Going to school without a mask is now—or will soon be—an option for students in almost every district in the U.S. as the last few major mask mandates are set to expire in the next week or so.
With omicron on the decline, even administrators in states where support for COVID protections have been the highest are now asking for more local control over COVID policy.
A small but growing number of districts are mandating vaccines for eligible as the COVID delta variant disrupted the beginning of yet another school year.
Anti-maskers have dominated the news this fall but frustrated parents are now suing districts claiming children got infected because face coverings were not required.
California will add the COVID vaccine to its list of 10 mandatory school vaccinations as soon as medicines receive full FDA approval, which could occur before Jan. 1.
The bill by Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia builds on her 2017 law requiring low-income schools in disadvantaged areas to provide students with free menstrual products.
California on Wednesday became the first state to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated by Oct. 15 or submit to weekly COVID testing.
Teachers and students may be required to get COVID vaccines to keep schools open throughout the pandemic, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona says.
