum that’s more inclusive and culturally relevant. The changes are important to her, but “burnout feels like it’s a lot closer than it used to be,” she said.

It’s the same for a lot of teachers she talks to, she said. The rising stress “feels like it’s more at our chest than at our feet.”

For Barclay in Detroit, the work means connecting with her students — whether by listening intently to a retelling of the plot of a “Transformers” movie or offering hugs even when they go against social distancing guidelines.

“I figure, you wouldn’t ask for a hug or a high five if you really didn’t need it,” she said.

Barclay helps one of her kindergartners with letter writing. She’s had to reteach some handwriting lessons from the fall as she works to keep her students on track.

And for Barros in Tulsa, the work looks like this: grading assignments on Sundays, spending her planning periods in meetings with families whose children are struggling, and mentoring a new teacher partly to supplement her comparatively low Oklahoma teacher’s salary.

She hopes she’s pushed past the worst of her exhaustion — when she was out sick for seven school days with COVID in January, wracked with guilt, waking up each morning to record a video lesson so her students wouldn’t fall behind.

Now the end of the school year feels within reach. Come fall, she won’t be as in the dark about where her students are, academically and emotionally, as she was this year.

Other challenges aren’t going away. Barros goes without adequate staffing support even in a normal year, helping translate for the school’s Spanish-speaking families as one of the few bilingual staff members. Her school also serves a disproportionately high share of students with disabilities. Without other teachers or aides in the room to help, it’s Barros who slips a pillow under the foot of a student with autism to soften the sound of his tapping foot, and Barros who pulls aside a student with dyslexia to read tricky passages aloud.

After months back together in the school building, she’s seen her students make real progress — reading full chapter books, building friendships with classmates. But they’re still dealing with the ramifications of the COVID years. It will take a wider network of support to truly give her students what they need, Barros says. To her, that includes greater investment in Tulsa’s under-resourced neighborhoods, stronger bonds between schools and families, and more counselors and therapists.

“We haven’t seen fine, ever,” she said. Pre-pandemic, many of the students with disabilities and students of color at her school were “already so underserved.”

“I feel like I’m a piece of the puzzle, and I see myself as a piece of the puzzle,” Barros said. “And sometimes it’s like, damn, some of those pieces are taking a long time to get here.”

Kalyn Belsha is a national reporter based in Chicago. Contact her at kbelsha@chalkbeat.org. Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. Contact her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org. Melanie Asmar is a senior reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado covering Denver Public Schools. Contact her at masmar@chalkbeat.org.

Colorado releases school-level COVID vaccine dashboard

2022-03-18T22:56:15+00:00

Colorado released school-level COVID vaccination data Friday in a new dashboard that shows wide variations around the state and within communities.

At Palisade High School in Mesa County, just 32% of students are fully vaccinated against COVID, compared with 76% at Legacy High School in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district in suburban Denver and 82% at Boulder High School.

Within Denver, Bromwell Elementary, which serves a more affluent population in southeast Denver, has 65% of its students fully vaccinated, while at Barnum Elementary, which serves a more working class student body in west Denver, just 23% are. Many rural elementary schools have vaccination rates in the single digits.

The differences reflect the way interest, access, and skepticism toward the COVID-19 vaccines have come down along political and socioeconomic lines. In general, older children are more likely to be vaccinated than younger ones, and parents of younger children have expressed more reservations about getting the shot. Medical experts say the vaccine offers protection for all age groups, and children should be vaccinated to reduce their risk of serious illness.

Statewide, 34% of children aged 5 to 11 and 62% of those ages 12 to 17 have received two doses of a COVID vaccine. Roughly 32% of older children have received the booster dose recommended for increased protection.

That’s above the national average but below where Colorado public health officials would like it to be. Schools are increasingly dependent on vaccinations to limit the spread of COVID in classrooms, as masks, quarantine, and other mitigation measures have been phased out.

COVID vaccinations are not required for school attendance in Colorado, and most schools haven’t collected vaccination information from families. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment compiled the database by cross-referencing state vaccination data with student data from the Colorado Department of Education. Officials said the analysis was done in a way that protects student privacy and the numbers are only reported in aggregate.

The dashboard, which shows the percentage of students who have received one, two, or three doses, will be updated weekly.

Board rejects Chicago union bid to block lifting of school mask mandate

2022-03-16T18:52:11+00:00

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board has rejected a bid from the Chicago Teachers Union to temporarily block the lifting of Chicago Public Schools’ mask mandate earlier this week.

The state labor board voted 3-2 on Wednesday to deny the union’s preliminary injunction request that, if granted, would have sent the case to a circuit court judge.

The labor board’s vote increases the likelihood that the district’s mask-optional policy will remain in place for the remainder of the school year.

“We are pleased that we can retain our authority to uphold this policy based on health data which currently lists Chicago in the low-risk category, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a Districtwide positivity rate of 0.085 percent,” the district said in response to the board’s vote. “We will continue to engage with the Chicago Teachers Union, our parents, families and our community on health and safety issues.”

On June 8, an administrative judge is scheduled to consider the union’s unfair labor practice complaint that the district violated the state’s labor relations act when it lifted the mask mandate. However, the state labor board is considering moving that hearing to an earlier date.

Last week, the district announced it would end its mask requirement for students and staff in schools starting March 14, aligning itself with the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention’s updated guidance on masking in schools last month. That guidance said masks should be required when rates of new COVID cases and hospitalizations are high in a community.

The Chicago Teachers Union argues the district violated the COVID safety agreement the two sides agreed to after teachers voted to walk out over safety concerns amid the rise in omicron cases. That safety agreement requires masks through Aug. 26, 2022.

The move by the district prompted some confusion, since it came after the Chicago Board of Education reaffirmed its commitment to masking and other COVID mitigation strategies.

However, some parents and union leaders raised concerns over the mask mandate, especially with low vaccination rates on schools on the South and West Sides.

Labor board member Steve Grossman, who voted in the union CTU’s favor, called it a “challenging case” noting the “pandemic, and its effect on the workplace” remained.

The evidence appeared “overwhelming, and virtually undisputed that the Board of Education may have violated” the Educational Labor Relations Act by “failing to bargain in good faith when it ended the mask mandate,” Grossman said.

Following the vote, union attorney Robert Bloch called the decision “unfortunate.”

“It was a crystal clear violation of the labor act,” Bloch said of the district’s decision to lift the mask mandate. “To me, it reflected reticence to do what the labor act requires just because there’s other litigation pending somewhere else in the state relating to this issue.”

In a Wednesday morning statement after the labor board’s vote, the union said it would “continue to stand up for maximum safety in Chicago’s public schools and communities.”

“Despite disregard for the collective bargaining process from Mayor Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools, our rank-and-file members remain committed to serving students and families safely, and fighting for essential pandemic safety mitigations around vaccinations, contact tracing and COVID-19 testing,” the union said.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

With vaccination disparities by race and class in NYC schools, officials look to boost access

2022-03-10T21:46:00+00:00

New York City is renewing efforts to get more public school children vaccinated against COVID, with new pop-up clinics at schools where rates are low, and an information blitz consisting of robocalls to parents, fliers sent home in backpacks, and town halls with public health officials.

The push, announced Thursday, comes as child vaccination uptake has stalled while recently released data shows gaping disparities among schools. Just over half of students are fully vaccinated.

In elementary schools, 34% of students are vaccinated. The rate ticks up to almost 52% in middle schools, and over 57% in high schools, where students have been eligible to receive the vaccine for much longer. That is according to a Chalkbeat analysis of city data from Feb. 22.

Schools with the largest numbers of low-income students lag farthest behind. About 32% of students are vaccinated at campuses where poverty rates surpass the citywide average. At schools where most students are Black, 35% are vaccinated, compared with 44% at majority-Latino schools, 51% at majority-white schools, and 64% at majority-Asian schools.

A three-week vaccination campaign will begin March 21, officials said, with pop-up clinics at 20 schools each week. Parents will be informed through letters sent home by principals. The city is also holding virtual town halls on March 14 and 16, with translation provided via call-in numbers upon registration (Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic for the first one, and Spanish, Cantonese, and Bangla for the second).

“Vaccination continues to be our key to keeping COVID-19 numbers low and protecting our loved ones from serious illness,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

The question is whether the city’s latest push can help move the needle much. Public health officials and organizations leading outreach campaigns say they are up against a wall of distrust and misinformation, healthcare access issues, and other roadblocks. Navigating around them often requires one-on-one conversations, led by people parents can relate to, and tailored to unique concerns of different communities.

Health officials may face particularly tough hurdles given recent news that the vaccine is not as effective at preventing illness among children and adolescents, though it still provides protection against severe illnesses and death.

“It’s important, though, to just not give up,” said Dr. Michelle Nichols, an associate dean at the Morehouse School of Medicine. “Because there are children who are still getting sick or hospitalized unnecessarily.”

Many experts said that it will take more personalized and sustained efforts to convince parents to have their children vaccinated.

“You can’t just go in there and say, ‘I’m offering vaccines today, and you can come in,’ and not have that education portion there,” Nichols said. “People do trust people who look like them, act like them, have the same backgrounds… you do have to meet people where they are.”

Crystal Williams understands what makes people hesitant to vaccinate their children. The mother of 11 lives on Staten Island, which has the lowest public school vaccination rate of any borough at 47%. Two of her children attend school in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where just 38% of students in the district have received at least one vaccine dose. And she volunteers in Brooklyn’s P.S. 25, where only 12% of children have gotten the shot.

“They just tell me that they’re scared,” she said of other parents she talks to. “I try to encourage them that it’s nothing to be scared about.”

Her 15-year-old daughter got vaccinated in order to play school sports. Seeing that she didn’t have a negative reaction helped Williams feel comfortable enough to vaccinate the rest of her children who were eligible.

Williams said she hopes the city will reconsider using incentives such as gift cards to help persuade reluctant parents.

Dr. Carmen Garcia-Albarran said that access to accurate information about the vaccine has been a huge barrier to getting more shots in the arms of children. She is a pediatrician with Somos, a network of doctors who work with low-income patients in diverse communities.

Once families have a conversation with her, in their native language of Spanish, they usually trust her advice, Dr. Garcia-Albarran said.

“It’s really important that we explain this to the parents: ‘We’re not injecting the virus into your child. It’s safe,’” she said. “No one is going to give their children the vaccine if they don’t understand what’s in the vaccine.”

Jason Autar, who helps lead the anti-poverty nonprofit Oyate Group, has been bringing vaccinations to low-income communities like the South Bronx and Washington Heights. The organization helped organize a handful of pop-up clinics at schools. After an initial show of enthusiasm, few parents are vaccinating their children now, he said.

Autar thinks it’s a combination of people being skeptical of the vaccine, thinking they don’t need it because they’ve already gotten COVID, and not having access to medical care.

Interest has waned so much that the organization is now winding down its vaccination push, shifting gears to providing other services.

In the face of the current hesitation he’s seeing, Autar said that schools could play a major role in breaking through to more parents.

“Obviously, parents send their kids to school from 8 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m., if they have an extended day. So schools are a trusted entity within the community,” he said. “I think they are a prime institution to continue these COVID relief efforts.”

Alex Zimmerman and Thomas Wilburn contributed.

Christina Veiga is a reporter covering New York City schools with a focus on school diversity and preschool. Contact Christina at cveiga@chalkbeat.org.

How do you feel about Chicago Public Schools’ mask policy change? Tell us about it.

2022-03-10T16:58:05+00:00

After implementing a mask mandate two years ago, Chicago Public Schools will become the latest district in the country — and one of the last in the state — to lift its mask mandate in school buildings starting Monday.

The district’s change in mask policy comes as federal, state, and local guidance has aligned. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late last month said schools could drop masks unless COVID cases and hospitalizations in the community were high.

But the sudden change in Chicago’s mask policy — just two weeks after the Chicago Board of Education voted to affirm its commitment to masks and other COVID mitigation strategies — has prompted swift criticism from the teachers union, which said the district violated a safety agreement between the district and the Chicago Teachers Union. The agreement was forged after district officials canceled five days of classes when teachers walked out over safety concerns amid the rise of COVID-19 cases across the city

The CTU has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Chicago Public Schools, and demanded the district meet with union leaders at the bargaining table.

CEO Pedro Martinez on Wednesday said he didn’t anticipate a work stoppage.

Still, teachers and administrators are left navigating the change in policy. Some parents have welcomed the change, while others said they are worried, especially in communities hardest hit by the pandemic where vaccination rates remain low.

How do you feel about the change in mask policy? Tell us in the survey below. Your answers could inform our coverage of this issue.

Having trouble viewing this form on mobile? Go here.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

4 things to know if you missed Tuesday’s Detroit school board meeting

2022-03-09T20:48:34+00:00

The Detroit school district may rescind its vaccination mandate for school employees following a policy review by board members, Deputy Superintendent Iranetta Wright said during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

The district currently has not issued any disciplinary action to employees who are unvaccinated, Wright said, but the district’s policy committee will review the policy at its next meeting on March 15. If the policy is rescinded, it would allow the roughly 1,100 staff members who are unvaccinated to remain employed.

“We do anticipate with the changes and what’s happening right now with COVID … going back to the policy committee for a revision to the employee vaccine mandate,” Wright said during the meeting.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat in February that it was unlikely he would push to dismiss teachers who refused to be vaccinated, citing a lack of state or local support for an employee vaccine requirement.

Staff vaccination rates have increased slightly since the last school board meeting in February. Roughly 84% of school employees have been vaccinated, up from 81%. The district has approved 279 staff exemptions for medical or religious reasons, and it has denied 27 exemption requests, while 227 requests are pending.

About 98% of students have consented to the district’s weekly COVID testing, up from 96% last month.

In other business Tuesday, the board approved an increase in the stipend its members receive for attending meetings, and welcomed new student representatives to the board. The board’s approach to public comments also drew criticism during the meeting.

Board shuts down speakers during public comment

Nearly a dozen people who spoke during Tuesday’s board meeting were abruptly cut off during a public comment session. Former and current district students and teachers were lobbying board members for the reinstatement of a veteran Detroit teacher who wants faculty to be able teach from home if they have certain medical conditions.

Nicole Conaway, a 15-year district math and science teacher, alleged that last month she received a termination letter from the district after she repeatedly asked to be allowed to teach virtually, due to her recurring issues with her sinuses as well as chronic asthma, which put her at acute risk if she is infected with COVID-19.

In the termination letter, Conaway said, the district informed her that she had three choices: return to in-person teaching at a school, re-apply for the Family Medical Leave Act, or resign. Conaway also said the district denied her paid sick time through the Family Medical Leave Act by claiming that her chronic asthma was not covered.

The majority of commenters who spoke in favor of Conaway’s reinstatement identified themselves as members of the By Any Means Necessary activist group, which has opposed face-to-face learning during the pandemic. If the board moved forward to terminate Conaway, speakers said, it could impact other teachers seeking medical accommodation to work remotely.

Christine Abood, a retired Detroit school teacher of 40 years, said Conaway “should be protected and she should not be bullied and threatened into a termination simply because she is immunocompromised.”

Conaway, who spoke during the public comment section, told board members Tuesday that “beyond the consequences for me, this decision will harm students and this district,” particularly students “in the virtual school right now who need a science teacher.” Conaway filed a lawsuit in federal court in November, asking a judge to rule that the district should allow her to work virtually.

In recent weeks, the district has transferred some in-person teachers to the DPSCD Virtual School due to a rise in student enrollment since the fall semester. But in order to teach at the school, the district requires teachers to work on-site at a school building.

Detroit Board Chair Angelique Peterson-Mayberry said the board would not make decisions Tuesday about dismissing school employees. But as the night wore on, some virtual commenters who continued to call in about Conaway’s situation were cut off from speaking before the end of their allotted three minutes.

“People who are signed up to speak should have the right to speak, that is what it means to have a public meeting,” said Benjamin Royal, a former Detroit school teacher and an organizer of the group who said he resigned earlier this year to avoid contracting COVID.

But Peterson-Mayberry said the board can limit comments it deems repetitive, citing the district’s policy on public participation during board meetings. The policy was adopted in 2019.

“When the topics are the exact same, and the comments are very similar, then we’ve heard you, and that’s why I wanted to make sure that people knew that Ms. Conaway was not on the list tonight for termination,” Peterson-Mayberry said, adding that commenters can continue to call or email board members with their feedback.

Board members approve a compensation increase for themselves

The Detroit school board approved a sizable increase to the compensation each member receives for attending meetings and conducting other board business.

Under the revamped policy, the maximum annual compensation for attending meetings, training, and workshops for each of the seven board members will increase $6,000 per year to $15,000. Board members would be compensated for attending regular board meetings, school board committee meetings, and any meetings where a board member “is representing the board in an official capacity,” the policy states.

Previously, board members received a stipend of $100 per meeting. The new stipend is $250.

However, the new policy caps the number of annual meetings board members could receive these stipends for at 60.

School board introduces youth delegates

The school board announced its first cohort of student representatives who will serve and discuss district-related matters alongside the board during school board meetings.

Students and staff members selected seniors Emerson Jeffries of Cass Technical High School and Brooke Snow of Detroit School of Arts as the student delegates. Sophomore Perriel Pace of Legacy Academy will serve as an alternate.

Spearheaded by board member Misha Stallworth West, the addition of these representatives is intended to prioritize student input on academic, financial, and policy decisions made by the board. Student representatives can offer comments during meetings but will not have voting power on the board.

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org

With masks optional, NYC schools react with shrugs, enthusiasm, and sometimes fear

2022-03-07T22:36:37+00:00

With New York City’s mask mandate ending for most public school students on Monday, Matt Brownstein began his day shuttling to a handful of classrooms to help students think through some of the questions that might have been swirling in their minds.

If I take my mask off, am I at greater risk of getting sick or infecting a family member? Does keeping a face covering on make others feel pressured to do the same? Should people who are comfortable not wearing a mask put them on around people who are wearing them?

Brownstein, an assistant principal at P.S. 330 in Queens, where nearly a third of students are English language learners and nearly all come from low-income families, said he wanted to head off any confusion or conflict that might arise on the first day of the new policy. His approach was to be vulnerable and acknowledge that it wasn’t just children who might struggle to think the issue through.

“We shouldn’t be judging, we shouldn’t be mean, and we shouldn’t be acting out of fear — we should be acting out of kindness,” Brownstein said he told the students. “I’m genuinely trying to figure it out as well, so I’m modeling that earnest intention because I don’t necessarily know what the right thing is either.”

About 80% of students and staff at the school kept their masks on, Brownstein added. He decided to keep his mask on in classrooms and the cafeteria, but took it off in hallways and outside.

Across the city, educators, teachers, and students are just beginning to figure out thorny questions about how to navigate the policy change, especially as public health officials have repeatedly said that masks are an important layer of protection to interrupt transmission.

With the backing of the city’s teachers union, Mayor Eric Adams lifted the city’s mask mandate after it was no longer required by the state and shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new criteria that suggested it is safe to shed masks in New York City schools.

Still, fresh off the omicron surge, which infected at least 150,000 students and staff since late December, some said the end of the mask mandate felt abrupt. Even though case numbers have plummeted, some students and staff said they were wary of peeling back protective measures, especially those with medical conditions that make them more vulnerable or who live with young children who aren’t eligible to be vaccinated. Others felt shedding face coverings gave them a new sense of freedom and connection, as many students had not ever seen each other’s full faces before.

Some schools took a strong position on what decision students should make. At Brooklyn Collaborative Studies, a 6-12 school, administrators wrote an email to families that said, “We strongly recommend that students and staff continue to wear masks in school to keep everyone safe.” They emphasized that KN95 masks are required for those who became infected with COVID, isolated for five days, and are returning to campus on days 6-10 after testing positive.

Many schools took a more neutral stance. For students who trickled in and out of the five schools tucked into the former Erasmus Hall High School in Flatbush, the end of the mask mandate mostly came without much drama. Several students there said the mandate had not been particularly controversial and some weren’t even aware it had ended.

Brian Bautista, a junior at STAR Early College High School, kept his mask on because he has a lengthy subway commute (where masks are still required) and the school’s hallways feel packed with students.

“I don’t want to infect anybody else in case I have it because I still spend an hour on the train,” Bautista said. He said he’s vaccinated and had COVID over winter break.

Yonathan Delosantos, who also attends STAR, decided to ditch his mask because he said it makes his ears feel itchy, and it’s harder to breathe through it.

“It doesn’t really matter to me because I’m fully vaccinated,” he said, noting that most students kept their masks on but no one seemed upset with his decision.

Rosealee Magloire, a senior at STAR Early College High School in Brooklyn, decided not to wear a mask in school on Monday.

About 68% of students at the school are fully vaccinated, higher than the rate among other 6-12 schools, which stands at 63%, according to city data analyzed by Chalkbeat. Some students said they were required to be vaccinated to attend in-person classes at Brooklyn College, which has a partnership with the school. Delosantos said he hopes the city initiates a vaccine mandate for students, something Adams has suggested he’s open to, especially as he said some students still show up to school even if they’re feeling sick.

Polling suggests that most New York City residents have not been clamoring to end the city’s mask mandate. A Siena College poll conducted in mid-February found that 64% of New York City respondents felt the city should wait for data from early March to make a decision about school mask mandates. Just 26% said the mandate should have already ended.

The debate about whether to remove masks is complicated by the fact that there is no definitive evidence about how important they are in keeping coronavirus transmission down in schools. There is evidence that surgical masks (and other high-quality options such as N95s) are effective at reducing the virus’ spread in other contexts and little reason to doubt that would apply to schools as well. Research on any harms connected to face coverings is also slim.

Ten-year-old Priya Lee said she wished the city hadn’t rescinded the mask mandate because she has a seizure disorder that her family worries could flare up if she is reinfected with COVID (she was infected for the first time in December and experienced mild symptoms).

Most of her friends at Manhattan’s P.S. 19 took their masks off, as did three of her four teachers today. That made her feel left out.

“It made me miss life before the pandemic before we all started wearing masks,” Priya said. “I wish they could have kept the mask mandate because if the kids wear their masks the COVID cases will still be low.”

Still, Priya was happy to see her classmates’ faces and noted that her teacher also moved students’ desks closer together as social distancing guidelines have also been relaxed. That made it easier for her to hear her classmates, a move she welcomed.

A renewed sense of connection was also in the air at Brooklyn Frontiers High School, said teacher Eric Wilson.

“We’ve been seeing lots of smiling faces. I think a lot of people are happy to have the choice and the option,” he said. “It’s sort of like first-day-of-school vibes again.”

Wilson said about 75% of students continued to wear masks and about 90% of staff did. He experimented with taking off his mask Monday, but kept it on in situations where his co-teacher was wearing a face covering or if most of the students around him had their masks on.

He is hopeful that the mask-optional policy helps persuade students at Brooklyn Frontiers to feel more connected to each other and the school, especially since the school serves students who are behind in credits and are at risk of dropping out. But when informed of his school’s vaccination rate by a reporter — 35% are fully vaccinated — he paused.

“That actually gives me something to think about,” he said.

Chicago Public Schools moves to mask-optional policy starting March 14

2022-03-07T19:03:33+00:00

Chicago Public Schools will lift its indoor mask mandate for pre-K through 12th grade students and staff starting March 14 – a decision met with opposition by its teachers union, which cautioned that the move violated a safety agreement and said it plans to file an unfair labor practice complaint against the district.

On Monday, the district announced it would go to a mask-optional policy, aligning with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which in late February recommended that school districts drop mask mandates unless COVID cases and hospitalizations in their region were high.

Under the CDC’s COVID Tracker, Cook County, which includes Chicago, has a level of transmission that is currently considered substantial.

The change in the CPS policy will encourage students and staff to continue to wear masks, but allows parents and employees to decide whether to wear masks indoors, the district said in a statement.

“CPS was one of the first to require universal masking in schools, and we would not be moving to a mask-optional model unless the data and our public health experts indicated that it is safe for our school communities,” CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement. “We will support our staff and students as we enter this new phase in the pandemic and continue to move forward together.”

As part of the change in mask policy, the district will continue other safety mitigations including on-site testing and contact tracing.

Following the announcement, the Chicago Teachers Union argued lifting the mask mandate violated a safety agreement that requires masking through the end of the school year. The agreement was forged after district officials canceled five days of classes when teachers walked out over safety concerns amid the rise of COVID-19 cases across the city.

The union vowed to immediately file an unfair labor practice complaint, while also requesting Chicago Public Schools bargain over the updated mask policy.

“The district’s move to make masks optional without bargaining to do so safely will have health and safety consequences, so we continue to call on CPS to drastically improve accommodations by providing greater access to the Virtual Academy,” the union said in a statement.

The union also called for the district to provide additional accommodations for staff with medical vulnerabilities, additional details on a metric for when it would re-introduce masks should COVID cases increase, and how it planned to keep students under 5, who are not eligible for the vaccine, safe.

In addition, the union wants training for staff and families to prevent anyone from being “stigmatized for continuing to wear a mask.”

Moving to mask-optional would “undo progress” and “threaten the health and the safety” of a large swath of unvaccinated students on the South and West Sides, union president Jesse Sharkey said in a Friday letter to the mayor.

About 30% of students 5- to 11- years-old are fully vaccinated, while 57% in the age group have at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. About 56% of 12- to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated, and 68% of students have received at least one dose, according to latest figures from the district.

Last month, Gov. J.B Pritzker battled in court to keep Illinois’ emergency school mask mandate in place even as he lifted a mask requirement across the state. In February, a judge granted a temporary restraining order against masking, vaccination, and testing protocols in schools. Pritzker lost an appeal to get that judgment overturned.

Pritzker said students and staff would no longer be required to wear masks at Illinois schools starting Feb. 28 after the Illinois Supreme Court declined to take up the case.

Chicago follows other districts across the country, including New York City Public Schools, which lifted its mask mandate for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Children in pre-K and younger, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, must continue to wear masks at schools and day care facilities.

In Chicago, parents on both sides of the debate have spoken up in favor or against masks in classes in recent weeks.

The shift to mask-optional will be the first time Chicago will not require masks in school buildings since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

This story has been updated to include a statement from the teachers union.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit teachers have been through a lot. I’m still standing.

2022-03-04T13:00:00+00:00

When the pandemic forced us out of school, my 11th graders had just finished visual analyses of “Requiem for the American Dream,” Noam Chomsky’s documentary on capitalism in America, and the widening gap between the rich and poor.

My 10th graders, meanwhile, were exploring themes from Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis.” Their large poster drawings still lined the walls of my classroom when we returned in the fall to a short-lived stretch of uninterrupted in-person school. Some posters were peeling at the edges from the heat; some did not hold up and lay dusty, folded over on themselves on the floor. They were confirmation of the unalterable change the pandemic brought on and an omen of the difficulties my students, my district, and I would face.

Dorothea Williams-Arnold

When I began my career, Detroit Public Schools had been taken over by the state, which subsequently crippled the district so badly that teachers had to sacrifice salaries, autonomy, and pride. My beloved school district — underfunded, racially and economically segregated — was facing possible ruin. The reality made me all the more determined that there was no way I would leave college and head out to the more affluent suburbs or a less regulated charter school. The thought of leaving the Detroit district felt like selling out. It felt like running away.

I wanted to teach in this place where the ashes from past disinvestment and racial tension were still smoldering because Detroit Public Schools had nurtured me and because Black teachers had a tremendous impact on my desire to learn and my ability to thrive. I was poor, apprehensive, and traumatized by an abusive home environment, yet my teachers recognized my strengths and worth. They saw me. I was determined to have that kind of impact on young people in my community.

Detroit is where our shared history binds us together in common purpose and struggle. It is a place that offered my grandparents promise, but redlining, segregation, and overpriced and inadequate housing cost them their stability. Detroit is comfortable and familiar; it is also full of reminders of the lingering, complicated history that fueled the district takeover.

I was poor, apprehensive, and traumatized by an abusive home environment, yet my teachers recognized my strengths and my worth.

Working while the district was under state control meant teachers faced intense scrutiny. Our salaries were frozen, and we were forced to reapply for our jobs. Meanwhile, our infrastructure crumbled due to continued disinvestment. So when, after about 15 years of state control, the school district moved beyond the disastrous clutch of state control, it seemed as though our worst days were behind us.

Then the pandemic arrived, forcing me to sink or swim in a sea of deadly virus, isolation, and feelings of inadequacy. I would have to reinvent my approach to teaching and adjust my expectations — for my students and myself.

Frantz Fanon’s analysis of colonization and its effects that once gave me a sense of purpose felt useless in the new online space, where many of my students were reluctant to turn on their cameras. How could I teach to blank squares on a screen? How could I adequately serve my students outside of the classroom space? Theories of liberation would not help my students if they refused to engage with me.

During remote learning, I struggled to help them understand that their ill-equipped school district was not a result of anything they did wrong. Jonathan Kozol’s book “Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools” rang as true as it did some 30 years earlier. I saw many of my students and their families lacked necessities like stable housing, internet service, and food, and my school district struggled to accommodate them. Against this backdrop, being tasked with closing the educational gaps felt like a blow to the chest. Disinterested students broke my heart. My idea of who I was as an education professional was at risk.

It’s been nearly two years since the pandemic forced me out of my comfort zone, and in that space, I have learned to adjust the length of my reach. These days, I pay attention to the small things, like the cadence of my student’s voices, and celebrate small gains. I try harder to connect and adjust more often. But unfortunately, since our return to school, constant interruptions have left me unable to cover as much material.

A large student body — along with vaccine and testing resistance — means we’re still operating on a hybrid schedule with students learning in person just two or three days a week. I am still unable to adequately address the needs of my struggling students when they are learning from home; as a result, many of my 190 students will continue to fall behind.

Before the pandemic, I felt a sense of shame when my students did not perform at the level I thought they should. Now, I have accepted that some things are beyond my control.

Admittedly, I am now feeling the wear and tear of the past two years. This fatigue has left me more resistant to feelings of inadequacy and less apt to lose sleep over district-administered evaluations and exams that do not take into full consideration the constraints we must manage. I won’t beat myself up over falling short despite my best efforts. Instead, I allow myself to be more spontaneous and take breaks to chat with my students, to create art, write poetry and prose on themes of their choosing, or to collaborate on a class playlist. I give them time to socialize with each other when they are in person. They shouldn’t feel pressure to make up for two years of academic setbacks. It is not fair to them or us.

Though I am exhausted and frustrated by the ways poverty and inequitable funding impacts my students’ education, I will continue to show up. I will continue to help them move towards more significant academic gains through culturally relevant instruction that leaves room for them to enjoy the limited time they have in the physical classroom.

Reflecting on the past couple of years, I have realized that the forces of change do not always have to make sense; but I must be sensible in my handling of them. And because I am allowing myself grace, my resolve has strengthened; my students are learning to work through their challenges, which helps me feel effective and productive.

I now realize that over the past two years, I also have been fighting for myself, my identity as a teacher, my means of survival, my soul.

Dorothea Williams-Arnold teaches 10th and 11th grade English Language Arts at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. She is a 15-year veteran of public education and a senior fellow at the Pulse Institute, an anti-poverty think tank.

As city, state drop mask requirements, Chicago schools face period of mask limbo

2022-03-03T18:12:44+00:00

This story has been updated to include CDC data for Cook County.

Days after the city and state lifted their mask mandates, Chicago Public Schools is signaling it could soon be moving to make masks optional, aligning itself with federal guidance but potentially setting district leadership up for another confrontation with its powerful teachers union.

In an email to parents Wednesday evening, CEO Pedro Martinez said universal masking is still in place in Chicago schools, but the district expected to move to a “mask-optional model for all students and staff in the near future.” The district declined to clarify the timeline.

“This change will be consistent with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding masking, and guided by rapidly declining case counts within CPS and the City of Chicago,” Martinez and Bogdana Chkoumbova, chief education officer, said in the letter to parents.

In a letter to members, the teachers union argued that its agreement would require masking through the end of the school year.

“We are all in a better place with COVID-19 today than we were a month ago,” CTU vice president Stacy Davis Gates said, “but we also understand that schools are congregate settings, and less than 25% of students in many are unvaccinated.”

During a rally outside City Hall Monday, some parents and activists with the People’s Response Network voiced support for the mask mandate, encouraging the district to uphold its safety agreement and require masks through the remainder of the school year.

The district has stood firm on its mask stance amid legal challenges, citing a legal agreement with its teachers union forged after an acrimonious battle over inadequate safety mitigations.

Last week, the CDC said schools could drop masks unless COVID cases and hospitalizations were high. Cook County, where Chicago is located, is considered low transmission, according to the county’s data. Under the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, however, the county’s transmission level is considered “substantial.” The guidance comes as many districts across the country and elsewhere in the state have already moved to go mask-optional in the classroom.

For the past month, Gov. J.B Pritzker has been battling in court to keep Illinois’ emergency school mask mandate in place even as he lifted a mask requirement across the state. Earlier this month, a judge granted a temporary restraining order against masking, vaccination, and testing protocols in schools. Pritzker lost an appeal to get that judgment overturned last week.

After the Illinois Supreme Court declined to take up the case, Pritzker said students and staff would no longer be required to wear masks at Illinois schools.

The back-and-forth over masking has caused confusion on the ground and chaos in some Illinois school board rooms, with late night meetings and votes stirring heated debate.

The end of mandates has also put the state’s child care providers in limbo. Earlier this week, the state’s Department of Children and Family Services, which licenses child care providers, said that children and staff at early learning centers were no longer required to wear masks, but that it was up to individual sites to decide.

That has presented a quandary for some providers, since vaccinations have not been approved yet for children under age 5.

Sonja Crum Knight, chief programs and impact officer at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning, which oversees child care and after-school programs for about 2,000 children across multiple sites in the city, said her organization will continue to require masks — and quickly communicated that to parents on Monday when the city mandates lifted.

Several factors weighed in the leadership’s decision, she said, including status as a federal Head Start grantee (the federal government has not technically lifted mandates for its centers) and the fact that most children in Carole Robertson’s care are not yet eligible for the vaccine. Also, quite simply, masking has proven effective so far and helped keep classrooms open, she said.

“We’ve been rooted in masking,” said Knight. “It’s not an abstract arbitrary thing, it’s keeping everybody safe, and that’s keeping us open.”

In a statement, Chicago Public Schools said the decision to move toward making masks optional was made because of the low number of positive cases at schools and declining hospitalization rates.

About 22% of all 5- to 11-year-olds in the district have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 34% have received at least one dose, but uptake varies widely by neighborhood. About 54% of 12- to 17-years were fully vaccinated as of Feb. 14, according to data obtained by Chalkbeat Chicago.

The mask-optional announcement comes a week after Chicago Board of Education members approved a resolution during February’s board meeting to maintain COVID safety mitigations, which include a mask mandate.

Martinez told board members at February’s board meeting that he predicted there would be a day for the district to go mask-optional, possibly before the end of the year. Still, he cautioned against lifting the mandate too early.

During the board meeting, a dozen parents challenged the district to drop the mask mandate.

In affirming the board’s commitment to masks, board president Miguel del Valle last week said that while COVID cases were improving within the district, vaccination rates among students lagged behind the city.

Board member Elizabeth Todd-Breland said being “cautious was the right thing to do,” especially since the pandemic had disparate impacts on communities of color.

Samantha Smylie contributed to this report.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

Philadelphia schools could be mask-optional starting March 9

2022-03-03T01:10:05+00:00

Wearing a mask will be optional for all students and staff starting March 9 if the city’s health department determines that COVID case counts remain low, the Philadelphia school district announced Wednesday.

Due to federal regulations, universal masking would still be required for all prekindergarten Head Start students and staff. All students and staff also will be required to wear a mask the week after the district returns from spring break, which is April 18 to April 22.

“Employees and people entering indoor spaces still have the right to wear masks. As we’ve done throughout the pandemic, please give each other the gift of understanding that we can’t know another person’s circumstances,” said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole on Wednesday.

Bettigole said the health department is looking at four local metrics to determine its response level, including cases, hospitalizations, the percentage of tests that come back positive, and the rate of rise in cases. For now, all district staff and students are still required to wear masks.

The move follows a recent announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that masks can be removed in school unless hospitalizations and case counts are high. Other school districts nationwide with mask mandates have said they will consider making masks optional. In New York City, the mayor said a mask mandate could end next week; a final decision will be made this week. In Detroit, the superintendent said the district would consider ending its mandate after spring break.

In Philadelphia schools following shortened isolation and quarantine guidelines, students who return five days after testing positive also must wear a well-fitted mask in school except while eating and drinking during lunch. Schools must set up a separate area for those students to eat and drink for days six to 10.

“Some people will continue to wear masks. Others will not. I ask that you thoughtfully consider your personal situation and family circumstances, and do what is best for you or your child – and please respect everyone else’s right to do the same, even if their choice differs from yours,” Superintendent William Hite said Wednesday.

The district still asks students to stay home if they are sick, get tested if they are showing symptoms of COVID, isolate themselves if they have been exposed to COVID, and quarantine if they test positive.

Wednesday’s announcement comes two days after school officials said the district will end all mandatory testing of vaccinated staff and cut back testing of unvaccinated employees from twice to once a week. That change for staff will start March 14, with testing for vaccinated employees still available for those who want it until March 25. For unvaccinated employees, testing will be once a week.

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said that he agreed with the new policy. “With the sharp decline of COVID cases, we will continue to monitor it,” he said.

Bettigole noted there’s still room for concern with the virus. As of yesterday, the city reported an average of 87 new cases of COVID per day. While this number is only about 2% of what the health department saw during the omicron peak, it’s still about three times higher than the lows from last summer before the delta wave.

“Things may change,” Bettigole said during Wednesday’s COVID update. “We are continuing to look at our metrics and try to refine and make things better, more stronger and useful. But of course we could get hit with another variant, so keep your masks somewhere. COVID is still here, it’s at a much lower rate and we think that it’s safe to do this.”
Bureau Chief Johann Calhoun covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. He oversees Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s education coverage. Contact Johann at jcalhoun@chalkbeat.org

Illinois will no longer require masks in child care centers, but sites can set own rules

2022-03-01T23:09:06+00:00

Day cares and child care centers no longer must require masks for children age 2 and over, the governor’s office confirmed Tuesday, following the state’s adoption of new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Individual daycares and child care facilities may still choose to require masks, a spokeswoman from Chicago’s public health department told Chalkbeat. More guidance is expected to come specifically for child care settings from the federal government.

Some large providers in Chicago said Tuesday they planned to continue with masking rules for students, educators, and visitors until more information is available.

Julio Paz, the chief development officer of Chicago Commons, said the nonprofit organization would continue to require masks at its multiple sites across the city for now. “If we adjust our policies in the future, we will take into consideration guidance from the state/health departments, input from our families and employees, and data on the local COVID-19 context,” he said.

The shift in Illinois follows new CDC guidance that says masks can come off in schools as long as community case rates are not too high.

Specifically, the CDC said mask mandates aren’t necessary if COVID cases and hospitalizations are low or moderate, and hospitals aren’t overburdened in a community. Across the country, about 70% of Americans live in areas considered “low” or “moderate;” in Illinois, about two dozen counties, mostly concentrated on the western border with Iowa and downstate, are still considered “high” per the CDC’s community level rubric that factors in new cases and hospital bed availability.

When COVID cases and hospitalizations are high, schools should still require masks, the CDC recommended in its latest round of guidance issued Friday.

Masking school children, particularly young children who are developing language skills, has been a fraught issue throughout the country, including in Illinois. There’s scant research that comes down firmly on the pros and cons of masking children.

Illinois had been locked in a legal battle throughout February about emergency mandates involving masks, vaccinations, and testing protocols in K-12 schools. After parents and educators representing more than 170 school districts filed suit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker over emergency orders, a circuit court judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking such mandates — a move later upheld by the state’s appellate and supreme courts.

Legal battles, parent opposition, and declining case rates have quickly brought an end to emergency masking orders in many Illinois K-12 school districts. Without an order to continue masking, many have implemented mask-optional policies.

The battles have created confusion in classrooms and in school district board rooms, but early education centers have largely flown under the radar in the debate. Some early educators have argued that mask requirements hamper communication with young students and make it harder to teach them letters and sounds, while others contend that children should continue to wear masks until they qualify for vaccinations. (Currently, federal authorization for vaccinations for children only applies to those aged 5 and older.)

The state’s largest school district, Chicago Public Schools, continues to require students and adults to wear masks on campuses and in offices. According to the district’s safety agreement with its teachers’ union, students should continue to wear masks through the end of the school year. District CEO Pedro Martinez said last week he is reviewing the latest requirements in conjunction with labor and public health officials.

Cassie Walker Burke is the Chalkbeat Chicago bureau chief. She covers early learning and K-12. Contact Cassie at cburke@chalkbeat.org.

Samantha Smylie contributed reporting.

Philadelphia district cuts back regular COVID testing of staff

2022-03-01T00:39:33+00:00

With COVID case counts plummeting, the Philadelphia school district will end all mandatory testing of vaccinated staff and cut back testing of unvaccinated employees from twice to once a week.

In an email to district staff sent Monday, Superintendent William Hite said the change will start March 14. Testing for vaccinated employees will still be available for those who want it until March 25. For unvaccinated employees, testing will be once a week.

“While we have offered this testing service and required it for all employees for almost a year, we will be phasing out on-site employee testing,” he wrote.

Since the school year started, vaccinated employees have been tested once a week and unvaccinated employees twice a week.

The district will keep open testing sites at five schools across the city where anyone can make an appointment to be tested, Hite said. Those include: Martin Luther King in West Oak Lane, South Philadelphia, Samuel Fels in the Northeast, Overbrook, and Edison in Kensington.

James Garrow, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said in an email that PDPH never required this kind of testing, “so their cutting back doesn’t run afoul of our guidance.” He noted that the district will still need to test unvaccinated healthcare workers, including school nurses, twice weekly.

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said that he agreed with the new policy. “With the sharp decline of COVID cases, we will continue to monitor it,” he said. He noted that health officials say that people who are vaccinated and boosted are less likely to get severe cases.

In Philadelphia, teacher absenteeism has seen a big jump this school year, in part due to people contracting the virus or needing to quarantine, but that is starting to ease off. After a spate of temporary closures due to inadequate staffing in the fall and after the winter break, no schools have been forced to temporarily move to remote learning since early January.

Still, Jordan said, “I worry about schools, we have hundreds of people working in schools and we live in a densely populated city. I’m more concerned about the masks. That’s going to be a bigger issue.”

Garrow said that the city has no immediate plans to lift its indoor mask mandate, which includes schools.

PDPH has four COVID response levels, from “all clear” to “extreme caution,” which guide safety measures in the city. All clear means that restaurants can drop vaccine requirements and masks would only be required in certain settings, such as schools, healthcare institutions and public transportation. “And as of today, we had not met the thresholds to move to ‘all clear,’” he said.

Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said in a statement that the city is still in the “mask precautions” response level, meaning that masks are required in all public indoor spaces, including schools. She added that officials are “talking with both public and private school administrators about what’s happening in other places that are dropping their mask mandate in schools. If things go well there, we could drop the school mask requirement within the next couple of weeks.”

Many suburban schools moved to optional masking after the state Supreme Court ruled in December that Gov. Tom Wolf had no authority to require masks in schools.

The Philadelphia district is not changing its testing protocols for students. It only tests symptomatic students, not those who don’t have symptoms. Students who participate in contact sports and certain performing arts activities, including band, are required to be tested once a week, but can opt out with proof of vaccination.

Jordan said that the American Federation of Teachers, which is the PFT’s parent union, has said that more than 90% of its members are vaccinated, and he suspects the number is similar in Philadelphia.

Detroit schools could lift mask mandate after spring break

2022-03-01T00:26:15+00:00

The Detroit school district could lift its mask mandate sometime after its weeklong spring break ends April 3, provided the pandemic doesn’t surge after break and all students learning indoors are being tested weekly.

“We plan to consider the removal of the mask requirement between mid-March and mid-April,” Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat Monday.

Detroit’s move would come well after many school districts in Michigan have already lifted their mask mandates. At the beginning of the school year, a majority of students were attending schools that required them to wear masks.

After an omicron-fueled surge of COVID cases in January caused schools to close campuses, Detroit’s case rates, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID have steadily decreased. Last week, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines that said schools should mandate masks only when COVID cases and hospitalizations are categorized as high. Currently, Wayne County falls in the“medium” tier of case rates that the CDC does not recommend for mask mandates.

But in Detroit, even though case rates have declined, the district has other considerations.

“We currently agree with the Detroit Health Department that due to the city’s lower vaccination rates our mask removal date will be later than other districts’,” Vitti said.

Currently, about 48% of city residents have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, compared with 66% statewide.

Two factors will help the district determine if it makes sense to lift its mask requirement. One has to do with student testing. On Jan. 31, a new rule went into place requiring students to be tested weekly for COVID, with their parents’ consent. The district will move students who lack parental consent for testing to the district’s virtual school. That move hasn’t happened yet.

“We are reaching nearly 100% of students consenting to COVID testing and when that occurs, and non-consenting students are transferred to the virtual school, we will be in a better position to allow for optional mask wearing for employees and students,” Vitti said.

The district will also be looking closely at what happens after spring break, which lasts from March 28 to April 3.

“We also want to ensure that the city does not experience another surge after spring break,” Vitti said in a statement. “It would be difficult to remove the mask requirement and then enforce it once again if a surge occurs near spring break when staff and students are not in school. Once those two obstacles are cleared we would consider lifting the mask requirement.”

The district’s letter of agreement with the Detroit Federation of Teachers, which established mutual guidelines for the reopening of school buildings for the current school year, says the district will “abide with the most current legally required” orders, recommendations, and guidelines from the CDC and the state health department.

NYC schools could lift mask mandate by March 7

2022-02-27T22:47:35+00:00

New York City could lift its mask mandate for public schools on March 7, Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday.

His announcement came hours after Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted the statewide mask mandate for schools starting March 2. Her decision to end the mandate follows new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that says schools can ditch face coverings if the surrounding community has low to moderate case rates and hospitalizations, and hospitals aren’t overburdened.

The CDC considers New York City to have a “low” community level of COVID indicators — meaning it has a low number of hospitalizations and new COVID cases.

Adams said the city will make a final decision by March 4, after officials “evaluate the numbers” of COVID infection rates, hospitalizations, and vaccination rates. If there are no “unforeseen spikes and our numbers continue to show a low level of risk,” the city would lift the mask mandate for schools, effective March 7.

City officials already announced plans to drop outdoor masking when schools returned from mid-winter recess on Feb. 28.

Students and staff can continue wearing masks if they prefer to keep them on.

“Our schools have been among the safest places for our children since the beginning of the pandemic,” Adams said in the statement, “and we will continue to make the proper public health decisions to keep our kids safe, including making masks available for any child or school staff member who wishes to continue wearing them.”

It was not immediately clear whether school-level vaccination rates would also be considered. The city recently released data showing that 52% of public school students are vaccinated.

Earlier this month, Hochul strongly suggested she would end masking in schools but would make the decision based on COVID case rates, hospitalizations, and vaccinations.

“Now, with COVID cases declining by 98% since the Omicron peak and updated @CDCgov guidance in place, we will lift the statewide school mask requirement this coming Wednesday,” Hochul said in a tweet.

There is little rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of masking in schools, but families are split on whether to keep them around.

A recent Siena poll of 803 New York registered voters found that, among New York City respondents, 64% believe data should be examined in early March before a decision is made about masking in schools. Just 9% of New York City respondents believe the mandate should end after February break, while 26% believe mask mandates should have already ended.

Several students, however, recently told Chalkbeat that even though they found mask-wearing uncomfortable at times, they still preferred to keep their faces covered.

52% of NYC public school students are fully vaccinated. Check your school’s rate here.

2022-02-26T00:06:11+00:00

Just over half of New York City public school students are fully vaccinated, according to data the education department released Friday.

In total, 59% of the city’s public school students have received at least one vaccine dose and nearly 52% are considered fully vaccinated.

The information is required under City Council law, and includes a breakdown of school-level vaccination rates and the number of students who have consented to in-school COVID testing. Updates will be shared every two weeks. The figures don’t include charter schools.

The data show that there are wide disparities by school and neighborhood. Schools in Brooklyn’s District 23, which includes Ocean Hill, Brownsville and parts of East New York, had the lowest rates of vaccination, with just 38% of students receiving at least one dose. Districts 16, which includes a significant chunk of Bedford-Stuyvesant, and 18, which includes Flatbush and Canarsie, both had vaccination rates of 43%. On Staten Island, the rate is 47%.

“In the coming months, we are working with our partner health care agencies on an outreach campaign to encourage vaccination in the communities with the lowest rates,” education department spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said in a statement.

Manhattan’s District 2 has the highest vaccination rate, with 80% of students receiving at least one dose. That district spans much of Lower Manhattan, some of Chinatown, and the Upper East Side. Not far behind: District 3 in Manhattan, which includes the Upper West Side and part of Harlem, at 77%. Next is District 26 in Bayside, Queens, where 74% of students have at least one dose.

At nearly 250 of the city’s schools, fewer than a third of students have received at least one dose. Out of the city’s nearly 1,600 district schools, the share of students who have been vaccinated with at least one dose ranges from from just 12% to 94%.

The city had previously released information about vaccination rates among children, but had not provided data specific to public students or where they go to school.

Nationally, about 26% of children ages 5-11 are fully vaccinated and 57% of those 12-17 are, according to a New York Times database. Children ages 5-11 became eligible for the vaccine in November; children under 5 are still ineligible.

Public health experts say that information is important to weigh as the state considers whether to lift a mandate to wear masks in schools. Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she will wait until after the mid-winter recess to make a decision. She has said she will weigh a combination of factors, including the positivity rate, vaccination rates, and hospital capacity. On Friday, New York City announced that students will no longer have to wear masks while outside on school grounds, including while playing school-sponsored sports.

Use the tool below to look up your school’s vaccination rate:

School	First dose	Fully vaccinated
High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering	93.8%	92.7%
Stuyvesant High School	94.4%	92.5%
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College	93.8%	92.5%
Baruch College Campus High School	94.4%	92.3%
The Bronx High School of Science	94.2%	92.2%
Eleanor Roosevelt High School	92.9%	90.0%
N.Y.C. Lab School for Collaborative Studies	92.0%	89.9%
Millennium High School	91.3%	89.8%
High School of American Studies at Lehman College	92.6%	89.6%
NYC iSchool	93.1%	89.3%
PS 321 William Penn	92.9%	89.3%
Brooklyn Technical High School	91.6%	89.2%
Bard High School Early College	91.6%	89.1%
Townsend Harris High School	91.7%	89.1%
Beacon High School	92.5%	89.0%
High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies	91.2%	88.7%
The Clinton School	92.3%	88.0%
Staten Island Technical High School	90.2%	87.6%
Brooklyn Latin School, The	89.5%	87.5%
New York City Lab Middle School for Collaborative Studies	91.4%	87.4%
N.Y.C. Museum School	91.1%	87.4%
Millennium Brooklyn HS	89.2%	87.0%
Bard High School Early College Queens	89.4%	86.5%
Baccalaureate School for Global Education	88.0%	86.5%
Manhattan / Hunter Science High School	89.9%	86.4%
School of the Future High School	89.3%	86.1%
Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School	89.7%	86.1%
Manhattan Village Academy	89.1%	85.9%
Frank McCourt High School	89.3%	85.9%
MS 255 Salk School of Science	89.6%	85.8%
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts	89.8%	85.7%
East-West School of International Studies	87.9%	85.6%
Institute for Collaborative Education	88.1%	85.0%
Columbia Secondary School	87.9%	85.0%
Queens High School for Language Studies	88.2%	84.6%
Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School	87.5%	84.5%
Central Park East High School	89.3%	84.3%
The Maurice Sendak Community School	86.5%	84.2%
The Anderson School	88.8%	84.1%
New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math	87.7%	83.7%
Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts	86.7%	83.7%
West End Secondary School	88.4%	83.5%
Ballet Tech, NYC Public School for Dance	87.2%	83.2%
MS 243 Center School	85.0%	83.1%
PS 234 Independence School	90.1%	83.0%
PS 29 John M. Harrigan	87.6%	83.0%
IS 289	88.5%	82.9%
PS 107 John W. Kimball	86.9%	82.8%
The Children's School	87.2%	82.7%
Aviation Career & Technical Education High School	86.5%	82.7%
Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics	87.2%	82.6%
PS 77 Lower Lab School	89.6%	82.4%
Spruce Street School	86.0%	82.4%
The 30th Avenue School (G&T Citywide)	85.8%	82.4%
PS 8 Robert Fulton	89.6%	82.3%
Park East High School	86.0%	82.1%
PS 58 The Carroll	87.4%	82.1%
JHS 54 Booker T. Washington	87.6%	82.0%
Special Music School	87.8%	82.0%
PS 183 Robert L. Stevenson	90.6%	81.9%
PS 39 Henry Bristow	88.3%	81.9%
Middle College High School at LaGuardia Community	85.8%	81.9%
Francis Lewis High School	85.2%	81.8%
Civic Leadership Academy	86.1%	81.7%
Professional Performing Arts High School	86.0%	81.6%
IS 187 The Christa McAuliffe School	84.9%	81.5%
Bayside High School	84.6%	81.2%
Queens Technical High School	85.0%	81.1%
PS 87 William Sherman	85.7%	81.0%
Talent Unlimited High School	85.2%	80.8%
High School for Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture	84.4%	80.7%
Academy of Finance and Enterprise	84.2%	80.6%
JHS 104 Simon Baruch	85.2%	80.5%
The Windsor Terrace School	84.8%	80.5%
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School	84.2%	80.5%
PS 184 Shuang Wen	85.1%	80.4%
PS 199 Jessie Isador Straus	84.4%	80.0%
East Side Middle School	86.1%	79.9%
PS 150	85.6%	79.9%
University Heights Secondary School	85.7%	79.7%
Veritas Academy	84.1%	79.7%
PS 42 Benjamin Altman	85.1%	79.4%
JHS 74 Nathaniel Hawthorne	83.3%	79.4%
JHS 167 Robert F. Wagner	83.9%	79.3%
Lower Manhattan Community Middle School	84.5%	79.3%
Energy Tech High School	85.7%	79.3%
Art and Design High School	82.5%	79.1%
PS 166 The Richard Rodgers School of The Arts and Technology	84.0%	78.9%
Academy of American Studies	81.8%	78.9%
PS 9 Sarah Anderson	83.8%	78.5%
Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music	84.0%	78.5%
Brooklyn College Academy	81.9%	78.5%
Young Women's Leadership School, Astoria	83.6%	78.4%
High School for Arts and Business	82.1%	78.3%
Battery Park City School	83.9%	78.1%
Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School	81.1%	78.1%
High School for Community Leadership	80.4%	78.1%
Maspeth High School	82.5%	78.0%
High School for Health Professions and Human Services	82.7%	77.9%
Magnet School of Math, Science and Design Technology	84.0%	77.9%
PS 41 Greenwich Village	85.2%	77.8%
Yorkville East Middle School	81.0%	77.8%
Young Women's Leadership School, Queens	81.7%	77.8%
Humanities Preparatory Academy	85.5%	77.7%
MS 245 The Computer School	83.7%	77.7%
PS 124 Yung Wing	86.3%	77.6%
JHS 158 Marie Curie	82.6%	77.6%
PS 105 The Blythebourne	84.6%	77.2%
Tag Young Scholars	83.5%	77.0%
PS 89	85.9%	76.9%
High School for Environmental Studies	83.1%	76.9%
Union Square Academy for Health Sciences	81.9%	76.8%
Essex Street Academy	81.4%	76.5%
Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School	83.8%	76.5%
High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology (HSTAT)	81.1%	76.3%
Information Technology High School	82.5%	76.3%
IS 237	81.5%	76.1%
IS 25 Adrien Block	79.8%	76.0%
High School of Applied Communication	78.8%	75.9%
Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology	81.1%	75.9%
Benjamin N. Cardozo High School	81.0%	75.9%
PS 160 William T. Sampson	82.0%	75.8%
East Side Community School	80.9%	75.7%
Young Women's Leadership School	81.6%	75.7%
The Math & Science Exploratory School	81.0%	75.7%
PS 11 William T. Harris	80.9%	75.6%
PS 290 Manhattan New School	81.4%	75.6%
Hunters Point Community Middle School	82.2%	75.5%
City College Academy of the Arts	80.9%	75.4%
Midwood High School	79.4%	75.4%
Academy for Careers in Television and Film	80.1%	75.4%
PS 6 Lillie D. Blake	83.9%	75.3%
York Early College Academy	81.5%	75.3%
PS 130 Hernando De Soto	84.7%	75.2%
Urban Assembly New York Harbor School	79.7%	75.2%
CSI High School for International Studies	77.0%	75.2%
IS 230	81.4%	75.1%
PS 384	81.8%	75.1%
Fort Hamilton High School	79.8%	74.9%
JHS 189 Daniel Carter Beard	80.6%	74.8%
PS 40 Augustus Saint-Gaudens	79.3%	74.7%
Urban Assembly Maker Academy	81.0%	74.7%
The School For Future Leaders	79.8%	74.6%
Manhattan Bridges High School	83.5%	74.5%
Epic High School - North	80.9%	74.5%
Marble Hill High School for International Studies	80.4%	74.4%
PS 69 Vincent D. Grippo School	82.8%	74.4%
University Neighborhood High School	79.5%	74.2%
Business Technology Early College High School	79.0%	74.2%
Jamaica Gateway to the Sciences	79.7%	74.2%
Flushing High School	80.3%	74.1%
All City Leadership Secondary School	81.7%	74.1%
MS 51 William Alexander	80.4%	73.9%
JHS 216 George J. Ryan	78.5%	73.9%
MS 131	79.6%	73.8%
Sixth Avenue Elementary School	80.7%	73.7%
JHS 67 Louis Pasteur	79.3%	73.6%
High School of Economics and Finance	79.8%	73.3%
The Boerum Hill School for International Studies	78.0%	73.1%
JHS 220 John J. Pershing	80.0%	73.1%
Urban Academy Laboratory High School	82.9%	73.0%
PS 24 Andrew Jackson	79.0%	73.0%
Robert H. Goddard High School of Communication Art	78.5%	73.0%
Epic High School - South	77.5%	73.0%
International High School at LaGuardia Community College	82.5%	72.9%
The Active Learning Elementary School	81.2%	72.9%
PS 333 Manhattan School for Children	75.2%	72.8%
Long Island City High School	79.1%	72.8%
Harvest Collegiate High School	79.7%	72.7%
The Cinema School	79.1%	72.6%
MS 247 Dual Language Middle School	76.3%	72.5%
IS 915	78.7%	72.5%
MS 839	79.0%	72.5%
The East Village Community School	78.0%	72.3%
Vanguard High School	76.5%	72.3%
PS 146 The Brooklyn New School	77.1%	72.2%
Academy for Software Engineering	76.9%	72.1%
New Voices School of Academic & Creative Arts	78.5%	72.1%
New Utrecht High School	76.6%	72.0%
Edward R. Murrow High School	76.2%	72.0%
William Cullen Bryant High School	78.2%	72.0%
JHS 201 The Dyker Heights	75.8%	71.8%
47 The American Sign Language and English Secondary School	80.7%	71.7%
PS 158 Bayard Taylor	79.3%	71.7%
Park Slope Collegiate	77.0%	71.7%
Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences	75.8%	71.7%
World View High School	78.3%	71.6%
Newtown High School	79.4%	71.6%
Forest Hills High School	75.5%	71.6%
Gramercy Arts High School	77.6%	71.5%
IS 5 The Walter Crowley Intermediate School	78.6%	71.5%
PS 059 Beekman Hill International	79.8%	71.4%
Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology	78.0%	71.3%
Belmont Preparatory High School	76.7%	71.3%
PS/IS 217 Roosevelt Island	76.8%	71.2%
PS 267 East Side Elementary School	80.2%	71.2%
MS 297	78.4%	71.2%
Brooklyn High School of the Arts	76.6%	71.1%
John Bowne High School	78.0%	71.1%
Richmond Hill High School	77.5%	71.1%
PS/IS 78	79.3%	71.1%
Murray Hill Academy	79.6%	71.0%
MS 442 Carroll Gardens School for Innovation	78.1%	71.0%
Sunset Park High School	76.9%	70.9%
The Urban Assembly School for Green Careers	78.1%	70.8%
MS 172 Irwin Altman	76.5%	70.8%
PS 3 Charrette School	77.8%	70.7%
The High School of Fashion Industries	76.8%	70.6%
JHS 185 Edward Bleeker	76.2%	70.6%
Muscota	75.5%	70.5%
Hillcrest High School	77.4%	70.4%
Pace High School	77.1%	70.3%
JHS 227 Edward B. Shallow	75.9%	70.3%
Queens School of Inquiry, The	74.4%	70.2%
IS 227 Louis Armstrong	74.5%	70.2%
PS 130 The Parkside	76.1%	70.1%
Fordham High School for the Arts	76.9%	70.0%
Williamsburg Preparatory School	76.9%	70.0%
Scholars' Academy	75.5%	70.0%
BELL Academy	74.1%	69.9%
Mott Hall II	75.4%	69.8%
Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics	76.9%	69.8%
JHS 88 Peter Rouget	76.3%	69.8%
Neighborhood School	80.1%	69.7%
Bedford Academy High School	76.2%	69.7%
PS 527 East Side School for Social Action	79.5%	69.5%
Tompkins Square Middle School	75.8%	69.4%
PS 126 Jacob August Riis	77.9%	69.4%
The Peck Slip School	76.3%	69.3%
Quest to Learn	74.0%	69.3%
Queens High School of Teaching, Liberal Arts and the Sciences	76.0%	69.2%
Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School	75.2%	69.1%
JHS 259 William McKinley	73.2%	69.1%
Manhattan Early College School for Advertising	77.0%	69.0%
Brooklyn Collaborative Studies	77.9%	69.0%
Robert F. Kennedy Community High School	75.3%	68.9%
Hillside Arts & Letters Academy	73.8%	68.7%
Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School	75.0%	68.7%
Food and Finance High School	74.3%	68.6%
IS 73 The Frank Sansivieri Intermediate School	75.2%	68.5%
World Journalism Preparatory: A College Board School	72.0%	68.5%
Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science	75.7%	68.4%
Academy of Arts and Letters	73.0%	68.4%
PS 94 The Henry Longfellow	75.4%	68.4%
Richard R. Green High School of Teaching	76.6%	68.3%
The River School	75.3%	68.2%
JHS 194 William Carr	72.8%	68.2%
Mott Hall V	74.1%	68.1%
Science, Technology and Research Early College High School	73.8%	68.0%
Riverdale / Kingsbridge Academy (Middle School / High School)	73.6%	67.9%
Discovery High School	75.1%	67.8%
IS 125 Thom J. McCann Woodside	75.8%	67.8%
Inwood Early College for Health and Information Technologies	77.7%	67.7%
The Mott Hall School	75.0%	67.7%
MS/HS 223 The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology	73.8%	67.6%
PS 144 Col Jeromus Remsen	74.7%	67.6%
Queens Metropolitan High School	72.4%	67.6%
Susan E. Wagner High School	73.0%	67.6%
Eximius College Preparatory Academy: A College Board School	74.7%	67.5%
Young Women's Leadership School of the Bronx	76.4%	67.5%
Ella Baker School	71.1%	67.4%
A. Philip Randolph Campus High School	76.6%	67.4%
IS 145 Joseph Pulitzer	75.5%	67.4%
MS 358	75.1%	67.3%
Martin Van Buren High School	74.9%	67.2%
Leadership and Public Service High School	79.4%	67.1%
Corona Arts & Sciences Academy	75.8%	67.1%
Flushing International High School	77.1%	67.1%
Bronx High School for Law and Community Service	74.4%	66.8%
MS 327 Comprehensive Model School Project	73.7%	66.7%
The High School For Language And Diplomacy	76.4%	66.5%
Cambria Heights Academy	73.0%	66.4%
Hudson High School of Learning Technologies	74.0%	66.3%
Urban Assembly School for Media Studies	76.0%	66.3%
PS 261 Philip Livingston	72.2%	66.3%
John Adams High School	73.4%	66.3%
Urban Assembly School for Criminal Justice	72.2%	66.2%
Curtis High School	74.2%	66.2%
New Design High School	74.3%	66.1%
Bronx Collegiate Academy	75.7%	66.1%
College Point Collaborative	73.7%	66.1%
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School	76.6%	66.0%
PS 84 Lillian Weber	76.0%	65.9%
Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School	71.7%	65.9%
DeWitt Clinton High School	72.5%	65.8%
IS 318 Eugenio Maria De Hostos	73.2%	65.7%
Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice	73.0%	65.6%
Fordham Leadership Academy	73.4%	65.6%
Bronx Latin	73.7%	65.6%
Unity Center for Urban Technologies	77.0%	65.5%
Astor Collegiate Academy	72.0%	65.5%
Pelham Preparatory Academy	74.1%	65.5%
PS 101 School in the Gardens	69.0%	65.3%
Urban Assembly Academy of Government and Law	75.3%	65.2%
Cypress Hills Collegiate Preparatory School	72.9%	65.2%
Leaders High School	72.2%	65.2%
IS 61 Leonardo Da Vinci	75.0%	65.2%
JHS 202 Robert H. Goddard	70.3%	65.2%
PS 452	72.1%	65.1%
High School of Arts and Technology	71.7%	65.1%
Bronx High School for Medical Science	73.7%	65.1%
John Dewey High School	71.0%	65.1%
Queens Collegiate: A College Board School	71.7%	65.1%
PS 163 Flushing Heights	74.1%	64.9%
Urban Assembly School of Design and Construction (SDC)	71.7%	64.8%
Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy International High School (Kappa)	74.1%	64.8%
Academy of Innovative Technology	72.6%	64.8%
PS 102 Bayview	71.6%	64.8%
PS 32 State Street	73.4%	64.8%
PS 69 Jackson Heights	73.7%	64.8%
MS 258 Community Action School	72.8%	64.7%
The Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice	72.8%	64.7%
Gotham Professional Arts Academy	71.1%	64.7%
Sunset Park Prep	71.9%	64.7%
High School for Civil Rights	70.3%	64.6%
PS 32 Samuel Mills Sprole	70.6%	64.5%
PS 116 Mary Lindley Murray	72.9%	64.4%
Landmark High School	74.3%	64.4%
Heritage School, The	68.6%	64.4%
Bronx Health Sciences High School	72.3%	64.4%
Medgar Evers College Preparatory School	69.9%	64.4%
Community Health Academy of the Heights	72.0%	64.3%
FDNY - Captain Vernon A. Richard High School for Fire and Life Safety	72.3%	64.3%
Pan American International High School	79.8%	64.3%
PS 188 Kingsbury	69.8%	64.3%
PS 198 Isador E. Ida Straus	71.5%	64.2%
Bronx River High School	72.7%	64.2%
Pan American International High School at Monroe	74.4%	64.2%
High School of World Cultures	74.2%	64.2%
Benjamin Banneker Academy	73.0%	64.2%
Yorkville Community School	70.6%	64.1%
Lower Manhattan Arts Academy	73.2%	64.1%
Lafayette Academy	72.5%	64.1%
PS 376	74.4%	64.1%
MS 137 America's School of Heroes	71.0%	64.1%
PS/IS 187 Hudson Cliffs	70.1%	64.0%
High School for Health Careers and Sciences	70.6%	64.0%
Validus Preparatory Academy	73.2%	64.0%
International High School for Health Sciences	78.0%	64.0%
Grover Cleveland High School	71.4%	64.0%
Westchester Square Academy	71.2%	63.9%
Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School	72.6%	63.8%
Longwood Preparatory Academy	72.8%	63.8%
Collegiate Institute for Math and Science	72.9%	63.8%
Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design (WHSAD)	71.2%	63.8%
Mott Hall Bronx High School	70.8%	63.7%
Bronx Academy for Software Engineering (BASE)	70.8%	63.7%
PS 159	68.5%	63.7%
Life Sciences Secondary School	70.0%	63.6%
Brooklyn Preparatory High School	71.4%	63.6%
The Urban Assembly School for Collaborative Health	69.1%	63.5%
Hamilton Grange Middle School	73.2%	63.4%
The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management	71.3%	63.3%
Facing History School, The	71.5%	63.3%
Bronx Early College Academy for Teaching & Learning	68.6%	63.3%
JHS 190 Russell Sage	69.2%	63.3%
The Global Learning Collaborative	72.4%	63.2%
PS 130	67.6%	63.2%
PS 20 John Bowne	73.5%	63.1%
High School for Law, Advocacy and Community Justice	72.7%	63.0%
MS/HS 368 In-Tech Academy	72.4%	63.0%
High School of Computers and Technology	70.2%	63.0%
High School of Hospitality Management	72.4%	62.9%
Harry S Truman High School	70.0%	62.9%
PS 212 Midtown West	68.6%	62.8%
Walkabout Bronx High School	72.6%	62.8%
Orchard Collegiate Academy	71.5%	62.7%
Community School for Social Justice	71.1%	62.7%
City Polytechnic High School of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology	70.3%	62.7%
PS 196 Grand Central Parkway	67.0%	62.7%
MS 224 Manhattan East School for Arts & Academics	70.9%	62.6%
Jonas Bronck Academy	69.4%	62.6%
PS 120 Queens	73.0%	62.6%
Harold O. Levy School	68.2%	62.5%
Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School	71.3%	62.4%
PS 203 Oakland Gardens	71.5%	62.4%
The Brooklyn School for Math and Research	72.4%	62.4%
Morris Academy for Collaborative Studies	70.4%	62.3%
West Bronx Academy for the Future	69.2%	62.3%
John Jay School for Law	69.4%	62.2%
The Academy of Urban Planning and Engineering	73.0%	62.2%
Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists	68.8%	62.1%
The Metropolitan Soundview High School	69.4%	62.1%
Science Skills Center High School for Science, Technology and the Creative Arts	67.8%	62.0%
PS 162 John Golden	67.1%	62.0%
High School for Teaching and the Professions	72.5%	61.9%
Channel View School for Research	68.0%	61.9%
The College Academy	70.9%	61.8%
The Queens College School for Math, Science and Technology	67.1%	61.7%
JHS 223 The Montauk	67.9%	61.6%
The High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology	69.9%	61.5%
The Marie Curie School for Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions	70.5%	61.4%
PS 41 Crocheron	69.4%	61.4%
Humanities & Arts Magnet High School	69.5%	61.4%
The Children's Lab School	69.6%	61.3%
PS 242 Leonard P. Stavisky Early Childhood School	69.2%	61.3%
George Washington Carver High School for the Scien	70.1%	61.3%
Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School	68.7%	61.2%
Millennium Art Academy	69.4%	61.2%
Academy for Language and Technology	71.1%	61.2%
Brooklyn Lab School	68.5%	61.2%
PS 229 Dyker	66.5%	61.2%
Manhattan International High School	70.7%	61.1%
H.E.R.O. High (Health, Education, and Research Occupations High School)	69.6%	61.1%
IS 239 Mark Twain School for the Gifted & Talented	64.9%	61.0%
Albert Shanker School for Visual and Performing Arts	69.0%	61.0%
Metropolitan High School, The	70.2%	60.9%
PS 110 The Monitor	68.2%	60.9%
A-Tech High School	67.3%	60.8%
High School for Public Service: Heroes of Tomorrow	66.8%	60.8%
JHS 210 Elizabeth Blackwell	68.0%	60.7%
New Dorp High School	66.1%	60.7%
Institute for Health Professions at Cambria Heights	69.2%	60.6%
The Maxine Greene HS for Imaginative Inquiry	69.7%	60.5%
PS 9 Teunis G. Bergen	67.3%	60.5%
Urban Assembly School of Business for Young Women	73.0%	60.4%
Theatre Arts Production Company School	67.9%	60.4%
The Williamsburg High School of Art and Technology	67.4%	60.4%
The High School for Global Citizenship	67.6%	60.4%
Business Of Sports School	68.8%	60.3%
PS 169 Sunset Park	66.5%	60.3%
High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety	67.2%	60.3%
Gregorio Luperon High School for Science and Mathematics	71.0%	60.2%
James Madison High School	64.8%	60.2%
Hawtree Creek Middle School	67.4%	60.2%
Pathways College Preparatory School: A College Board School	67.0%	60.2%
Bushwick Leaders High School for Academic Excellence	68.6%	60.2%
Jean Nuzzi Intermediate School	66.8%	60.0%
IS 10 Horace Greeley	66.5%	60.0%
Pelham Lab High School	68.6%	59.9%
Herbert H. Lehman High School	68.3%	59.9%
IS 468 Kingsborough Early College School	67.9%	59.9%
PS 2 Meyer London	67.3%	59.8%
International School for Liberal Arts	71.4%	59.7%
PS 20 Clinton Hill	66.4%	59.7%
Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy	69.3%	59.6%
Community Math & Science Prep	64.2%	59.5%
Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School	67.0%	59.5%
Bronxdale High School	68.6%	59.5%
Port Richmond High School	68.2%	59.5%
High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media	69.7%	59.4%
JHS 127 The Castle Hill	67.5%	59.3%
PS 94 David D. Porter	65.7%	59.3%
Health Opportunities High School	70.2%	59.2%
Explorations Academy H.S.	66.2%	59.2%
PS 7 Louis F. Simeone	66.2%	59.2%
John F. Kennedy Jr. School	74.8%	59.2%
South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School	69.1%	59.1%
Transit Tech Career and Technical Education High School	67.3%	59.1%
Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts	66.8%	59.0%
Abraham Lincoln High School	66.7%	59.0%
Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education High School	65.4%	59.0%
Bronx Leadership Academy II High School	70.1%	58.9%
Bronx Collaborative High School	67.5%	58.9%
Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn	68.3%	58.9%
PS 150 Queens	65.4%	58.9%
International High School at Union Square	70.9%	58.8%
JHS 118 William W. Niles	68.2%	58.8%
Victory Collegiate High School	67.5%	58.8%
PS 79 Francis Lewis	67.2%	58.8%
East Bronx Academy for the Future	68.1%	58.7%
PS 295	64.6%	58.6%
Urban Assembly School of Music and Art	62.3%	58.5%
High School for Law and Public Service	69.3%	58.4%
IS 181 Pablo Casals	65.5%	58.4%
University Neighborhood Middle School	70.3%	58.3%
Renaissance High School for Musical Theater and the Arts	65.9%	58.2%
Academy for Health Careers	66.0%	58.2%
JHS 217 Robert A. Van Wyck	66.4%	58.1%
MS 319 Maria Teresa	66.3%	58.0%
PS 372 The Children's School	63.6%	58.0%
Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment	67.4%	57.9%
Performing Arts and Technology High School	63.2%	57.9%
PS 176 Ovington	66.3%	57.9%
PS 22 Thomas Jefferson	67.7%	57.9%
The Academy for Excellence through the Arts	64.7%	57.9%
Esperanza Preparatory Academy	67.2%	57.8%
Mott Hall III	66.3%	57.8%
Bronx International High School	67.5%	57.7%
Cyberarts Studio Academy	67.6%	57.7%
IS 204 Oliver W. Holmes	67.1%	57.7%
Bronx High School of Business	70.2%	57.6%
Juan Morel Campos Secondary School	67.0%	57.6%
IS 136 Charles O. Dewey	63.7%	57.6%
PS 214 Cadwallader Colden	64.7%	57.6%
JHS 383 Philippa Schuyler	63.5%	57.6%
PS 23 Queens Children Center	65.5%	57.6%
Bronx Leadership Academy High School	70.2%	57.5%
PS 38 The Pacific	62.2%	57.5%
High School for Medical Professions	64.8%	57.5%
PS 219 Paul Klapper	63.3%	57.3%
High School for Media and Communications	65.4%	57.2%
Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science	67.4%	57.2%
PROGRESS High School for Professional Careers	70.0%	57.2%
Multicultural High School	69.8%	57.2%
Benjamin Franklin High School for Finance & Information Technology	64.2%	57.0%
EBC High School for Public Service - Bushwick	70.9%	57.0%
PS 33 Chelsea Prep	63.8%	56.9%
PS 24 Spuyten Duyvil	64.8%	56.9%
One World Middle School at Edenwald	62.8%	56.9%
Clara Barton High School	64.9%	56.8%
Bronx Bridges High School	68.2%	56.7%
High School for Energy and Technology	67.5%	56.7%
Bronx Envision Academy	66.9%	56.7%
IS 77	66.8%	56.7%
PS 212	67.6%	56.7%
Eagle Academy for Young Men	66.1%	56.6%
PS 133 William A. Butler	64.7%	56.6%
PS 282 Park Slope	60.5%	56.6%
The 47 American Sign Language & English Lower School	66.0%	56.5%
William E. Grady Career and Technical Education High School	66.0%	56.5%
The Children's Workshop School	66.8%	56.4%
Bronx Lab School	63.4%	56.4%
Academy for Conservation and the Environment	62.4%	56.4%
George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education	65.0%	56.3%
MS 936 Arts Off 3rd	66.3%	56.3%
Queens High School for Information, Research, and Technology	61.7%	56.3%
Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts	64.7%	56.2%
PS 169 Bay Terrace	61.2%	56.2%
PS 163 Alfred E. Smith	63.9%	56.1%
South Bronx International Middle School	66.2%	56.1%
PS 166 Henry Gradstein	65.4%	56.1%
Newcomers High School	69.9%	56.1%
MS 890	64.8%	56.0%
PS 209 Clearview Gardens	64.6%	56.0%
Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School	64.2%	55.9%
PS 107 Thomas A Dooley	65.0%	55.9%
Central Park East I	61.7%	55.6%
Brooklyn High School for Law and Technology	65.4%	55.6%
Academy for Excellence in Leadership	66.4%	55.6%
Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School	65.8%	55.5%
JHS 226 Virgil I. Grissom	64.1%	55.4%
Highland Park Community School	63.1%	55.3%
The Woodside Community School	68.3%	55.3%
Manhattan Academy For Arts & Language	73.8%	55.2%
East New York Family Academy	63.7%	55.2%
PS 46 Alley Pond	63.2%	55.2%
PS 177	68.7%	55.2%
Academy For Personal Leadership And Excellence	63.6%	55.1%
PS 21 Edward Hart	62.3%	55.1%
PS 131 Abigail Adams	67.0%	55.1%
IS 238 Susan B. Anthony Academy	64.2%	55.1%
IS 141 The Steinway	62.2%	55.1%
JHS 162 The Willoughby	63.8%	55.1%
MS 180 Dr. Daniel Hale Williams	63.0%	55.0%
Academy for Scholarship and Entrepreneurship: A College Board School	61.5%	55.0%
PS 173 Fresh Meadows	62.5%	54.9%
Tottenville High School	59.7%	54.9%
International Community High School	67.7%	54.8%
The School for Inquiry and Social Justice	62.6%	54.8%
Waterside School For Leadership	62.0%	54.8%
East Williamsburg Scholars Academy	64.5%	54.7%
High School for Youth and Community Development at Erasmus	65.0%	54.7%
JHS 157 Stephen A. Halsey	59.1%	54.7%
Bronx High School for the Visual Arts	61.9%	54.6%
Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women	62.9%	54.6%
PS 721 Stephen McSweeney School	66.7%	54.6%
DreamYard Preparatory School	62.9%	54.5%
Science and Technology Academy: A Mott Hall School	60.5%	54.5%
Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers	60.5%	54.4%
Bronx Academy of Health Careers	63.4%	54.4%
The Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance	65.0%	54.4%
PS 35	64.7%	54.4%
PS 811	66.9%	54.4%
MS 324 Patria Mirabal	64.9%	54.3%
The School of Creativity and Innovation	64.2%	54.3%
August Martin High School	63.4%	54.3%
Manhattan Business Academy	66.1%	54.2%
Blueprint Middle School	63.0%	54.2%
El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice	63.7%	54.2%
Urban Institute of Mathematics	61.6%	54.1%
Brooklyn Community High School for Excellence and	61.2%	54.1%
World Academy for Total Community Health High School	65.8%	54.1%
IS 93 Ridgewood	64.6%	54.1%
Eagle Academy for Young Men III	62.9%	54.1%
High School for Violin and Dance	65.0%	54.0%
The New School for Leadership and Journalism	65.1%	54.0%
The East New York Arts and Civics High School	64.0%	54.0%
Isaac Newton Middle School for Math & Science	60.0%	53.9%
Frederick Douglass Academy	62.9%	53.9%
Castle Bridge School	66.1%	53.9%
The Urban Assembly Unison School	60.1%	53.9%
Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH)	61.8%	53.9%
Mott Hall High School	61.8%	53.8%
PS 11 Purvis J. Behan	60.6%	53.8%
Dock Street School for STEAM Studies	57.9%	53.8%
PS 174 William Sidney Mount	58.5%	53.8%
The Emerson School	62.5%	53.8%
Manhattan School for Career Development	63.2%	53.8%
MS 101 Edward R. Byrne	60.7%	53.7%
Bronx School of Law and Finance	64.7%	53.6%
IS 250 The Robert F. Kennedy Community Middle School	62.0%	53.6%
PS 31 Bayside	60.4%	53.5%
The James J. Ambrose School	65.8%	53.4%
Mathematics, Science Research and Technology Magnet High School	63.0%	53.4%
PS 152 Gwendoline N. Alleyne School	64.4%	53.4%
Queens Transition Center	65.4%	53.4%
PS 122 Mamie Fay	59.0%	53.2%
Creston Academy	62.5%	53.1%
Bronx Theatre High School	63.2%	53.1%
JHS 98 Herman Ridder	61.1%	53.1%
Teachers College Community School	62.1%	53.0%
Schuylerville Preparatory High School	60.5%	53.0%
MS 45 Thomas C. Giordano	59.7%	52.9%
Crotona International High School	66.7%	52.9%
Emolior Academy	61.7%	52.9%
PS 206 Jose Celso Barbosa	60.4%	52.8%
PS 125 Ralph Bunche	61.3%	52.8%
English Language Learners and International Support Preparatory Academy (ELLIS)	66.1%	52.8%
PS 12 James B. Colgate	64.4%	52.8%
PS 205 Alexander Graham Bell	58.4%	52.8%
Careers in Sports High School	65.5%	52.7%
New World High School	62.2%	52.7%
Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts	61.7%	52.6%
PS 132 The Conselyea School	59.2%	52.6%
The SEEALL Academy	58.8%	52.6%
Marsh Avenue School for Expeditionary Learning	60.0%	52.6%
Archimedes Academy for Math, Science and Technology	61.7%	52.5%
IS 281 Joseph B Cavallaro	58.2%	52.5%
Academy for Young Writers	61.2%	52.3%
JHS 8 Richard S. Grossley	58.9%	52.3%
Bronx Design and Construction Academy	64.5%	52.2%
High School for Contemporary Arts	63.4%	52.2%
IS 72 Rocco Laurie	56.6%	52.2%
IS 303 Leadership & Community Service	61.7%	52.1%
PS 222 Fire Fighter Christopher A. Santora School	59.8%	52.1%
Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change	61.3%	52.0%
PS 205 Clarion	59.2%	52.0%
PS 176	63.3%	52.0%
PS 721 Manhattan Occupational Training Center	65.9%	51.9%
School for Global Leaders	62.4%	51.8%
It Takes a Village Academy	61.6%	51.7%
Evergreen Middle School for Urban Exploration	62.0%	51.7%
Frederick Douglass Academy VII High School	61.5%	51.6%
PS 75 Emily Dickinson	62.6%	51.5%
Cornerstone Academy for Social Action Middle School	57.9%	51.5%
High School for Service & Learning at Erasmus	61.4%	51.5%
Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences	59.2%	51.5%
IS 117 Joseph H. Wade	59.7%	51.4%
Spring Creek Community School	59.0%	51.4%
PS 110 Florence Nightingale	55.4%	51.3%
Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School	61.5%	51.3%
Bronx Compass High School	62.1%	51.3%
Claremont International HS	64.4%	51.3%
Kappa III	59.6%	51.3%
Origins High School	58.6%	51.3%
Frederick Douglass Academy III Secondary School	65.7%	51.2%
Academy for College Preparation and Career Exploration: A College Board School	60.5%	51.2%
Wings Academy	58.8%	51.1%
PS 221 The North Hills School	58.2%	51.1%
Brooklyn Studio Secondary School	56.1%	51.0%
PS 184 Flushing Manor	59.1%	51.0%
Academy of Medical Technology: A College Board School	59.6%	51.0%
Antonia Pantoja Preparatory Academy: A College Board School	61.5%	50.9%
PS 204 Vince Lombardi	55.8%	50.9%
PS 11 Kathryn Phelan	62.3%	50.8%
School of Math, Science, and Healthy Living	58.1%	50.7%
PS/IS 119 The Glendale	57.5%	50.7%
Dos Puentes Elementary School	60.7%	50.6%
Kingsbridge International High School	62.3%	50.5%
Lyons Community School	61.4%	50.5%
IS 392	58.1%	50.5%
The Highbridge Green School	63.8%	50.4%
Elijah Stroud Middle School	56.2%	50.4%
PS 229 Emanuel Kaplan	58.4%	50.3%
PS 64 Joseph P. Addabbo	57.7%	50.3%
Paula Hedbavny School	57.5%	50.1%
PS 247 Brooklyn	56.3%	50.1%
JHS 278 Marine Park	55.4%	50.1%
High School of Language and Innovation	59.6%	50.0%
Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School	59.1%	50.0%
IS 171 Abraham Lincoln	61.0%	50.0%
Brooklyn School of Inquiry	55.6%	50.0%
PS 012 Lewis and Clark School	64.2%	50.0%
Frederick Douglass Academy II Secondary School	59.0%	49.9%
Earth School	57.1%	49.8%
Bronx Dance Academy School	59.0%	49.8%
PS 371 Lillian L. Rashkis	59.8%	49.8%
The Richard H. Hungerford School	61.5%	49.8%
MS 390	58.4%	49.7%
Bronx Aerospace High School	59.9%	49.7%
Central Park East II	63.1%	49.6%
New Directions Secondary School	58.1%	49.6%
Brooklyn School for Music & Theatre	59.1%	49.6%
Queens Satellite High School for Opportunity	64.8%	49.6%
JHS 143 Eleanor Roosevelt	61.7%	49.5%
Ralph A. Fabrizio School	56.7%	49.4%
Brooklyn Collegiate: A College Board School	60.8%	49.4%
MS 322	59.0%	49.3%
JHS 123 James M. Kieran	57.5%	49.3%
PS 139 Alexine A. Fenty	59.6%	49.3%
The Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters	57.6%	49.2%
Vista Academy	56.4%	49.2%
Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy VI	60.0%	49.2%
IS 254	58.4%	49.1%
PS 97 The Highlawn	54.7%	49.1%
Baychester Middle School	57.3%	49.0%
Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School (BCAM)	58.6%	49.0%
PS 133 Queens	59.6%	49.0%
The Queens School for Leadership and Excellence	61.0%	49.0%
PS 84 Jose De Diego	56.6%	48.9%
Excelsior Preparatory High School	57.4%	48.9%
The Bronxwood Preparatory Academy	57.9%	48.8%
Liberty Avenue Middle School	57.2%	48.8%
PS 889	57.8%	48.8%
PS/IS 266	56.4%	48.8%
IS 2 George L. Egbert	54.8%	48.8%
West Prep Academy	55.8%	48.7%
Conselyea Preparatory School	57.4%	48.7%
JHS 62 Ditmas	56.7%	48.7%
PS/IS 104 The Fort Hamilton School	55.4%	48.7%
Harbor Heights	68.9%	48.6%
Brooklyn International High School	62.6%	48.6%
PS 34 Oliver H. Perry	53.9%	48.6%
Academy of Hospitality and Tourism	58.7%	48.6%
International High School at Lafayette	60.1%	48.6%
Academy of Public Relations	60.7%	48.5%
IS 190 E.S.M.T	58.7%	48.5%
Bronx High School for Writing and Communication Arts	59.7%	48.4%
JHS 50 John D. Wells	56.3%	48.4%
School for Classics High School	58.1%	48.4%
PS 89 Elmhurst	61.9%	48.4%
International High School at Prospect Heights	61.4%	48.3%
High School of Sports Management	56.1%	48.3%
IS 318 Math, Science & Technology Through Arts	60.6%	48.2%
Amistad Dual Language School	54.0%	48.1%
The Brooklyn Green School	57.1%	48.1%
PS 770 New American Academy	63.2%	48.1%
IS 96 Seth Low	54.3%	48.1%
Life Academy High School for Film and Music	60.8%	48.1%
Academy for New Americans	58.5%	48.1%
PS 811	58.9%	48.0%
PS 051 Elias Howe	54.3%	47.9%
W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School	56.0%	47.9%
Cobble Hill School of American Studies	61.8%	47.8%
Fort Greene Preparatory Academy	56.0%	47.6%
Rachel Carson High School for Coastal Studies	54.4%	47.6%
Gotham Collaborative High School	57.4%	47.5%
MS 250 West Side Collaborative Middle School	58.9%	47.4%
Sunset Park Avenues Elementary School	55.6%	47.4%
IS 228 David A. Boody	52.0%	47.4%
PS 398	53.2%	47.4%
PS 1 Alfred E. Smith	59.0%	47.3%
IS 339	57.7%	47.3%
Redwood Middle School	56.8%	47.3%
PS 171 Patrick Henry	52.8%	47.2%
Frederick Douglass Academy VIII Middle School	52.3%	47.2%
PS 101 The Verrazano	52.4%	47.2%
Academy of Applied Mathematics and Technology	58.0%	47.1%
New Millennium Bronx Academy of the Arts	56.0%	47.1%
PS 230 Doris L. Cohen	59.4%	47.1%
PS 186 Castlewood	58.9%	47.1%
School for Excellence	57.3%	47.0%
IS 98 Bay Academy	51.2%	47.0%
Preparatory Academy for Writers: A College Board School	56.2%	47.0%
High School for Excellence and Innovation	62.6%	46.9%
MS 582	54.7%	46.9%
IS 340	50.8%	46.9%
Soundview Academy for Culture and Scholarship	57.8%	46.8%
PS 58 The School of Heroes	56.9%	46.8%
Hamilton Heights School	54.9%	46.7%
PS/MS 194	54.5%	46.6%
Dr. Susan S. McKinney Secondary School of the Arts	53.4%	46.6%
IS 285 Meyer Levin	54.5%	46.5%
THE JUDITH S. KAYE HIGH SCHOOL	62.3%	46.4%
Urban Action Academy	55.0%	46.4%
PS 18 Winchester	60.2%	46.3%
IS 27 Anning S. Prall	55.7%	46.3%
PS 373 Brooklyn Transition Center	56.9%	46.3%
Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem	57.0%	46.2%
PS/IS 224	56.8%	46.2%
PS 56 Lewis H. Latimer	57.9%	46.2%
IS 349 Math, Science & Tech.	55.0%	46.2%
MS 302 Luisa Dessus Cruz	53.9%	46.1%
Queens Preparatory Academy	60.0%	46.0%
PS 224	55.1%	46.0%
MS 301 Paul L. Dunbar	54.7%	45.9%
PS 13 Clement C. Moore	56.9%	45.9%
Rockaway Collegiate High School	55.0%	45.8%
IS 232	57.1%	45.7%
Pelham Academy of Academics and Community Engagement	54.0%	45.7%
PS 233	57.8%	45.7%
PS 180 Hugo Newman	55.6%	45.6%
Women's Academy of Excellence	52.8%	45.6%
IS 313 School of Leadership Development	55.3%	45.6%
The Michael J. Petrides School	52.2%	45.6%
Lower East Side Preparatory High School	61.6%	45.5%
Harvey Milk High School	63.6%	45.5%
Boys and Girls High School	55.9%	45.5%
City Knoll Middle School	58.8%	45.4%
IS 219 New Venture School	54.2%	45.4%
MS 129 Academy for Independent Learning and Leadership	56.7%	45.4%
JHS 292 Margaret S. Douglas	52.4%	45.4%
The Brooklyn School for Social Justice	58.1%	45.4%
JHS 131 Albert Einstein	54.8%	45.2%
PS 993	56.7%	45.2%
Renaissance School of the Arts	57.1%	45.1%
PS 163 Bath Beach	50.7%	45.1%
The Urban Assembly School for Global Commerce	55.0%	45.0%
Bronx Writing Academy	55.6%	45.0%
PS 81 Robert J. Christen	54.3%	45.0%
MS 266 Park Place Community Middle School	56.0%	45.0%
JHS 78 Roy H. Mann	49.7%	45.0%
IS 528 Bea Fuller Rodgers School	56.8%	44.9%
The Bronx School of Young Leaders	53.5%	44.8%
Parkside Preparatory Academy	52.7%	44.8%
Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy	53.2%	44.8%
PS 213 The Carl Ullman School	53.2%	44.8%
PS 124 Osmond A Church	54.5%	44.8%
PS 079 Horan School	61.3%	44.8%
PS/IS 25 South Richmond High School	53.4%	44.7%
PS 165 Robert E. Simon	53.5%	44.6%
Accion Academy	54.7%	44.6%
High School M560 - City As School	60.8%	44.4%
JHS 234 Arthur W. Cunningham	49.7%	44.3%
Eagle Academy for Young Men II	52.6%	44.3%
Kappa	54.0%	44.2%
MS 594	54.3%	44.2%
The Riverview School	52.9%	44.2%
JHS 291 Roland Hayes	55.6%	44.1%
PS 31 Samuel F. Dupont	53.2%	44.0%
PS 199 Maurice A. Fitzgerald	54.2%	44.0%
A.C.E. Academy for Scholars at the Geraldine Ferra	50.6%	44.0%
PS 370	50.6%	44.0%
School of Performing Arts	55.7%	43.9%
PS 131 Brooklyn	50.3%	43.9%
Andries Hudde	53.7%	43.9%
PS 49 Dorothy Bonawit Kole	49.9%	43.9%
PS 164 Caesar Rodney	53.3%	43.7%
PS 721 Brooklyn Occupational Training Center	56.8%	43.7%
South Bronx Academy for Applied Media	53.6%	43.6%
The Hunts Point School	55.7%	43.6%
PS 106 Parkchester	52.6%	43.6%
IS 347 School of Humanities	54.0%	43.6%
PS 94	51.0%	43.6%
Madiba Prep Middle School	52.8%	43.5%
PS 98 The Douglaston School	57.5%	43.5%
PS/IS 218 Rafael Hernandez Dual Language Magnet School	53.7%	43.4%
Fannie Lou Hamer Middle School	53.6%	43.4%
Washington Heights Academy	51.1%	43.3%
Bronx Green Middle School	53.2%	43.3%
PS 127 Mckinley Park	51.2%	43.3%
IS 381	54.2%	43.3%
IS 584	55.9%	43.2%
PS 811 Connie Lekas School	55.8%	43.2%
IS 206B Ann Mersereau	56.9%	43.1%
JHS 144 Michelangelo	51.8%	43.1%
PS 153 Helen Keller	51.8%	43.1%
PS 129 Patricia Larkin	52.2%	43.1%
PS 53	54.2%	43.1%
JHS 22 Jordan L. Mott	54.5%	42.9%
Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School	50.0%	42.9%
PS 015 Institute for Environmental Learning	53.0%	42.8%
PS/IS 208	51.9%	42.8%
The Angelo Patri Middle School	54.0%	42.7%
IS 364 Gateway	50.0%	42.7%
PS 19 Marino Jeantet	55.6%	42.7%
JHS 80 The Mosholu Parkway	52.1%	42.6%
School for Human Rights, The	54.5%	42.6%
Rockaway Park High School for Environmental Sustainability	50.4%	42.5%
IS 59 Springfield Gardens	51.0%	42.5%
PS 77	48.6%	42.5%
PS 55 Maure	49.9%	42.4%
James Weldon Johnson	50.7%	42.3%
PS 95 The Gravesend	48.6%	42.2%
PS 127 Aerospace Science Magnet School	54.2%	42.2%
IS 61 William A Morris	50.9%	42.2%
PS 315 Lab School	51.8%	42.1%
Bronx Alliance Middle School	52.1%	42.1%
The Eagle Academy for Young Men of Staten Island	53.7%	42.1%
Brooklyn Arts and Science Elementary School	49.6%	42.0%
PS 316 Elijah Stroud	50.4%	41.9%
Mott Haven Community High School	56.2%	41.6%
The Academy of Talented Scholars	46.0%	41.6%
PS 226	55.3%	41.6%
Pelham Gardens Middle School	51.3%	41.5%
Frederick Douglass Academy VI High School	53.7%	41.5%
PS 85 Judge Charles Vallone	51.3%	41.4%
Professor Juan Bosch Public School	49.6%	41.3%
MS 126 John Ericsson	47.5%	41.3%
PS 86	48.9%	41.3%
Bronx Park Middle School	49.1%	41.2%
PS 48 Mapleton	47.7%	41.2%
PS 26 Rufus King	50.2%	41.2%
PS 102 The Bayview	47.6%	41.0%
IS 51 Edwin Markham	48.5%	41.0%
PS 111 Adolph S. Ochs	54.8%	40.9%
MS 267 Math, Science & Technology	51.5%	40.9%
Leaders of Tomorrow	48.8%	40.8%
Nelson Mandela High School	53.1%	40.8%
The School of Integrated Learning	47.2%	40.8%
IS 303 Herbert S. Eisenberg	44.1%	40.8%
PS 164 Queens Valley	47.4%	40.8%
PS 161 Arthur Ashe School	52.0%	40.8%
The Bilingual Bicultural School	49.8%	40.7%
PS 3 Raul Julia Micro Society	49.1%	40.7%
PS/MS 498 Van Nest Academy	46.7%	40.7%
The Science And Medicine Middle School	48.1%	40.7%
Teachers Preparatory High School	51.5%	40.7%
New Design Middle School	49.5%	40.6%
West Brooklyn Community High School	51.2%	40.6%
PS 149 Christa McAuliffe	53.8%	40.6%
Brooklyn Brownstone School	48.7%	40.5%
PS 206 Joseph F Lamb	44.9%	40.5%
MS 113 Ronald Edmonds Learning Center	50.2%	40.4%
PS 172 Beacon School of Excellence	51.2%	40.4%
Ampark Neighborhood	48.4%	40.2%
Middle School for Art and Philosophy	48.8%	40.1%
PS 159 Isaac Pitkin	49.7%	40.1%
PS 143 Louis Armstrong	51.8%	40.1%
PS/IS 268	50.1%	40.1%
Arturo A. Schomburg Satellite Academy Bronx	53.9%	40.0%
PS 153 Maspeth Elem	47.1%	39.8%
PS 9	47.9%	39.8%
PS 369 Coy L. Cox School	48.5%	39.7%
IS 192 The Linden	46.6%	39.6%
Emma Lazarus High School	59.4%	39.5%
PS 15 Patrick F. Daly	49.0%	39.5%
MS 61 Dr. Gladstone H. Atwell	47.3%	39.5%
PS 112 Lefferts Park	47.1%	39.5%
PS 95 Eastwood	51.3%	39.5%
Mott Hall Community School	50.3%	39.4%
PS 124 Silas B. Dutcher	48.4%	39.4%
Community Voices Middle School	47.9%	39.4%
J. M. Rapport School Career Development	56.4%	39.4%
PS 165 Edith K. Bergtraum	47.4%	39.3%
PS 234	47.3%	39.3%
PS 8 Luis Belliard	47.5%	39.2%
IS 75 Frank D. Paulo	42.4%	39.2%
Liberty High School Academy for Newcomers	59.1%	39.1%
PS/IS 30 Mary White Ovington	45.2%	39.1%
IS 24 Myra S. Barnes	42.8%	39.1%
The Lexington Academy	50.8%	39.0%
Queens Explorers Elementary School	49.1%	39.0%
PS 368	48.5%	39.0%
PS 20 Anna Silver	50.7%	38.9%
Frederick Douglass Academy V. Middle School	51.7%	38.9%
PS/IS 87 Middle Village	44.8%	38.9%
PS 231	46.5%	38.9%
PS 4	46.4%	38.9%
PS 018 Park Terrace	55.5%	38.8%
PS 33 Edward M. Funk	50.1%	38.8%
PS 17 Henry David Thoreau	46.7%	38.8%
PS 503 The School of Discovery	47.7%	38.5%
PS 506 The School of Journalism & Technology	51.8%	38.4%
PS 207 Elizabeth G. Leary	44.0%	38.4%
Professional Pathways High School	51.0%	38.4%
PS 108 Captain Vincent G. Fowler	46.6%	38.4%
MS 72 Catherine & Count Basie	48.8%	38.4%
PS 19 Asher Levy	46.7%	38.3%
PS 140 Nathan Straus	48.1%	38.3%
PS 29 Queens	49.9%	38.3%
PS/MS 200 The Magnet School of Global Studies and Leadership	46.0%	38.3%
PS 148 Queens	51.4%	38.3%
PS 191 Mayflower	48.5%	38.2%
PS 748 Brooklyn School for Global Scholars	44.2%	38.1%
Kappa V (Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy)	49.5%	38.1%
Mott Hall Bridges Academy	44.8%	38.1%
PS 48 William G. Wilcox	43.2%	38.1%
East New York Middle School of Excellence	48.6%	38.0%
PS 280	50.7%	38.0%
PS 214 Michael Friedsam	46.6%	37.9%
Waterside Children's Studio School	44.8%	37.9%
Village Academy	45.2%	37.9%
PS 182 Samantha Smith	46.8%	37.9%
PS 121 Queens	46.7%	37.8%
PS 112 Jose Celso Barbosa	47.5%	37.7%
JHS 218 James P. Sinnott	48.1%	37.7%
PS 226 Alfred De B. Mason	44.5%	37.6%
PS 63 Old South	47.4%	37.6%
PS 84 Steinway	46.8%	37.6%
PS 175 City Island	48.3%	37.5%
Collaborative Arts Middle School	44.3%	37.3%
PS 39 Francis J. Murphy Jr.	44.3%	37.3%
Robert E. Peary School	48.1%	37.3%
PS 16 The Nancy DeBenedittis School	48.7%	37.2%
PS 110	49.3%	37.2%
PS 138	45.8%	37.2%
PS 211	47.4%	37.1%
Whitelaw Reid Academy of Arts and Business	47.6%	37.1%
PS 255	44.4%	37.1%
MS 35 Stephen Decatur	45.1%	37.0%
PS 771	43.7%	37.0%
PS 95 Sheila Mencher	45.3%	36.9%
PS 19 Judith K. Weiss	44.5%	36.9%
IS 211 John Wilson	44.9%	36.9%
PS/IS 210 Twenty-first Century Academy for Community Leadership	48.7%	36.8%
PS/IS 230 Roland Patterson	45.6%	36.7%
PS 376	46.0%	36.7%
PS 96 Joseph Lanzetta	48.9%	36.6%
North Bronx School of Empowerment	49.3%	36.6%
PS 811 Mickey Mantle School	45.9%	36.6%
PS 154 Queens	47.6%	36.5%
PS 100 Glen Morris	47.8%	36.5%
PS 232 Lindenwood	42.0%	36.5%
Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders	44.2%	36.4%
PS 146 Howard Beach	43.2%	36.4%
PS 62 Chester Park School	47.7%	36.2%
PS 65 The Raymond York Elementary School	44.6%	36.2%
PS 76 A. Philip Randolph	47.7%	36.1%
PS 222 Katherine R. Snyder	39.9%	36.1%
Queens United Middle School	45.4%	36.1%
IS 49 Berta A. Dreyfus	46.2%	36.1%
PS 145 The Bloomingdale School	45.1%	36.0%
PS 17	45.4%	36.0%
PS 089 Cypress Hills	47.4%	35.9%
PS 188	47.6%	35.9%
Mott Hall IV	46.3%	35.8%
PS 60 Woodhaven	45.9%	35.8%
PS 99 Kew Gardens	45.4%	35.8%
Van Siclen Community Middle School	46.9%	35.7%
Khalil Gibran International Academy	42.5%	35.6%
Ronald Edmonds Learning Center II	45.0%	35.6%
PS 186 Dr. Irving A Gladstone	41.6%	35.6%
PS 273	45.5%	35.6%
New Heights Middle School	44.5%	35.5%
Legacy School of the Arts	45.4%	35.5%
PS 723	44.4%	35.5%
PS 63 The STAR Academy	45.3%	35.4%
PS 71 Rose E. Scala	41.6%	35.4%
Brooklyn Frontiers High School	48.8%	35.4%
Pioneer Academy	47.0%	35.4%
PS 64 Robert Simon	41.2%	35.3%
PS 102 Jacques Cartier	49.3%	35.3%
JHS 14 Shell Bank	41.7%	35.3%
New York City Academy for Discovery	45.3%	35.3%
PS 5 Ellen Lurie	42.1%	35.1%
PS 583	46.0%	35.1%
Elm Tree Elementary School	47.1%	35.1%
Harlem Renaissance High School	51.5%	35.0%
PS 66	40.8%	35.0%
PS 149 Sojourner Truth	44.0%	34.9%
PS 161 Pedro Albizu Campos	48.7%	34.9%
PS 185 Walter Kassenbrock	41.8%	34.9%
PS 66 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis	46.2%	34.9%
MS 246 Walt Whitman	46.3%	34.8%
PS 279 Captain Manuel Rivera, Jr.	45.4%	34.7%
PS 138 Brooklyn	42.0%	34.7%
PS 179 Kensington	41.8%	34.7%
East Elmhurst Community School	46.9%	34.7%
PS 235 Janice Marie Knight School	40.4%	34.6%
PS 50 Talfourd Lawn Elementary School	43.7%	34.5%
Forsyth Satellite Academy	54.2%	34.4%
Ebbets Field Middle School	39.8%	34.4%
PS 092 Harry T. Stewart Sr.	50.6%	34.4%
The Gordon Parks School	41.0%	34.2%
PS 14 Fairview	48.9%	34.1%
PS 96	41.6%	34.1%
PS 38 George Cromwell	42.2%	34.1%
Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School	54.2%	34.0%
The Bronx Mathematics Preparatory School	42.4%	34.0%
PS 121 Nelson A. Rockefeller	42.1%	34.0%
Innovation Diploma Plus	57.1%	33.9%
The Dr. Emmett W. Bassett School	44.4%	33.9%
Sunset School of Cultural Learning	43.8%	33.9%
PS 212 Lady Deborah Moody	39.7%	33.9%
PS/IS 295	44.4%	33.9%
The Riverside School for Makers and Artists	45.8%	33.8%
PS 128 Audubon	45.3%	33.7%
PS/MS 20 P.O.George J. Werdann, III	43.1%	33.7%
PS/MS 280 Mosholu Parkway	42.3%	33.7%
Goldie Maple Academy	42.1%	33.7%
PS 108 Assemblyman Angelo Del Toro Educational Complex	44.3%	33.6%
PS 1 The Bergen	44.2%	33.6%
PS/IS 113 Anthony J. Pranzo	41.6%	33.6%
PS/MS 147 Ronald McNair	40.8%	33.6%
PS 24	42.1%	33.5%
Voyages Prep - South Queens	47.1%	33.5%
PS 753 School for Career Development	44.1%	33.4%
PS 56 Norwood Heights	42.2%	33.3%
Learners and Leaders	45.2%	33.3%
The Bellaire School	43.9%	33.3%
The Harbor View School	39.3%	33.3%
PS/MS 31 The William Lloyd Garrison	42.1%	33.2%
PS 140 The Eagle School	44.6%	33.2%
The Ivan Lafayette Early Childhood School of the Arts	49.2%	33.2%
PS 469 The Bronx School for Continuous Learners	42.9%	33.1%
PS 037 Multiple Intelligence School	42.7%	33.0%
PS 83 Luis Munoz Rivera	39.4%	32.9%
PS 160 Walt Disney	40.4%	32.9%
The Middle School of Media, Law and Fine Arts	44.3%	32.9%
PS 129 John H. Finley	41.9%	32.8%
PS/IS 157 The Benjamin Franklin Health & Science	41.6%	32.8%
South Brooklyn Community High School	44.8%	32.8%
PS 193 Alfred J. Kennedy	39.7%	32.8%
PS 214	42.6%	32.7%
PS 117 J. Keld / Briarwood School	38.9%	32.7%
IS 7 Elias Bernstein	36.7%	32.7%
Bronx Community High School	47.4%	32.6%
PS 307 Daniel Hale Williams	41.9%	32.4%
MS 53 Brian Piccolo	40.8%	32.4%
PS 54 Hillside	45.5%	32.4%
PS 97 Bronx	40.1%	32.2%
PS 65 The Academy of Innovative Learning	37.4%	32.2%
PS 69 Daniel D. Tompkins	38.6%	32.2%
PS 89 Bronx	42.4%	32.1%
PS 169 Robert F. Kennedy	41.4%	32.1%
PS 36 Unionport	42.9%	32.0%
PS 217 Colonel David Marcus School	39.4%	32.0%
PS 28 The Thomas Emanuel Early Childhood Center	42.6%	32.0%
The Locke School of Arts and Engineering	38.3%	31.9%
River East Elementary	41.1%	31.9%
IS 34 Tottenville	35.2%	31.9%
PS 81 Jean Paul Richter	43.4%	31.8%
PS 155	41.5%	31.8%
PS 168	41.1%	31.8%
PS 178 Dr. Selman Waksman	42.0%	31.7%
PS 76 William Hallet	43.1%	31.7%
PS 54 Charles W. Leng	40.0%	31.7%
Luisa Pineiro Fuentes School of Science and Discovery	46.4%	31.6%
PS 139 Rego Park	36.4%	31.6%
PS 35 The Clove Valley School	36.0%	31.6%
Young Voices Academy of the Bronx	38.7%	31.5%
PS 7 Samuel Stern	40.4%	31.4%
MS 394	39.3%	31.4%
Brownsville Collaborative Middle School	42.9%	31.4%
Linden Tree Elementary School	40.9%	31.3%
North Queens Community High School	45.0%	31.3%
Space Shuttle Columbia School	36.5%	31.3%
Bronx Little School	44.6%	31.2%
PS 215 Morris H. Weiss	36.2%	31.2%
PS 40 Samuel Huntington	42.5%	31.1%
PS/IS 116 William C. Hughley	38.4%	31.1%
The Stephanie A. Vierno School	38.9%	31.1%
PS 90 Horace Mann	41.6%	31.0%
PS 5 Port Morris	42.9%	30.9%
PS 56 Harry Eichler	41.5%	30.9%
PS 123 Suydam	41.4%	30.9%
Bedford Park Elementary School	39.1%	30.8%
PS 119 Amersfort	40.9%	30.7%
PS 220 Edward Mandel	35.4%	30.7%
PS 70	41.9%	30.7%
IS 68 Isaac Bildersee	39.1%	30.6%
Brooklyn Environmental Exploration School (BEES)	41.1%	30.5%
PS 97 Forest Park	43.4%	30.4%
PS 36	38.5%	30.4%
PS 85 Great Expectations	42.6%	30.3%
Satellite East Middle School	38.2%	30.3%
Riverdale Avenue Middle School	39.3%	30.3%
PS 52 John C. Thompson	36.2%	30.3%
PS 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School	34.7%	30.2%
PS 256	37.9%	30.2%
PS 48 P.O. Michael J. Buczek	39.1%	30.1%
PS 68 Cambridge	42.2%	30.1%
PS 140	39.2%	30.1%
Brighter Choice Community School	37.2%	30.0%
Queens Academy High School	46.5%	30.0%
The CIVIC School of Bayside Hills	46.0%	30.0%
PS 254 The Rosa Parks School	43.0%	30.0%
PS 171 Peter G. Van Alst	37.7%	30.0%
Bushwick Community High School	48.0%	30.0%
PS 133 Fred R Moore	40.1%	29.9%
PS 147 Isaac Remsen	37.1%	29.9%
PS 241 Emma L. Johnston	39.9%	29.9%
Lucero Elementary School	44.1%	29.8%
PS 16 Wakefield	41.3%	29.8%
PS 249 The Caton	37.3%	29.8%
Aspirations Diploma Plus High School	45.3%	29.8%
MS 935	37.2%	29.8%
PS/IS 384 Frances E. Carter	37.6%	29.8%
PS 30 Hernandez/Hughes	41.4%	29.7%
PS 304 Early Childhood School	38.7%	29.7%
PS 28 Mount Hope	39.8%	29.7%
PS 192 The Magnet School for Math and Science Inquiry	36.4%	29.7%
Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School	37.4%	29.6%
PS 250 George H. Lindsay	38.0%	29.6%
Concord High School	47.5%	29.6%
PS 8 Isaac Varian	38.1%	29.5%
PS 245	37.4%	29.5%
PS 123	37.6%	29.5%
PS 112 Dutch Kills	37.1%	29.5%
PS 10	38.5%	29.5%
Satellite Academy High School	50.0%	29.3%
PS 13 M. L. Lindemeyer	37.5%	29.2%
PS 106 Edward Everett Hale	39.1%	29.2%
School of Earth Exploration and Discovery Harlem	39.3%	29.1%
Helen M. Marshall School	45.4%	29.1%
PS 15 Roberto Clemente	36.7%	29.0%
STEM Institute of Manhattan	33.3%	29.0%
PS 152 Evergreen	37.9%	29.0%
Mount Eden Children's Academy	38.3%	29.0%
PS 178 Saint Clair Mckelway	35.3%	29.0%
Independence High School	46.0%	28.9%
Milton Fein School	38.6%	28.9%
PS 196 Ten Eyck	35.7%	28.9%
PS 82 Hammond	39.2%	28.9%
PS 186 Walter J. Damrosch School	38.5%	28.9%
PS 34 Franklin D. Roosevelt	39.9%	28.8%
PS 115 Alexander Humboldt	39.9%	28.8%
PS 264 Bay Ridge Elementary School For The Arts	37.0%	28.8%
PS 209 Margaret Mead	34.9%	28.8%
PS 277 Gerritsen Beach	32.4%	28.7%
PS 315	36.9%	28.7%
PS 141	33.9%	28.7%
PS 128 The Lorraine Tuzzo, Juniper Valley Elementary School	34.3%	28.6%
Naples Street Elementary School	34.9%	28.6%
PS 120 Carlos Tapia	34.9%	28.4%
James Baldwin School, The: A School for Expeditionary Learning	43.4%	28.3%
The Barbara Esselborn School	34.5%	28.3%
Cascades High School	45.2%	28.2%
Jill Chaifetz Transfer High School	38.0%	28.2%
PS 94 Kings College School	38.2%	28.2%
PS 83 Donald Hertz	35.5%	28.2%
Brownsville Academy High School	38.0%	28.2%
PS 160 Walter Francis Bishop	35.8%	28.2%
Grant Avenue Elementary School	38.1%	28.1%
PS 46 Edgar Allan Poe	40.3%	28.1%
School of Science & Technology	34.6%	28.1%
PS 50 Frank Hankinson	33.2%	28.1%
PS 72 Dr. William Dorney	35.3%	27.9%
VOYAGES Preparatory	49.5%	27.9%
PS 45 John Tyler	37.2%	27.9%
PS 105 The Bay School	37.5%	27.8%
PS 223 Lyndon B. Johnson	37.7%	27.8%
PS 48 William Wordsworth	40.0%	27.8%
The David Marquis School of the Arts	33.9%	27.8%
Samara Community School	40.2%	27.7%
PS 3 The Bedford Village	38.8%	27.7%
PS 8 Shirlee Solomon	32.1%	27.7%
The Vida Bogart School for All Children	38.5%	27.7%
PS 26 Jesse Owens	35.0%	27.6%
PS 35 Nathaniel Woodhull	37.3%	27.6%
PS 145 Andrew Jackson	37.1%	27.6%
PS 188 The Island School	38.1%	27.5%
PS 205 Fiorello LaGuardia	37.5%	27.5%
Archer Elementary School	38.1%	27.5%
PS/MS 114 Belle Harbor	32.7%	27.4%
The Longwood Academy of Discovery	37.7%	27.3%
PS 121 Throop	37.1%	27.2%
PS 346 Abe Stark	33.7%	27.2%
PS 47 Chris Galas	36.0%	27.2%
PS 100 Isaac Clason	39.9%	27.1%
Liberation Diploma Plus	39.9%	27.1%
PS 146 Edward Collins	41.0%	26.8%
School of the Future Brooklyn	39.2%	26.8%
PS 204 Morris Heights	38.5%	26.7%
PS 108 Philip J. Abinanti	33.6%	26.7%
PS 206 The Horace Harding School	33.1%	26.7%
Staten Island School of Civic Leadership	33.6%	26.7%
PS 4 Duke Ellington	37.5%	26.6%
Bronx Delta School	37.0%	26.6%
Bronx Arena High School	46.2%	26.6%
PS 88 Seneca	32.0%	26.6%
PS 596	31.6%	26.6%
PS 196	39.9%	26.4%
PS 2 Alfred Zimberg	34.7%	26.4%
PS 36 Margaret Douglas	36.4%	26.3%
PS 46 Arthur Tappan	37.7%	26.3%
PS 154 Harriet Tubman	35.8%	26.3%
PS/MS 29 Melrose School	36.5%	26.3%
PS 35 Franz Siegel	40.9%	26.3%
New Bridges Elementary	33.2%	26.3%
PS 109	36.3%	26.3%
Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School	46.2%	26.2%
PS 75 School of Research and Discovery	37.0%	26.2%
PS 41 Francis White	38.7%	26.2%
PS 183 Dr. Richard R. Green	34.3%	26.2%
PS 17 Henry D. Woodworth	34.2%	26.1%
PS 7 Abraham Lincoln	37.5%	26.1%
PS 65	34.6%	26.1%
PS 26 The Carteret School	30.6%	26.1%
PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell	35.8%	26.0%
PS 193 Gil Hodges	31.8%	26.0%
PS 115 Daniel Mucatel School	33.5%	25.9%
PS 32 Belmont	36.9%	25.8%
PS 177 The Marlboro	33.6%	25.8%
PS 154 Jonathan D. Hyatt	34.3%	25.7%
PS 377	35.2%	25.7%
PS 274 Kosciusko	35.8%	25.7%
PS 103 Hector Fontanez	36.3%	25.6%
PS 189 The Bilingual Center	32.6%	25.6%
PS 30 Westerleigh	29.6%	25.6%
PS 152 Dyckman Valley	36.3%	25.5%
PS 138 Samuel Randall	34.2%	25.5%
PS 536	41.7%	25.5%
PS 288 The Shirley Tanyhill	34.4%	25.5%
PS 236 Mill Basin	28.4%	25.5%
PS 130 Abram Stevens Hewitt	32.9%	25.4%
The Bronx STEM and Arts Academy	39.7%	25.4%
PS 340	34.3%	25.4%
PS 54 Samuel C. Barnes	33.3%	25.4%
PS 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research	34.8%	25.4%
PS 192 Jacob H. Schiff	34.5%	25.3%
PS 279 Herman Schreiber	32.9%	25.3%
PS 19 The Curtis School	34.2%	25.3%
PS 28 Wright Brothers	37.4%	25.2%
PS 99 Isaac Asimov	28.9%	25.2%
PS 396	39.8%	25.1%
PS 105 Sen Abraham Bernstein	33.9%	25.0%
PS 111 Seton Falls	37.0%	25.0%
PS 176 Cambria Heights	33.9%	25.0%
PS 123 Mahalia Jackson	42.4%	24.9%
PS 86 Kingsbridge Heights	34.3%	24.9%
PS 375 Jackie Robinson School	29.6%	24.9%
PS 142 Amalia Castro	35.1%	24.8%
PS 98 Shorac Kappock	34.8%	24.8%
PS 173	32.9%	24.8%
PS 57 Crescent	37.7%	24.8%
Urban Scholars Community School	34.8%	24.8%
PS 134 Henrietta Szold	34.9%	24.7%
PS 159 Luis Munoz Marin Biling	37.0%	24.7%
PS 4 Maurice Wollin	28.6%	24.7%
PS 29 Bardwell	29.1%	24.7%
PS 306	32.3%	24.6%
PS 47 John Randolph	37.2%	24.6%
PS 312 Bergen Beach	30.4%	24.6%
PS 207 Rockwood Park	29.3%	24.6%
PS 134 Hollis	31.5%	24.6%
PS 9 Ryer Avenue Elementary School	34.2%	24.5%
PS 23 The New Children's School	34.5%	24.5%
PS 71 Forest	31.8%	24.5%
PS/MS 04 Crotona Park West	32.8%	24.4%
PS 70 Max Schoenfeld	35.6%	24.4%
Brooklyn Bridge Academy	37.0%	24.4%
PS 239	36.6%	24.4%
PS 91 Bronx	35.1%	24.3%
PS 78 Anne Hutchinson	33.4%	24.3%
Cornerstone Academy for Social Action	35.0%	24.3%
PS 18 Edward Bush	33.7%	24.3%
PS 208 Elsa Ebeling	29.7%	24.3%
PS/IS 155 Nicholas Herkimer	38.2%	24.3%
PS/IS 45 Horace E. Greene	34.8%	24.3%
Bronx Haven High School	45.5%	24.2%
East Brooklyn Community High School	41.6%	24.2%
Research and Service High School	40.5%	24.1%
PS 360	31.9%	24.1%
PS 87 Bronx	31.1%	24.0%
PS 108 Sal Abbracciamento	35.1%	24.0%
PS 33 Timothy Dwight	37.5%	23.9%
PS 136 Roy Wilkins	30.0%	23.9%
PS 246 Poe Center	34.7%	23.8%
PS 68 Bronx	33.9%	23.8%
Concourse Village Elementary School	34.8%	23.7%
PS 114 Luis Llorens Torres Schools	36.1%	23.7%
PS 184 Newport	30.7%	23.7%
PS/MS 138 Sunrise	30.6%	23.7%
PS 86 The Irvington	35.8%	23.7%
PS 236 Langston Hughes	33.5%	23.6%
Sheridan Academy for Young Leaders	40.6%	23.6%
School for Environmental Citizenship	35.3%	23.6%
PS 81 Thaddeus Stevens	34.6%	23.6%
PS 62 Inocensio Casanova	34.7%	23.5%
PS 238 Anne Sullivan	31.3%	23.5%
PS 25 Bilingual School	34.7%	23.4%
PS 73 Bronx	34.3%	23.4%
PS 61 Francisco Oller	35.4%	23.4%
PS 289 George V. Brower	28.5%	23.4%
PS 290 Juan Morel Campos	28.4%	23.4%
PS 253	30.4%	23.4%
PS 151 Mary D. Carter	33.2%	23.4%
PS 151 Lyndon B. Johnson	34.1%	23.4%
PS 242 The Young Diplomats Magnet Academy	39.7%	23.3%
PS 189	37.1%	23.3%
PS 5 Dr. Ronald McNair	33.0%	23.3%
PS 254 Dag Hammarskjold	27.7%	23.3%
Brooklyn Democracy Academy	32.2%	23.3%
Jamaica Children's School	33.2%	23.3%
PS 42 Eltingville	26.5%	23.3%
Providing Urban Learners Success In Education High School	43.5%	23.2%
PS 380 John Wayne Elementary	33.2%	23.2%
PS 306 Ethan Allen	33.9%	23.2%
PS 60 Alice Austen	27.9%	23.2%
PS 21 Philip H. Sheridan	32.0%	23.1%
PS 153 Homecrest	28.9%	23.1%
PS 134	28.0%	23.1%
PS 116 Elizabeth L Farrell	37.1%	23.1%
PS 41 Gun Hill Road	33.9%	23.0%
Brooklyn Landmark Elementary School	29.3%	23.0%
PS 23 Richmondtown	27.5%	23.0%
PS 42 Claremont	34.7%	22.9%
PS 109 Sedgwick	30.6%	22.9%
Bronx Regional High School	41.0%	22.9%
PS 373	32.3%	22.9%
PS 128 Bensonhurst	28.7%	22.8%
Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning	30.1%	22.8%
Elementary School for Math, Science, and Technology	32.4%	22.7%
The Matilda Avenue School	31.8%	22.7%
PS 181 Brooklyn	29.4%	22.7%
PS 163 Arthur A. Schomburg	35.6%	22.6%
PS 257 John F. Hylan	27.8%	22.6%
PS 255 Barbara Reing School	27.1%	22.5%
PS 175 Henry H Garnet	36.0%	22.4%
PS 335 Granville T. Woods	29.1%	22.4%
PS 111 Jacob Blackwell	34.2%	22.4%
PS 377 Alejandrina B. De Gautier	32.1%	22.4%
PS 67 Mohegan School	35.6%	22.3%
PS 118 Lorraine Hansberry	31.0%	22.3%
PS 396	30.1%	22.3%
PS/IS 137 Rachel Jean Mitchell	30.2%	22.2%
PS/IS 178 Holliswood	26.0%	22.1%
PS 199 The Shakespeare School	31.4%	22.0%
Olympus Academy	34.6%	22.0%
PS 200 Benson School	25.8%	22.0%
PS 91 Richard Arkwright	29.2%	22.0%
Baychester Academy	33.3%	21.9%
PS 59 William Floyd	30.1%	21.9%
PS 76 The Bennington School	33.7%	21.8%
Red Hook Neighborhood School	28.7%	21.8%
PS 32 The Gifford School	27.3%	21.8%
PS 18 John Peter Zenger	34.1%	21.7%
PS 014 Senator John Calandra	29.5%	21.7%
PS 182	32.4%	21.7%
PS 150 Charles James Fox	33.1%	21.7%
PS 75 Mayda Cortiella	33.5%	21.7%
PS 161 Juan Ponce De Leon School	37.5%	21.6%
PS 308 Clara Cardwell	36.8%	21.6%
PS 11 Highbridge	29.9%	21.5%
PS 44 David C. Farragut	33.8%	21.5%
PS 268 Emma Lazarus	33.2%	21.5%
PS 69 Journey Prep School	34.1%	21.4%
PS 22 Graniteville	29.0%	21.4%
PS 6 West Farms	32.4%	21.3%
Brooklyn High School for Leadership and Community	37.6%	21.3%
PS 243 The Weeksville School	29.9%	21.3%
PS 49 Willis Avenue	30.1%	21.2%
The Family School	28.8%	21.2%
PS 309 The George E. Wibecan Preparatory Academy	30.8%	21.2%
PS 225 The Eileen E. Zaglin	26.6%	21.2%
PS 194 Raoul Wallenberg	27.6%	21.2%
PS 146 Ann M. Short	32.6%	21.1%
PS 23 Carter G. Woodson	30.6%	21.1%
PS 18 John G. Whittier	29.7%	21.1%
PS 43 Jonas Bronck	36.2%	21.0%
PS 251 Paerdegat	29.0%	21.0%
PS 361 East Flatbush Early Childhood School	29.4%	21.0%
Young Leaders Elementary School	34.9%	20.8%
PS/IS 54	34.2%	20.8%
PS 198 Brooklyn	29.1%	20.8%
PS 1 Courtlandt School	32.3%	20.7%
PS 48 Joseph R. Drake	32.9%	20.6%
PS 297 Abraham Stockton	30.9%	20.6%
Metropolitan Diploma Plus High School	35.3%	20.5%
PS 51	26.9%	20.5%
PS 15 Jackie Robinson	27.7%	20.5%
PS 53 Basheer Quisim	31.2%	20.4%
PS 226	29.0%	20.4%
PS 195	31.3%	20.4%
PS 21 Crispus Attucks	30.1%	20.4%
PS 326	27.2%	20.4%
PS 156 Waverly	29.4%	20.4%
PS 126 Dr Marjorie H Dunbar	32.1%	20.3%
East New York Elementary School of Excellence	26.8%	20.3%
PS 938	29.0%	20.3%
PS 93 Albert G. Oliver	31.7%	20.2%
The New American Academy at Roberto Clemente State	32.6%	20.2%
PS 200 The James McCune Smith School	30.3%	20.1%
PS 59 The Community School of Technology	31.7%	20.1%
PS 291	36.1%	20.1%
PS 244 Richard R. Green	28.4%	20.1%
PS 345 Patrolman Robert Bolden	29.4%	20.1%
PS/MS 42 R. Vernam	28.2%	20.1%
PS 132 Juan Pablo Duarte	32.9%	20.0%
PS 270 Johann DeKalb	34.7%	20.0%
Fairmont Neighborhood School	29.3%	19.9%
PS 74 Future Leaders Elementary School	31.0%	19.9%
PS 112 Bronxwood	28.2%	19.8%
PS 190 Sheffield	27.4%	19.7%
Christopher Avenue Community School	27.1%	19.7%
PS 30 Wilton	29.1%	19.6%
PS 110 Theodore Schoenfeld	29.8%	19.6%
PS 207	27.3%	19.6%
PS 46 Edward C. Blum	30.4%	19.6%
PS 194 Countee Cullen	27.9%	19.5%
PS 157 Grove Hill	31.0%	19.5%
PS 191 Paul Robeson	31.6%	19.5%
The Jermaine L. Green STEM Institute of Queens	25.7%	19.5%
PS 4	27.0%	19.5%
PS 92 Mary McLeod Bethune	28.3%	19.4%
PS 197 John B. Russwurm	30.6%	19.4%
PS 91 The Albany Avenue School	28.4%	19.4%
PS 188 Michael E. Berdy	25.4%	19.4%
The Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability	21.7%	19.4%
PS 16 John J. Driscoll	31.7%	19.3%
PS 310 Marble Hill	31.0%	19.2%
PS 96 Richard Rodgers	27.7%	19.2%
Norma Adams Clemons Academy	26.7%	19.2%
Brooklyn Academy High School	28.2%	19.1%
PS 58	35.4%	19.0%
PS 38 Rosedale	23.6%	19.0%
PS 63 Author's Academy	28.0%	18.9%
PS 149 Danny Kaye	27.2%	18.9%
Brooklyn Gardens Elementary School	26.7%	18.9%
PS/IS 323	28.6%	18.9%
PS 43	28.0%	18.9%
PS 107	31.3%	18.8%
PS 273 Wortman	28.7%	18.8%
PS 36 Saint Albans School	25.4%	18.8%
PS 135 Sheldon A. Brookner	26.8%	18.7%
PS 34 John Harvard	28.1%	18.6%
PS 088 S. Silverstein Little Sparrow School	22.8%	18.5%
PS 209	23.1%	18.5%
PS 40 George W. Carver	26.4%	18.5%
PS 276 Louis Marshall	23.4%	18.5%
PS 11 Thomas Dongan School	25.5%	18.5%
PS 65 Mother Hale Academy	28.3%	18.4%
PS 20 Port Richmond	26.3%	18.4%
PS 78	27.3%	18.4%
PS 90 Edna Cohen School	27.9%	18.3%
PS 203 Floyd Bennett School	25.7%	18.3%
PS 45 Clarence Witherspoon	25.3%	18.3%
PS 55 Benjamin Franklin	28.3%	18.2%
The Walton Avenue School	29.4%	18.2%
PS 219 Kennedy-King	24.5%	18.2%
PS 67 Charles A. Dorsey	27.5%	18.1%
PS 216 Arturo Toscanini	22.3%	18.1%
PS 399 Stanley Eugene Clark	22.3%	18.0%
Wave Preparatory Elementary School	26.3%	18.0%
PS 251 Queens	23.4%	18.0%
PS 179	31.1%	17.9%
The STEAM Bridge School	27.1%	17.9%
The School of Science and Applied Learning	31.0%	17.9%
PS 199 Frederick Wachtel	21.7%	17.8%
PS 114 Ryder Elementary	23.0%	17.7%
PS 158 Warwick	28.5%	17.7%
PS 132 Ralph Bunche	24.4%	17.5%
PS 360	29.7%	17.4%
PS 93 William H. Prescott	21.7%	17.4%
Dr. Jacqueline Peek-Davis School	26.2%	17.4%
PS 272 Curtis Estabrook	23.8%	17.4%
PS 181 Brookfield	26.8%	17.4%
PS 195 William Haberle	23.8%	17.2%
PS 298 Dr. Betty Shabazz	25.9%	17.1%
PS 221 Toussaint L'Ouverture	23.2%	16.9%
PS 277	33.2%	16.8%
PS 36 J. C. Drumgoole	19.6%	16.8%
PS 155 William Paca	24.9%	16.6%
PS 398 Walter Weaver	24.4%	16.6%
PS 57 Hubert H. Humphrey	28.4%	16.6%
PS 319	27.4%	16.4%
PS 202 Ernest S. Jenkyns	27.1%	16.4%
PS 233 Langston Hughes	24.3%	16.2%
PS 170	28.6%	16.1%
PS 213 New Lots	26.0%	16.1%
PS 150 Christopher	23.1%	16.1%
PS 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park	25.2%	16.1%
PS 132 Garret A. Morgan	24.5%	16.0%
PS 595	30.8%	16.0%
PS 104 The Bays Water	22.6%	16.0%
PS 253	23.0%	16.0%
PS 299 Thomas Warren Field	29.0%	15.9%
PS 197 The Ocean School	25.8%	15.7%
Mosaic Preparatory Academy	27.5%	15.6%
PS 262 El Hajj Malik El Shabazz Elementary School	18.9%	15.6%
The Fresh Creek School	23.0%	15.6%
PS 80 The Thurgood Marshall Magnet School of Multimedia and Communication	23.9%	15.6%
PS 3 The Margaret Gioiosa School	19.2%	15.4%
PS 5 Huguenot	18.6%	15.3%
PS 46 Albert V. Maniscalco	20.3%	15.3%
PS 66 School of Higher Expectations	26.8%	15.2%
PS 156 Laurelton	24.8%	15.2%
PS 161 The Crown	21.8%	15.0%
PS 397 Foster-Laurie	20.3%	15.0%
PS 6 Corporal Allan F. Kivlehan School	17.7%	15.0%
PS 197 The Kings Highway Academy	20.0%	14.9%
PS 56 The Louis Desario School	16.8%	14.9%
PS 195 Manhattan Beach	17.1%	14.8%
Riverdale Avenue Community School	25.4%	14.8%
PS 52 Queens	22.1%	14.8%
PS 134 George F. Bristow	28.8%	14.6%
PS 224 Hale A. Woodruff	25.0%	14.5%
PS 52 Sheepshead Bay	18.8%	14.4%
PS 140 Edward K Ellington	21.7%	14.4%
PS 38 Roberto Clemente	23.8%	14.3%
Lighthouse Elementary School	17.0%	14.1%
PS 13 Roberto Clemente	22.4%	14.0%
PS 287 Bailey K. Ashford	24.1%	13.9%
PS 55 Henry M. Boehm	17.7%	13.7%
PS 329 Surfside	22.8%	13.5%
PS 256 Benjamin Banneker	21.5%	13.3%
PS 44 Thomas C. Brown	21.4%	13.2%
PS 92 Adrian Hegeman	24.0%	13.1%
PS 31 William T. Davis	22.6%	13.1%
PS 16 Leonard Dunkly	21.4%	11.9%
Fort Hill Collaborative Elementary School	17.0%	11.7%
PS 25 Eubie Blake School	17.4%	11.6%
PS 328 Phyllis Wheatley	17.9%	11.5%
PS 44 Marcus Garvey	22.9%	11.4%
Cynthia Jenkins School	20.1%	11.2%
The Gregory Jocko Jackson School of Sports, Art, and Technology	17.0%	10.7%
PS 327 Dr. Rose B. English	21.4%	10.7%
PS 165 Ida Posner	19.7%	10.2%
PS 100 The Coney Island School	12.3%	9.9%
PS 1 Tottenville	12.0%	9.9%

NYC vaccination rates by school

IPS ends mask mandate as Indiana drops COVID restrictions

2022-02-25T20:49:32+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools has become the latest Indiana district to end mandatory masking for students and staff as the state drops COVID protocols for schools.

Masks will be optional — though highly encouraged — beginning Monday. The district will also stop requiring close contacts of those testing positive for COVID to quarantine, in line with new state health guidelines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also updated masking guidance Friday, requiring masks in schools only if COVID cases and hospitalizations are high.

In a presentation to the IPS board on Thursday, district officials cited new guidance from the Indiana Department of Health and falling numbers of COVID cases for their decision.

The district has required universal masking since the beginning of the school year, even as other school districts made them optional.

After reaching a peak of nearly 400 COVID cases among students and staff during the first week of January, IPS reported just 19 cases during the week of Feb. 6-12.

This mirrors the drop in COVID cases throughout the state. On Jan. 18, Indiana reported a staggering high of over 6,000 COVID cases in schools. By Feb. 7, the state reported 859 cases, and by Feb. 18, just 26 cases — though that number may be revised with updated case counts.

As a result, the state is winding down its COVID response, and will remove the school dashboard from its website on Monday. It will be replaced with a dashboard on cases for 0-19 year olds.

Other school districts in Marion County also recently have made masks optional, including Pike Township, Perry Township, Warren Township, Lawrence Township, Wayne Township, Washington Township, Franklin Community Schools, and Beech Grove City Schools.

Masks are still required on school buses per federal guidelines.

“This decision is being made based on our much improved district and Marion County data,” Warren Superintendent Tim Hanson said in a statement. “While we are hopeful that masks will continue to be optional, we recognize that in the event of another surge, we could reinstate the requirement to maintain the safest possible environment for students and staff.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

CDC: Masks can come off in schools unless COVID metrics are high

2022-02-25T20:45:00+00:00

Schools should only mandate masks when COVID cases and hospitalizations are high, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Friday, in a shift that means most U.S. schools now have the agency’s OK to go without masks.

The move is the first major change in national guidance on masks in schools since last summer, and follows decisions by many states and districts to lift mask mandates in recent weeks. Still, many schools have continued to require masks for students and staff, and the CDC’s shift could pave the way for further changes.

The rules appear to be an attempt by federal officials to thread the needle between increasing political pressure to return to “normal” and the fact that COVID-19 still represents a threat, particularly in parts of the country where vaccination rates are low.

“Because children are relatively at lower risk for severe illness, schools can be safe places for children. So for that reason, we’re recommending that schools use the same guidance that we are recommending in general community settings,” CDC epidemiologist Greta Massetti said Friday.

Specifically, the new CDC rules say if new COVID cases and hospitalizations are low or moderate, and hospitals aren’t overburdened in a community, then mask mandates aren’t necessary. About 70% of Americans live in parts of the country where those metrics are now low or moderate, the agency says. (See how the CDC categorizes your county’s COVID level here.)

When COVID cases and hospitalizations are high, schools should still require masks, the CDC recommends.

The country’s two largest teachers unions, which have often pushed for more safety measures in schools, had mixed reactions Friday. The CDC’s guidelines got a thumbs up from the American Federation of Teachers but a tepid reaction from the National Education Association.

“While the NEA is encouraged by the new guidance, local governments must bring educators to the table with our in-school experience when determining how to keep school communities safe,” said President Becky Pringle. Translation: The NEA wants local unions to still have a say over safety rules, including masking.

About half of the country’s largest 500 school districts currently require masks, according to the tracking site Burbio, including New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. That’s a substantial dip from the beginning of the month, when more than 60% of those districts had mask mandates. Only two states — California and New York — still have a statewide school mask requirement with no announced end date.

The new CDC guidance is likely to push more places to ease mask rules. Ultimately, though, states and districts have charted their own path on mitigation measures throughout the pandemic, often flouting CDC recommendations.

Last summer, the CDC said that masks should only be required for unvaccinated students and staff. Weeks later the agency reversed course, recommending that all individuals remain masked inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

Some places have been more cautious than the agency has recommended. New York City and Los Angeles, for instance, just lifted outdoor mask requirements, even though the CDC has recommended doing so for months. Other places have gone in the other direction, not requiring masks at all this school year.

Whether students and adults should be required to wear masks has been one of the most fraught policy debates this school year, from school boards to the White House. Decisions at both the state and local level have correlated highly with political leanings: Democratic areas were more likely to impose mask requirements and Republican areas were less likely to.

This also led to a number of legal battles. The Biden administration challenged states that banned mask mandates, and so did a number of groups representing parents of students with disabilities. These groups won a number of court victories, allowing mask rules to remain in place in some areas where they were putatively banned.

Earlier this month, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona defended mask requirements, saying they help keep kids in schools.

“You know what hinders kids’ learning? Being quarantined because they have COVID, or not having a teacher because their teacher has COVID,” he said.

Recently, prominent commentators have argued that mask mandates are educationally harmful to students and politically perilous for Democrats. A number of Democratic governors — including in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Nevada — have lifted statewide mask rules. A number of districts quickly shifted their rules, too, although many others have kept masking requirements in place.

Firm research on the pros and cons of masking is thin. Outside of school settings, there is strong evidence linking surgical, but not cloth, masks to slower COVID spread. At the same time, many educators and students have said masks make aspects of school more challenging and unpleasant, from hearing their teachers to talking to a friend.

“For a small child, not being able to see a teacher’s face or a teacher not being able to see a small child’s face, that did detract,” Pam Swanson, a Colorado district superintendent, previously told Chalkbeat. “School is a social thing.”

To date, polling has shown that support for mask mandates in schools consistently outstrips opposition among parents, teachers, and the broader public. Even if more schools make masks optional, many teachers and students may still choose to wear them.

“Anybody is certainly welcome to wear a mask at any time if they feel safer wearing a mask,” said CDC director Rochelle Walensky.

NYC ends outdoor mask mandate for schools

2022-02-25T13:54:10+00:00

New York City students will no longer be required to wear masks outdoors on school grounds, the department announced Friday.

Masks will still be required inside of school buildings, officials said in a news release. The change, which goes into effect Monday, means students or anyone else on school property, including staff, can participate in recess or other outdoor activities without wearing masks.

Additionally, masks won’t be required for anyone participating in sports on outdoor school property.

Officials said they are lifting the outdoor mask mandate because the city’s in-school positivity rate has dropped under 1%. Those results, however, come from swabs taken at school and cover a tiny share of the school population. Cases spiked after winter break, as the omicron variant of COVID ripped through New York City — resulting in major disruptions in staffing and student attendance.

“Throughout the pandemic, our schools have remained some of the safest spaces for our students and staff, thanks to our gold standard health and safety protocol,” Chancellor David Banks said in a statement. “I am so pleased that we are able to make this exciting announcement and safely allow students and staff to remove their masks when outdoors at NYC public schools.”

While the indoor mask mandate remains in schools, changes could be on the horizon. Gov. Kathy Hochul said there’s a “very strong possibility” she will lift the statewide mask mandate for schools by the second week of March, after she reviews data on COVID positivity rates, vaccinations and hospitalizations.

If Hochul scraps the mandate, city schools could still choose to keep masks in place. Mayor Eric Adams appears eager to shed city masking rules in the coming weeks, though he’s provided no timeline.

No matter Hochul’s and Adams’ decisions, masking policies have already caused raucous debate, even as there is little high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of masking in schools. A recent Siena poll of 803 New York registered voters found that a majority – 58% – believe data should be examined in early March before a decision is made about masking in schools. That sentiment was even stronger, at 64%, among respondents from New York City. Just 10% said the mask mandate should end after February break, and another 30% believe mask mandates should have already ended.

Detroit superintendent unlikely to push for staff vaccine mandate terminations

2022-02-18T23:29:19+00:00

Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says he likely won’t seek to terminate unvaccinated employees, changing his position on enforcing the school district’s staff vaccine policy. Vitti’s comments come the same day employees of the Detroit Public Schools Community District were required to be vaccinated against COVID.

“I do not believe that I will be recommending terminations for those who are unvaccinated,” Vitti said in an email to Chalkbeat.

The school board approved a vaccine requirement in December that specified a Feb. 18 deadline for school employees to be fully vaccinated. Detroit is an outlier among school districts in Michigan to require a vaccine for its employees.

“A lot has changed since we moved forward with the employee vaccine mandate,” Vitti said, specifying that lack of state or local support for an employee vaccine requirement, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that blocked the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test requirement for large employers, “places the district in a weak position to push the mandate.”

“I am proud that we have reached an 80% vaccine rate among employees, which was achieved earlier with the $500 incentive. I continue to believe that all people and our employees should vaccinate to protect themselves and others.”

Vitti said no decision has been made about whether unvaccinated employees will face any other disciplinary action.

“We have not administratively made that decision yet but it is doubtful,” Vitti said.

Previously, the district said it would use a progressive disciplinary process to enforce the mandate following the deadline, moving from a series of reminders to verbal and written warnings, suspension without pay, and termination.

Across the U.S., governments and school districts have relaxed COVID restrictions for schools as case rates and hospitalizations decline. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services lifted its mask advisories for schools earlier this week, citing declining cases and hospitalizations across the state. The move followed similar decisions by county health departments and local school districts in recent weeks.

Vitti said on Monday that the district is keeping its mask mandate for the time being as it waits for further recommendations from the Detroit Health Department.

As of Feb. 4, about 81% of school employees have been vaccinated; an estimated 500 Detroit school district employees have filed a religious or medical exemption.

Chalkbeat requested updated numbers Thursday, but a district official said they wouldn’t be able to compile the information until after the weeklong mid-winter break, which starts Monday.

“I think what this virus has taught us all or should have taught us is that we have to be flexible in what we do, and so I certainly hope that the district understands that as well,” said Terrence Martin, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers. Martin said some union members are awaiting responses to their exemption requests.

“At some point, there has to be a determination on whether or not a vaccine requirement is even appropriate at this time.”

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

Illinois appellate court ruling puts school masking in hands of districts

2022-02-18T17:38:02+00:00

This story has been updated with a statement from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office.

The Illinois Appellate Court handed the state’s COVID-19 mitigations another blow late Thursday by upholding a circuit court decision to halt emergency public health orders that required masking and teacher vaccinations in schools.

But the appellate court ruling left open a critical door for districts to establish their own rules by saying “in no way restrains school districts from acting independently from the executive orders or the (Illinois Department of Public Health) in creating provisions addressing COVID-19.”

Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokeswoman for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, said the governor is disappointed in the appellate court’s decision and “concerned for the health of those in schools – particularly vulnerable children and adults – and the ability to continue in-person learning.”

The governor will work with the state’s attorney general to request an expedited review of the decision from the state Supreme Court, according to Abudayyeh.

The fierce debates over masking, vaccination requirements for staff, and testing in schools have been thrown into the court system in Illinois.

In early February, a judge in central Illinois granted a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed by a group of parents and over 170 school districts. The ruling halted emergency public health orders that established masking, vaccination, and testing protocols in schools and caused confusion on the ground as districts scrambled to either reinforce such rules or make them optional. School boards hastily called meetings and there were late night votes.

After the first ruling, Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the decision “out of step,” said masks have been an effective tool to contain COVID spread on campuses, and appealed.

The appellate court dismissed the state department of public health and state board of education’s emergency rules — filed on Sept. 17, 2021 — that implemented mask, vaccine, testing, and quarantine protocols in school buildings because they argued that the language in the temporary restraining order does not restrict districts from making their own safety protocols.

The court also noted that executive orders were “null and void” because the rules expired Feb. 13. The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules — a bipartisan legislative committee — decided not to renew the emergency orders on Feb. 15.

Chicago Public Schools, which still requires students to mask and unvaccinated students to quarantine after close contact with positive COVID cases, said in a press release Friday that the district will continue to enforce its COVID-19 mitigations. In an email to parents, CEO Pedro Martinez wrote that the district planned to “continue to follow these proven protocols until such time as our public health partners advise us that restrictions can be safely lifted.”

The Illinois Federation of Teachers, one of the state’s largest teachers unions, said in a press release Friday morning that the appellate court’s decision does not change school districts’ ability to enforce school-based mitigations.

“We continue to insist that school districts statewide abide by existing collective bargaining agreements that are in place to promote health and safety in schools and to follow our laws around safe schools and workplaces,” said Dan Montgomery, IFT president. “As cases continue to decline, discussions about removing these mitigations must be based on good public health decisions.”

COVID-19 mitigations have been the subject of contention in Illinois throughout the school year. The debate reached a boiling point as parent groups have protested for and against mandates at school board meetings. Republican lawmakers are challenging COVID mandates with legislation.

The bills filed by Republican legislators target masking and vaccine mandates in schools and would limit decision-making by Pritzker, the state board of education, and the state department of public health.

On Thursday, nine Republican lawmakers were removed from the Illinois House floor for refusing to wear a mask as required by House rules.

The same day, two parents attended the state board of education’s monthly meeting to raise concerns about the change in masking policy and how that will harm children who have health concerns. They said they were scared to speak up at their local district’s board meetings because right-wing groups have been harassing parents who are in favor of COVID mitigations.

Jennifer Cresse, a parent in Sunset Ridge School District 29, which has made masking optional, said she was uncomfortable sending her child to school because he has health concerns, but the district does not have a remote learning option and there isn’t a homeschooling program in which she can enroll her son.

“We’ve allowed for the safety of our children to be turned into a political issue with little regard for scientific evidence,” said Cresse. “We need your help to provide for a safer environment for all students including those with medical issues themselves, or family members.”

April Jackie, an Illinois parent who lives in a rural area and has neurodivergent children, told the board that her school district held an emergency meeting to change its COVID mitigation plans.

“Why are we not attempting to educate, spread facts rather than bow down to the misinformed?” said Jackie. “Encourage unity, compassion as a community having civil discussions and debates rather than giving in, holding up, and emboldening those that are self-centered, lacking compassion and empathy.”

Samantha Smylie is the state education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering school districts across the state, legislation, special education, and the state board of education. Contact Samantha at ssmylie@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana lifts school COVID rules, ending quarantines and contact tracing

2022-02-17T21:48:00+00:00

The Indiana Department of Health released significantly revamped COVID-19 guidance for schools on Thursday that includes an end to contact tracing and quarantines for students exposed to COVID-19.

Beginning Feb. 23, schools will no longer be required to quarantine students who have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case, regardless of vaccination status or whether the school requires masks, according to the department.

Schools will also no longer need to contact trace or report cases to the department.

Those who test positive for COVID should isolate for five days and may return on Day 6 if their symptoms are improving and they’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication.

The department’s guidance for quarantine had previously depended on a student’s vaccination status as well as the school’s masking policy.

The state issued similar guidance for child care programs: Children who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home for five days regardless of symptoms. Children who can wear a mask correctly may return on Day 6, and those who can’t may return on Day 8.

In making the changes, the department cited Indiana’s falling COVID-19 positivity rate — from 33.6% on Jan. 19 to 13.1% on Wednesday.

Over 4,800 COVID cases were reported in schools last week according to the state dashboard, 4,220 of which were among students.

The department will begin to reduce its COVID-19 response operations, citing a drop in demand for testing.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t issued updated guidance for schools since Jan. 13, and still recommends universal indoor masking for everyone over age 2, contact tracing, and quarantines for close contacts.

In Indiana, “These changes reflect the rapid decline in COVID-19 cases as we emerge from the omicron surge and the fact that all school-age children have been eligible to be vaccinated since November,” said State Health Commissioner Kris Box. “While they do not remove the need for continued vigilance, they will ease the reporting burden on schools and help ensure that children can stay in school.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

No new guidance for Philadelphia schools as city unveils new system to monitor COVID cases

2022-02-16T23:43:50+00:00

Philadelphia introduced a new system Wednesday to determine what type of COVID restrictions will apply to restaurants and public places — but safety protocols in the city’s public schools will remain the same for now, the health commissioner said.

For schools, that includes wearing masks and testing a random sample of 10% of unvaccinated students every week.

Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole could not say when updated guidance for schools could appear. “We are having conversations with the school district. Those are separate but parallel conversations,” she said.

The health department announced the new tier system, called COVID Response Levels, Wednesday during a virtual press conference. There are four levels, from “all clear” to “extreme caution,” that dictate what mitigation measures must be in place in restaurants and indoor public spaces. If the city’s COVID numbers improve, certain restrictions, such as showing a vaccination card, will ease. If the numbers get worse, officials will start enforcing those mandates again.

Asked if health officials are looking at what’s happening in other school districts, Bettigole said they are “looking all over the world.” She called it “surprising” that governors in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Oregon decided to ease universal school mask requirements in recent days ahead of an expected announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I don’t necessarily want to follow that,” she said. “I want us to follow the science.”

The new system for Philadelphia includes these tiers:

Extreme Caution: proof of vaccination required for places that serve food or drink; masks required in indoor public places
Caution: proof of vaccination or negative test within 24 hours for places that serve food or drink; masks required in indoor public places
Mask Precautions: no vaccine requirement for places that serve food or drink; masks required in indoor public places
All Clear: no vaccine requirement for places that serve food or drink; no mask requirement (except in schools, healthcare institutions, congregate settings, such as nursing homes, and on public transportation)

Bettigole said numbers for students in targeted racial groups who have received one dose of the vaccine have improved over the past few weeks, but she still remains ”concerned.”

Right now, 55% of Black children between ages 12 to 17 have received one dose of the vaccine, while 70% of Latino students in that age bracket have; 21.8% of Black students between the ages of 5 to 11 have received a shot, while 28.3% of Latino students in that age group have been at least partially vaccinated.

As of Wednesday, the city is seeing, on average, 189 new cases a day, compared to more than 500 cases a day last week, Bettigole said.

Children who are fully vaccinated do not have to quarantine if they are exposed to a COVID case, said James Garrow, communications director for the Philadelphia Health Department.

Though Bettigole has been a strong advocate of students returning to in-person learning this year, she’s also been adamant that it’s too dangerous for children who could still be infectious to go to school and sit unmasked during lunches with potentially unvaccinated children.

Bureau Chief Johann Calhoun covers K-12 schools and early childhood education in Philadelphia. He oversees Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s education coverage. Contact Johann at jcalhoun@chalkbeat.org

As NY mulls end to school mask mandate, how many students are vaccinated?

2022-02-16T23:26:13+00:00

How many New York City public school students are vaccinated?

Education department officials won’t say, even though they use those statistics to determine how many students to test for COVID at each school. The city has not provided school-level vaccination rates despite a City Council law that requires the department to do so. The city also missed its Wednesday deadline in responding to Chalkbeat’s public records request for the data.

That information is particularly relevant now, as Gov. Kathy Hochul weighs whether to end school mask mandates. A decision is expected in early March, and vaccination rates are one of the factors Hochul has said she will consider.

The city does publish some information about how many children are vaccinated, but school-level data is crucial. Many city students travel to attend schools outside of their neighborhoods. Some public health experts say vaccination status is a key measure — along with transmission rates and other public health statistics — in determining whether measures such as masks can be lifted. And national union officials have also called for ending mask requirements on a school-by-school basis, depending on the individual school’s vaccination rate.

New York City education department officials said they are making sure to comply with any student privacy laws before releasing school-level vaccination information.

“This is sensitive data and we are currently working to balance transparency with the privacy of our students prior to the release of this data,” said education department spokesperson Nathaniel Styer.

City health department data show the vaccination rate for 5- to 17-year-olds is just under 54%. But there are stark disparities across the five boroughs. In parts of Manhattan, including Chinatown, TiBeCa, and the Upper East Side, 99% of children have gotten at least one dose. In Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, it’s 39%. In the Tottenville neighborhood on Staten Island, the rate is 27%.

Public health experts said that school-level vaccination rates might help policy makers understand where students might face more disruptions to learning because of illnesses — especially if the state moves to end mask mandates.

“When you remove the mask, whether you like it or not, you will have some level of uptick in infection,” said Dr. Donald Alcendor, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. But the impacts, he said, are “going to be very different” in places with higher versus lower vaccination rates.

The data could also give important clues about where to increase outreach efforts to get more children vaccinated, Alcendor said.

“If they’re left on their own to try to change this, it’s never going to change,” he said of school communities with low vaccination rates. “What is being done for them?”

The American Academy of Pediatrics, while emphasizing the importance of in-person school, also notes that transmission of COVID is possible in classrooms — and that the risk is higher for the unvaccinated. The academy still recommends universal masking in schools. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also called for mask requirements to stay in place, since infections remain high.

Dr. Denis Nash, an epidemiology professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, highlighted the importance of having multiple layers of protection against COVID in schools. That includes ventilation, vaccinations, and masking, he said.

“When moving to making masks optional, it is important to make sure that these other layers are shored up,” he said. “We definitely need higher vaccination rates among children and adolescents.”

The education department has not responded to multiple requests for student and school-level vaccination rates, directing Chalkbeat to file a request for public information. Records custodians said they anticipated to respond to the request by Feb. 16, but did not do so by 5 p.m.

“We are reviewing and hoping to send you responsive data soon,” officials wrote in an email.

The education department already uses student vaccination rates to determine how many should be tested for COVID in school. The city’s weekly surveillance at each school includes 20% of the unvaccinated student population, or 10% of student enrollment — whichever is higher.

Additionally, the City Council in December passed legislation requiring the education system to regularly disclose vaccination rates, including breakdowns by school, race, grade-level, and whether students have completed two doses.

City Council member Rita Joseph, who chairs the education committee, said the education department “has an obligation,” to disclose student vaccination rates.

“Not doing so is unfair to students, educators, and parents,” she said in a statement. “It’s simple: transparency in data results in better public policy decisions.”

Alex Zimmerman contributed.

Most Colorado school districts ditch mask mandates

2022-02-16T16:57:40+00:00

Mask mandates are out in Colorado school districts.

Over the last two weeks, districts around the state have dropped their mask requirements or set deadlines to do so as local public health departments have also lifted their school mandates. Colorado hasn’t had a statewide mask requirement since May 2021.

The decisions come as COVID cases are in steep decline after a January omicron wave that tested schools — though with an average of 2,400 new cases reported each day, cases are still higher than they were in September when many Front Range communities adopted school mask requirements.

The change mirrors decisions in previously COVID-cautious blue states like New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Oregon that have also dropped school mask requirements.

“The health department, politics, and the public all seemed to be of a similar position that now is the time to take the government imposition of a mask mandate and make it parental choice,” said James Duffy, chief operating officer for Westminster Public Schools. “Of those three camps, it would be very difficult for us to swim upstream, so we decided to make it parental choice.

“We still encourage our staff and students to wear masks. We’re not anti-mask. We just need to focus on educating our kids.”

Some medical experts say it’s too early to safely drop mask requirements.

“So much of it is not based on the science but really on politics and philosophy,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, vice chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ infectious disease committee and a professor of pediatrics at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School. “People are done, and they just want to move past COVID. It’s a little too early to declare victory.”

Federal guidance continues to call for masks in schools, and states like Illinois and California are keeping them for now.

Colorado’s system of local control has resulted in a patchwork of COVID policies in schools. Some districts, like Westminster, started the school year with a mask mandate, while others adopted one as cases rose. Still other school districts adopted mask mandates when local public health authorities required them, while those outside the Front Range remained mostly mask optional all along.

A study by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found that schools with mask mandates saw fewer outbreaks than those without.

Mask policies became an issue in last fall’s school board races. Pro-mask candidates generally prevailed in politically liberal and moderate communities, while anti-mask candidates saw victory in more conservative ones and acted quickly to end mask requirements.

In Mesa Valley District 51 on the Western Slope, a new conservative school board voted to end a policy that required masks when more than 2% of a school population tested positive.

Now even school districts and counties with stricter COVID protocols have ditched masks. Tri-County Board of Health, which oversees Adams and Arapahoe counties, voted Jan. 31 to lift its mask requirement, and most of the 14 school districts in its jurisdiction announced they would do the same.

Aurora Superintendent Rico Munn said he doesn’t know what criteria he would use to lift a mandate if he kept one in place longer than Tri-County required it, and he didn’t want to place educators in the position of enforcing a policy that doesn’t apply anywhere else.

“From Day 1 of this pandemic, at least for us, we made a decision and a commitment that our ‘true north’ was Tri-County Public Health,” he said.

Westminster Superintendent Pam Swanson said masking has required trade-offs, especially for young students learning to read and students learning English. Those trade-offs were worth it when schools had no other way to protect students, but that’s not the case anymore, she said.

“For a small child, not being able to see a teacher’s face or a teacher not being able to see a small child’s face, that did detract,” Swanson said. “School is a social thing.”

In addition to Tri-County, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer, and Pueblo counties have all lifted their school mask requirements in the last two weeks, though Denver’s change doesn’t go into effect until Feb. 28. Boulder County Board of Health voted Monday to end its school mask mandate, a change that affects Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley schools.

So far, Pueblo 60 has kept its mandate, though Pueblo 70, which serves unincorporated areas outside the city, has dropped mask requirements.

Adams 14 in the working-class Denver suburb of Commerce City is also keeping masks. The district uses its own metrics based on community transmission rates because the school district generally has had higher rates of COVID, with more students living in multigenerational households and more parents working essential jobs, than other parts of the county.

The district plans to lift its mask requirement when cases drop below 100 per 100,000 people, the federal threshold for high transmission, which could happen in a few weeks. Currently, every county in Colorado except two is still in high transmission.

Higher education institutions are also being cautious. The University of Colorado Boulder is keeping its mask mandate for now, as is Colorado State University in Fort Collins and Regis University in Denver.

While most children who contract COVID will experience mild illness, some get very sick. Fifteen school-aged children have died of COVID since the start of the pandemic, according to state health officials. During the recent omicron wave, record numbers of children were hospitalized with COVID, roughly two thirds of them due to effects of the virus.

O’Leary of the Academy of Pediatrics would prefer that school districts look at community transmission and vaccination rates before dropping their mask mandates.

“The problem we run into when we talk about schools is we don’t have vaccination coverage as high as we would like, especially for elementary students,” he said. “I would love to see the vaccination rates higher, before we make these changes.”

Just 31% of Colorado children ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated, a rate higher than the national average but well below the rest of the population. About 61% of children ages 12 to 15 are fully vaccinated.

That means COVID can still spread easily in schools, said Susan Hassig, a professor of epidemiology at Tulane University’s School of Public Health, with implications for students’ families, their own health, and the stability of in-person learning.

“The reality is that they’re going to be putting adults and children into a congregate setting for seven hours a day without any kind of source reduction or infection protection,” she said.

O’Leary acknowledges, though, that “the horse has left the barn.”

Last week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued new guidance that would allow schools to treat COVID like other communicable diseases starting Feb. 28, guidance that largely follows what school districts are already doing. Scaling back quarantine requirements takes away one of the incentives schools had to keep masks in place.

In addition to the downward trend in cases, county public health directors point to optimistic state modeling, the availability of vaccines for children ages 5 and up, and a high level of immunity, whether from vaccination or recent illness.

“I don’t think we’re going to see a spike in cases,” said Bob McDonald, executive director of Denver Public Health and Environment. “People who are vaccinated and boosted have very little to worry about. People who are immunocompromised need to make educated decisions, but we can’t wear face coverings forever.”

Like many parents, Azucena Rubio has mixed feelings. She doesn’t think masks have affected her children’s learning or socialization in Jeffco Public Schools, but she expects them to be happier without face coverings, especially her 10-year-old, who complains that masks are itchy.

But she’s not sure now is the time.

“By not having the masks, we’re not being as careful as we could be,” she said. “I want to get back to normal, but I do wonder if it’s really over.”

Bureau Chief Erica Meltzer covers education policy and politics and oversees Chalkbeat Colorado’s education coverage. Contact Erica at emeltzer@chalkbeat.org.

Chicago sees COVID cases drop by 60% in schools, health officials say

2022-02-15T22:58:52+00:00

Chicago Public Schools is seeing a steep decline in COVID-19 cases across the district – in line with a similar drop seen across the city – but cases remain above pre-omicron levels, health officials said Tuesday.

That decline means far fewer students are in quarantine and missing school. Health officials said they were still concerned about risks to students at schools where vaccination rates are the lowest.

Last week, CPS reported that 439 students and 121 staff members tested positive, a drop of about 60% compared to two weeks ago, when 1,068 students and 284 staff tested positive for the week of Jan. 23, Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner, said at a weekly COVID-19 press conference.

“The case rates that we see in our schools, whether that’s CPS, whether that’s the Archdiocese, whether that’s day care, they reflect what we see in the city of Chicago,” Arwady said. “We do not see being in schools adding additional significant risk.”

The district saw cases peak with 1,688 students and 1,117 staff test positive the week starting Jan. 9, data shows.

Meanwhile, the district increased COVID testing capacity to over 64,400 tests across the district last week, Arwady said.

CPS had a positivity rate of less than a percentage, compared to the city’s 2% positivity rate, according to the latest figures.

Amid the COVID-19 case decline, the district has also seen a decrease in the number of students and staff being quarantined or isolated. On Feb. 13, 155 staff and 2,873 students were isolated, according to the district’s latest figures.

The numbers are a sharp decline after a districtwide peak on Jan. 22, when 968 staff and 22,057 were quarantined, data shows.

The district shortened the quarantine period for unvaccinated close contacts from 10 to five days as of Feb. 1.

While vaccine uptake has increased across all age groups in the city, Arwady expressed concerns about the low vaccination rate among school-age children.

About 49.3% of 5- to 11-year-olds in the city have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, and 38% are fully vaccinated, compared with the national average where 32% of the age group have received one dose, and 24% are fully vaccinated, data shows.

About 80% of 12- to 17-year-olds in the city have received one dose, while 68% are fully vaccinated. Those numbers eclipse national averages where about 67% of the age group have gotten one dose, and 56% are fully vaccinated, according to the latest figures.

But Chicago Public Schools vaccination uptake trails city numbers. About 22% of 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated, and about 34% have at least one shot, while about 53% of 12- to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated and 60% had at least one dose, according to CPS.

Asked about a Chalkbeat report showing that 22% of 5- to 11-year-olds at CPS are fully vaccinated, Arwady declined to comment on the specific numbers. But she acknowledged that Chicago Public Schools vaccination numbers were “lower than the city average.”

Arwady said she was “reasonably pleased” with current uptake, which is similar to national averages.

Still, the health commissioner acknowledged the wide range of vaccine uptake, saying that children at schools with only 20% of the student body fully vaccinated were at higher risk of contracting COVID compared to those at schools where 75% of students or higher were fully vaccinated.

Mitigation strategies such as mask-wearing in schools were particularly critical in campuses with low uptake, Arwady added.

The city’s health department, and school officials, will continue to monitor vaccination uptake and work with vaccine ambassadors to increase uptake in schools, Arwady said.

Mauricio Peña is a reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, covering K-12 schools. Contact Mauricio at mpena@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit school district will keep its mask mandate

2022-02-14T23:58:32+00:00

Michigan’s largest school district plans to keep its mask mandate in place despite the Wayne County Health Department’s decision last week to rescind its requirement that masks be worn in K-12 schools and day care centers.

Wayne County was one of more than a dozen Michigan counties that had a mask mandate in place starting in the fall. But in recent weeks, Wayne and all of the other counties have since rescinded those orders, leaving it up to local school districts to decide if those requirements should be in place. The lifting of the orders is happening as COVID cases and hospitalization rates decline.

Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, said Monday during a news conference that the school district’s K-12 mask requirements will stay for the foreseeable future as the district waits for recommendations from city health officials.

“We’ll continue that conversation with the Detroit Health Department regarding their view of the mask policy,” Vitti said, emphasizing that the Detroit school district follows the guidance of the city’s health department rather than the Wayne County Health Department.

“All things will always be unique, and they need to be unique and different in the Detroit context, mainly because of low vaccination and still high transmission rates. We’re looking forward to the day where it’ll be optional to wear the mask for adults and students.”

The school district, Vitti added, will continue to follow city, state, and federal health recommendations when it comes to its COVID safety measures.

Terrence Martin, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said the union would negotiate if necessary to discuss ongoing COVID safety protocols. Ahead of the 2021-22 school year, the union and district officials reached an agreement over the district’s mitigation strategies to reopen schools, including universal masking.

“As the virus changes we have to look at possibly changing,” Martin said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control currently recommends universal indoor masking for all staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

Nationwide, as new COVID cases and hospitalizations decline from the omicron surge in early January, more state leaders are ending their universal mask requirements. Nevada lifted its mask mandate for schools and other public places on Friday. New Jersey school districts announced its universal mask requirement will end on March 7. Denver Public Schools will no longer require masks in schools and child care settings after Feb. 25. Connecticut and Massachusetts’ school mask mandates will end on Feb. 28.

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

Detroit school district authorized to administer COVID vaccine at schools

2022-02-14T22:55:49+00:00

The state health department has given the Detroit school district the OK to administer the COVID vaccine in schools, part of an effort to raise the immunization rate among the city’s school-age children.

School nurses in every building will be able to administer vaccine shots to students who have parental consent.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District previously has hosted pop-up school-based vaccine clinics across the city in partnership with the Detroit Health Department and Wayne Health. The new authority from the state gives the district ongoing access to the vaccine throughout the school year.

“It’s about equity and access,” said Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. “With our students being here and our families being here, we just believed we can communicate faster, more efficiently, with a greater degree of trust, and eliminate a lot of the natural barriers that come along with getting a vaccine.”

Detroit’s child vaccination rates have lagged behind those of nearby cities and the state. The city’s rate for children ages 5-11 is 11%, said Denise Fair Razo, director of the Detroit Health Department. For children ages 12-15, the rate is 30%, and for ages 16-19, the rate is 36%.

The city’s low vaccination rates and high infection rates contributed to a temporary return to remote instruction last month.

As of Feb. 10, the vaccination rate for Michigan children ages 5 to 11 was 22%; among 12- to 15-year-olds, the rate was 43.6%, and was 48.7% for 16- to-19-year-olds.

In an effort to encourage families to get their children vaccinated, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is providing $25 CVS gift cards to as many as 2,000 families that receive a vaccine through the district’s initiative.

State officials announced the vaccine initiative Monday morning during a press conference at Coleman A. Young Elementary School with Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, and Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The initiative will launch in six schools, with plans to expand to the district’s 107 buildings. The initial schools include:

A.L. Holmes Academy of Blended Learning
Coleman A. Young Elementary School
Amelia Earhart Elementary-Middle School
Mumford High School
Osborn High School
Southeastern High School of Science and Technology.

The program expands the district’s partnership with state and local health departments, and Michigan’s Racial Disparities Task Force to close vaccination gaps in communities of color across the state. The state health department is providing the district with a $100,000 grant to set up mobile vaccination clinics, properly store and handle vaccine doses, and distribute permission slips.

“As a parent, I know it can be difficult to juggle work, doctor’s appointments, getting your kids to school on time, and be everything you need to be for you and your family,” Hertel said. “So we continue to work to make it as easy as possible for kids and adults to get their vaccines.”

Denise Cade, senior director of nursing for Detroit Public Schools Community District, said the district’s nursing team has been educating and providing information to families about the COVID vaccination.

“Our nurses are engaged, our nurses are knowledgeable, and they have been able to reach out to parents,” Cade said.

“They are providing information and they are increasing science-based knowledge in our communities, and this is what is going to help us to dispel the myths that have held us behind in our ability to vaccinate our communities,” she said.

Parents and families will be notified of the program this week. The clinics will require signed consent formed from parents or legal guardians. The district plans to have clinics for first and second doses in every school by the end of June.

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.

‘It’s lowkey against our rights’: Chicago Public Schools students divided on masking

2022-02-11T22:11:00+00:00

To mask or not to mask? That is the question in school hallways and classrooms, as Chicago students debate whether a statewide mask mandate should extend for the rest of the school year — and how far administrators should go to enforce it.

In Illinois, a high-profile court case has put school mask mandates in the spotlight after a judge issued a restraining order challenging a gubernatorial emergency order on masking in more than 170 school districts.

Several of those districts have kept the status quo, but some covered by the order have quickly moved to make masks optional. In cities where the issue has been tossed to school boards, there have been shouting matches and late night votes.

In Chicago, a safety agreement with the district’s teachers union upholds mask-wearing and guards against immediate change.

For this piece, Chalkbeat teamed up with student journalists from the Medill Media Teens program at Northwestern University, who interviewed classmates about their views on mask mandates. The reporters, who represent five high schools across the city, are Iliana Garner, Ezekiel Wesonga, Norah Hendrickson, Megha Khemka, Emily Dominguez-Solis, Allen Douglas Duncan, Leslie Riquelme, Hezekiah Gwin, and Devon Henson.

Here is what students said.

Students were divided about keeping masks on at school, with some arguing it helps them feel safer.

Lola Prisco, 16, junior, Northside College Prep

“I think the mask mandate is fine, it just needs to be reinforced more. It’s good in theory, but at school, the teachers and lunch monitors don’t really make sure people are following it.”

Jibri Tucker, 16, junior, Kenwood Academy

“I absolutely hate the mask mandate. Half of the time I can’t breathe under my mask. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to die.”

Nakayla Outlaw, 15, sophomore, Kenwood Academy

“Honestly, I do not like wearing a mask all day but it’s good for our health so I don’t mind. I wish we can all participate in wearing a mask so there will be less COVID cases and we can soon stop wearing masks.”

Michael Devlin, 16, junior, Jones College Prep

“I’m honestly considering not going to school if some kids at school aren’t wearing their masks.”

Sara Lobato, 16, sophomore, Noble Street College Prep

“The mask mandate is important in keeping both students and school faculty safe.”

Piotr Fedczuk, 17, senior, Northside College Prep

“In a pandemic, it should be our top priority to prevent the spread of COVID: especially in a crowded building like a school. The mandate is invariably there to protect us, the students, and the faculty at Northside who are extra vulnerable to COVID.

As someone who has gotten COVID, it really wasn’t fun. I woke up at 3 a.m. with cold sweats and was constantly drained. The two weeks of quarantine were even less fun. Without the resources available at school, I fell severely behind. Three weeks later, I’m still trying to catch up.

Anyone looking to repeal the mask mandate not only sacrifices lives, but also threatens to put disadvantaged students even farther behind — all in a refusal to wear a piece of fabric.”

Isabelle Montalvo, 15, sophomore, John Hancock College Preparatory High School

“It makes me feel safer about COVID and I’m also really self-conscious about the way I look, so having a mask on helps me feel more comfortable; helps achieve gender euphoria.”

Essence Jackson, 17, senior, Kenwood Academy

“It’s not mandated enough and students aren’t penalized for not having them on. Also, at Kenwood, staff does not ensure the mask mandate is put into effect in areas like the library and gym room.”

London Sims, 15, freshman, Phoenix STEM Military Academy

“I believe the mask mandate is a very smart decision. As for sports I believe we could be a bit more lenient for players because of how hard it is to breathe running back and forth with a mask on.

In aspects of the classroom, if you are having small groups or a different activity having the mask lowers the risk of someone closer to you exposing you to COVID, which makes me feel safer from catching it.”

Marcel Brown, 15, sophomore, Phoenix STEM Military Academy

“I honestly don’t really like the rules of wearing the mask. I have asthma, and it can be hard to breathe. When it comes to sports you can get exhausted and breathe heavy and that can make it worse and dizzy. It isn’t good for your health for you to wear the mask doing sports or [with] a disease.”

Daniel Vasquez, 18, senior, Phoenix STEM Military Academy

“I’m perfectly fine with the mask considering the number of COVID cases are low. I believe the mask mandate helps.

I think the way lunch is set up in the area is too crowded. The lunchrooms are too crowded, especially having people next to each other because in the event a kid does have it that’s an easy spread to a good 20 to 30 kids exposed.

In sports, I believe if they are tested before a game they should have the choice to or if vaccinated as long as the school allows it depending on the sport that has athletes so close to each other.

In classrooms, the mask should always be on. You don’t know who has it, who has been exposed to it, and who they are around when gone after school.”

Aretha Lidell, 17, senior, Kenwood Academy High School

“I think it’s stupid, and it’s lowkey against our rights, because it’s like they are trying to force us to do it without the physical force.”

Dasire Minor, 17, senior, Kenwood Academy High School

“I feel it’s useful but they don’t do too much about it. They could be more strict.”

Joshua Oraegbu, 17, junior, Kenwood Academy High

“The masks are beneficial to preventing COVID from spreading. Although I wish we can take the mask off to show my beautiful face.”

How NYC students feel about school mask mandates

2022-02-11T22:03:56+00:00

New York may be ending its school mask mandate next month.

So Chalkbeat asked some experts — New York City students — about what it’s like to wear a mask all day, whether it affects their learning, and if they’re ready to be in school without one.

Their experiences are nuanced. While some are frank about the drawbacks that masks can create, like discomfort and trouble hearing classmates, some of those same students also said it felt safer to have their mouth and nose covered.

Some were reluctant to remove masks if it could mean COVID infections spike and schools are closed again. Some can’t see themselves going to school maskless any time soon. But others, vaccinated and boosted, are ready to leave masks behind.

Evidence is slim on both the health benefits of masking in school and any harms that could be stemming from it. Polling shows strong support among parents and adults for keeping masks. But, the third school year into the pandemic, some loud voices are pushing for mask mandates to end, citing concerns about how they may be affecting learning and socializing.

Even if the state lifts masking requirements, it will likely be up to New York City officials to decide whether staff and students in the nation’s largest country will continue to mask up.

We spoke to more than a dozen students across Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan about how they feel about masking in schools. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“People miss their old life without wearing a mask,” Priya Lee, fifth grade.

Ten-year-old Priya Lee readily acknowledges the downsides of wearing masks in school.

It can be a struggle to understand what her classmates are saying and her teachers often have to prompt her classmates to repeat themselves. It’s disconcerting to not be able to see her friends smile at her.

“I miss not wearing the masks,” said Lee, a student at Manhattan’s P.S. 19.

Priya Lee

But Priya isn’t planning to shed her KN95 anytime soon. “It keeps kids safe and it prevents everybody from getting sick,” she said.

Priya’s family was initially reluctant to send her to school in person this year because she has a seizure disorder, which hasn’t flared up in years. The family worried her health condition could be a risk factor for a more severe reaction to the virus, but they sent her to school in person because the education options for medically fragile students are extremely limited.

Priya was infected with COVID in December, though her case was relatively mild and says she has no lasting symptoms. She credits her mask with helping to protect her relatives from the virus while she was sick.

For now, Priya said it makes sense to require face coverings in school. If the mandate is lifted, she plans to keep hers on, but she wouldn’t be frustrated with classmates who take them off.

“It’s ultimately their decision,” she said. “People miss their old life without wearing a mask.”

“It hurts my ears,” Oscar Guazhima, Jr., first grade.

Oscar Guazhima

Six-year-old Oscar Guazhima Jr. said it can be uncomfortable wearing his two surgical masks to Bushwick’s P.S. 145 every day.

“It hurts my ears,” the first grader said.

But after a while, he said, he forgets he’s wearing the masks. Masking also has not made it difficult for him to understand his teacher or his friends, he said.

Lucelie Alvarez, Oscar’s mother, said Oscar is fully vaccinated. She still sends him to school with two masks because of how rapidly the omicron variant spread.

“I’m worried about their health more than anything,” Alvarez said.

Oscar said he doesn’t feel nervous about getting sick, and would still choose to wear his masks — even with the option to take it off.

“I’m gonna keep it on because it is coronavirus,” he said.

“Better than remote learning,” Daneil Harrison, 11th grade.

For Daneil Harrison, wearing a mask in school “may be uncomfortable sometimes.” But the 16-year-old junior in Manhattan isn’t ready for the mandate to end. He worried that doing so might lead to more cases of the virus in schools — and shutdowns.

“It should be really required, because more masks equals less, you know, COVID cases. And I think that’s better than remote learning for our students,” he said.

Daneil struggled with remote learning, calling it “really bad.” Wearing a mask is worth it, if students can stay in school, he said.

“I think if you’re actually just paying attention and you just don’t let the mask bother you, then you’re good to go. I think in person is just the best way to learn,” Harrison said. “I would keep wearing one.”

“It’s kind of disgusting,” Kris Aguirre, 10th grade.

Kris Aguirre, 15, a sophomore, enjoyed a break from wearing his black surgical mask while walking to lunch off campus. He said the masks are a nuisance. If it was no longer required, Kris said he would probably stop wearing one.

“It’s just irritating… Like when I sneeze or something? Or cough? Like, there’s like a lot of spit in the mask,” he said. “It’s kind of disgusting.”

His school gives out high-quality masks to any student who needs one, but Kris said the fit is uncomfortable so he’d rather bring his own. Despite his frustration with covering his face in school, Kris said it’s better than remote school.

“It’s just, like, something to cover your mouth. That’s not really affecting my learning or anything. But if it goes on Zoom, it’s a different story,” he said.

“The pandemic can start again,” Destine DeJesus, fifth grade.

Destine DeJesus, who is a fifth grader at P.S. 145 in Bushwick, said her teacher allows children to take mask breaks in the hallway for a couple of minutes. Sometimes it gets tough for Destine, 10, to breathe in the mask after climbing multiple flights of stairs in her school.

“Usually I go in the corner so I’m staying away from all the classrooms, and I take my mask down for a little bit, and then I go back into the class,” Destine said.

Destine said it has not been a problem following along with her teacher because the teacher makes sure to ask the students whether they can hear. Sometimes Destine has to repeat herself to friends because some words sound muffled.

Destine would potentially be ready to ditch her mask in a month or two, but not right now, she said. She was infected with COVID around winter break, when cases began exploding citywide.

“You never know if it’s really gone,” she said of COVID. “It could still be out in the world and it can always come back and the pandemic can start again.”

“I would never want to be maskless in a classroom,” Jenny Liu, 12th grade.

Jenny Liu

Wearing a mask has become second nature for 18-year-old Jenny Liu, a senior at Stuyvesant High School. She said her mask helps her feel safe in the packed school, which enrolls nearly 3,400 students and can get chaotic during arrival and dismissal.

“I would never want to be maskless in a classroom, honestly,” she said. “It just feels like I’m naked in a way now.”

Masking has not interfered with instruction, and in fact, it’s been fun to be in person again, Liu said. She has, however, heard from classmates taking language classes, who get frustrated when they can’t see how their teachers are pronouncing certain words.

“Instead of the phrase, ‘Oh you’re muted,’ on Zoom, in person now it’s, ‘I can’t hear you. Speak up,’” she said of class time.

It has been tough for Liu, a co-captain of the volleyball team, and her teammates to stay masked during games and practice. Players will sometimes wear their masks below their nose or pull it forward to get an extra breath.

“It makes me less incentivized to go to school,” Thomas Fuller, 12th grade.

Thomas Fuller

Thomas Fuller, a senior at Millennium Brooklyn High School, felt that COVID cases have dropped enough to merit going maskless in schools. The mandate could be reinstated if cases were to increase again, he said.

“I’m boosted and vaccinated, and everyone I know is as well,” said Fuller, 18, about why he feels safe to ditch his mask.

“Some people see [masking] as a good thing, they feel more comfortable with it. But for me personally, I feel like it’s hard to talk, hard to breathe. It makes my face hot. It makes me less incentivized to go into school because I really don’t like wearing them,” he said.

Fuller hasn’t had much trouble hearing or communicating at school being masked, though some of his teachers now wear microphones because students couldn’t hear them too well, he said. At the same time, students have learned to advocate for themselves and speak up when they can’t hear their teachers, he added.

“I’m still not comfortable with all these viruses going around,” Avery Gibson, sixth grade.

When Avery Gibson, 11, returned to her Queens middle school after winter break last month, it felt like she was sent home with a set of rapid tests from her school almost every day because she was repeatedly exposed to the virus.

Avery Gibson and her mother, Sheree.

That experience during the height of the omicron surge makes Avery and her mother, Sheree, wary of ditching masks for now. Still, Avery said she is already exposed to maskless students. Her peers often take their face coverings off on the hour-long bus ride to school, and students in her class sometimes lower their masks to speak.

“A lot of kids in my class take off their mask, and I don’t like it,” Avery said, adding that she keeps her disposable mask on. “I’m still not comfortable with all these viruses going around and people not being vaccinated.”

Avery, who is vaccinated and recovered from a COVID infection over the summer, said she would feel more comfortable about ditching the mask mandate in schools if face coverings were removed in other places first without lots of people getting sick.

Correction: This story previously stated an incorrect enrollment figure for Stuyvesant High School. Roughly 3,400 students attend the school.

Michigan to release funds for school COVID tests and more

2022-02-10T23:05:44+00:00

The House and Senate voted to disperse $1.2 billion in federal pandemic relief funds including $150.8 million for COVID-19 tests for schools.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday praised the bill’s near-unanimous passage in both chambers. She said the funding would deliver on Democrats’ and Republicans’ shared goals of keeping students learning in school, and recruiting and retaining health care workers.

The bulk of the funding — $667 million – is earmarked for the Department of Health and Human Services to expand laboratory testing capacity and to invest in recruitment, retention, and training of health care workers.

Those measures will keep communities healthier, which makes it safer for students to be in school, bill sponsor Julie Calley said Thursday.

“We’ve seen very clearly that statistically our kids learn better when they are in person, so we want to ensure that opportunity,” said Calley, a Portland Republican. “We don’t want to see any further learning loss.”

Keeping students in classrooms has been a priority for Republican lawmakers including House Education Chairperson Pamela Hornberger, who blasted Flint and Detroit administrators after December’s omicron surge prompted temporary shifts to virtual learning.

Whitmer, a Democrat, agreed during her annual address to the Legislature last month, that districts should return to in-person learning.

Many school districts already have their own COVID testing programs but some have struggled to source enough rapid tests. Detroit Public Schools Community District has been testing employees and students weekly since last spring. Detroit uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which require at least 24 hours for results but are more accurate than the rapid tests Calley’s bill would provide.

“Right now, the issue of access is not funding but supply. To sustain any long-term ‘test-to-stay’ program we need access to rapid tests. This is critical to keeping our students in school and removing COVID as the barrier to improved student attendance and learning,” Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said Thursday.

Test-to-stay programs are some districts’ alternative to sending students home if they were exposed to someone at school who tested positive for COVID.

Calley’s bill provides districts options. They can receive tests directly through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which Calley says has priority access to the supply chain. Or, if distribution gets backed up, districts can buy tests on their own and file for state reimbursement.

The test shortage was exacerbated by the Biden administration’s promise to mail 500 million free tests to Americans who requested them. Manufacturers have begun stepping up production in an attempt to meet the demand.

The state previously distributed 175,000 free antigen tests to parents, students and staff through the MI Backpack Home Test Program.

Additionally, schools are slated to receive other funds from the appropriation including:

· $50 million to support school-based COVID testing, contact tracing, vaccine distribution, and mitigation efforts. These funds can also be used to purchase and distribute at-home test kits to staff and students.

· $14.9 million to administer COVID tests to students and staff at both public and private schools.

· $250,000 to expand work-based programs or health service academies for high schoolers interested in medical careers.

The supplemental funding is part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which was intended to support public health and economic recovery after the pandemic.

Hundreds of Detroit school employees file vaccine exemptions

2022-02-10T00:18:15+00:00

An estimated 500 Detroit school district employees have filed a religious or medical exemption ahead of the district’s deadline for staff to be fully vaccinated, according to Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District is requiring all employees to get vaccinated by Feb. 18. Until then, the district has required all staff to undergo weekly testing.

The district reported that about 81% of school employees have been fully vaccinated, as of Feb. 4. That includes 86% of teachers.

“I don’t look at this positively or negatively, but it is clear that the courts and legal precedent is favoring the exemptions. So it will be difficult for the district to deny many of these exemptions,” Vitti said during Tuesday’s board meeting.

School staff vaccination requirements have met with mixed compliance nationwide. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, nearly 2,000 staff members, including 3% of K-12 teachers, received an exemption from the COVID vaccine. The district fired 500 employees in December who failed to comply with the mandate.

Across Oregon and Washington, states that required school employees to be vaccinated last fall, vaccine exemption rates varied by school districts, from the single digits to as high as 26%.

The Detroit district’s legal and human resources staff, along with outside legal counsel, will review religious and medical exemption requests. Employees who have requested exemptions will be notified of their status “by the end of this week or early next week,” Vitti said.

The district will use a progressive disciplinary process to enforce the mandate following the deadline, moving from a series of reminders to verbal and written warnings, suspension without pay and ultimately, termination.

“I will not be making any recommendations for termination until June if it leads to that point,” Vitti said. “Employees in general, families, community…should not be fearful of employees not being there to support students throughout the school year based on the vaccine mandate, but there will be consequences.”

The district would not begin to suspend employees until April or May, Vitti added, which would “give people time to vaccinate or it gives us time to re-evaluate the mandate.”

Dwayne Harvey, a Detroit school district teacher, spoke out during the meeting against the mandate, citing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that blocked the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test requirement for large employers.

“I don’t know where your heart is, but I know this is the wrong path,” Harvey said.

In the absence of guidance from the state, only a few of Michigan’s more than 800 school districts require staff to get vaccinated against COVID or to take regular tests. Individual districts are allowed to implement such requirements in spite of the Supreme Court decision.

“We were already in a legal standing to require the vaccine mandate,” Vitti said. “Nothing really changed regarding that issue. There have been previous cases and laws that allow school districts as an organization to require the vaccine.”

Staff mandate prompt concerns about vacancies

Detroit board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo asked Vitti whether it was possible to transfer unvaccinated staff to the district’s virtual school instead of suspension, to avoid creating more vacancies.

“We have the deadline by which our staff would have to have the vaccine, but with those who are continuing to grapple with it that may not fall under the guidelines for a traditional waiver, what are we considering besides getting rid of our staff?” Gay-Dagnogo said.

Vitti said he was open to moving unvaccinated teachers to the virtual school where enrollment continues to rise as a new student COVID testing mandate kicks in. As of Friday, 96% of students had filed forms consenting to get tested at school. Those who haven’t been vaccinated and don’t consent to weekly COVID testing will be transferred to the virtual school by the end of the month.

Correction: Feb. 10, 2022: A previous version of this story said only unvaccinated staff at Detroit Public Schools Community District are required to receive weekly COVID testing. All school employees, regardless of vaccination status, are required to receive weekly testing.