Week of 5/31: No More Distancing

Written by Dennis Roche | May 30, 2021 5:01:00 PM

This week we feature a "Year-In-Review" summary of in-person learning in big city districts versus the balance of the country as well as evolving policy around distancing and in-school mask mandates.

Burbio School Opening Tracker- Including State Averages

% US K-12 students attending "virtual-only" schools = 2.1% (from 2.4 % last week)
% US K-12 students attending "traditional" in-person/every day" schools = 69.6% (from 69.2%)
% US K-12 students attending "hybrid" schools = 28.3% (from 28.4%)

The above percentages are set to Sunday, May 30th. Our data is presented as "students attending schools that offer this learning plan" - most districts also offer virtual even when providing in-person. For above 2.1% of US K-12 students are currently attending schools that offer virtual-only plans, 69.6% offering traditional, etc.

1) Some interesting trends from around the US, including what is a preview to changing distancing guidance.

In this TV interview the Mayor of New York City announced a full in-person return - "No remote," said Mayor de Blasio. As for distancing guidelines, he said, "I think the CDC will be changing those rules quite a bit between now and September .. by August, the CDC will relax those rules further."
Along those lines, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issued the following in their traditional in-person announcement: "For the fall, all districts and schools will be required to be in-person, full-time, five days a week, and all DESE health and safety requirements will be lifted. This includes all physical distancing requirements."
In our update last week we noted language in both the state of Washington and the City of Philadelphia's in-person announcements that assumptions were being made about changes to distancing guidelines in their planning for next year.
Chicago also announced a return to full in-person with a centralized virtual option available only to students with special medical needs.
Even as announcements for traditional in-person plans for next year proceed, evidence of high in-person opt out rates from this year continue to appear. Jersey City, NJ reported 80 percent of students opted to stay remote after their recent re-opening.
In Los Angeles, secondary schools that exceed a 30% student vaccination rate will receive $5,000 grants.
In Oklahoma, a bill is heading to the Governor that bans schools from requiring a Covid 19 vaccine.
Next Fall, Aurora, CO school district will have an option for K-8 where remote students will learn live with their in-person classmates part of the day. The option will only be for the first semester. It is a rare example of a hybrid situation similar to what we saw in much of the US this past year.
As referenced last week, the Illinois State Board of Education adopted an in-person mandate with restrictions around when virtual can be an option. In response, District 4 in Champaign, IL eliminated its planned virtual option for next year.
Results from Duval County's parent survey in heavily in-person Florida provide an interesting window into stakeholder concerns. Based on results Duval will make face coverings optional for next year (while encouraging them for elementary students) and temperature checks will be discontinued. The survey detail doesn't break out whether answers were different among the categories of parents, teachers, and students who responded.

2) The situation around in-school mask requirements continued to evolve.

Louisiana Governor Edwards lifted the mask mandate for schools in the state.
Colorado further loosened mask mandates and they will no longer be mandated in schools, although districts have the flexibility to keep mandates in place next year.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education indicates that there will be no requirement for middle and high school students to wear masks in schools next year with a decision pending on elementary school students.
In Wisconsin the state continues to recommend masks in schools although districts have the ability to remove them if they choose

In other fluid situations:

When Idaho's governor left the state for a convention, the Lt Governor issued an Executive Order banning mask mandates while serving as Acting Governor of the state of Idaho. The order was overturned by the actual Governor upon his return.
In New Jersey Governor Murphy indicated mask guidance may be flexible in the Fall one day after saying in-school masks would be required. The President of the Toms River School Board, New Jersey's fifth largest district, appealed to Murphy to lift the state mask mandate for schools, as did the Superintendent of Central Regional School District.. The issue has been seized on by Republican lawmakers.
In Connecticut a judge upheld Governor Lamont's in-school mask mandate after a lawsuit brought by parents.

In this week's School Mask Policy Tracker we see a continued shift to away from mandates with the movement in Massachusetts and Wisconsin and now over half US K-12 students live in states where in-school mask mandates have been loosened. The map is based on the most recently announced guidance even if the date is in the future. For example, a state that has lifted a mandate for the Fall and is allowing flexibility during that period will be light green even if a mandate remains in place currently. It is worth reiterating that in places where flexibility exists, districts very often keep the mandates in place.

3) Year in Review: One of the defining characteristics of in-person learning in 2020/21 was the difference in urban and non-urban learning plans. As part of a series of "year in review" summaries, we took a look at the Top 50 metro areas and measured the in-person learning index for their city school district, and compared it to the rest of the country. The following chart is weighted for student population over the course of the year.

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