State health department says: Masks work. A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that mandatory masking policies in schools reduced COVID-19 transmission by approximately 72%.

COVID infections were steeply lower in the 316 classrooms that had mechanical ventilation systems, with the reduction in cases more marked according to the strength of the systems.

Superintendents also rate their relationships with school boards and reveal the pandemic's biggest challenges in a District Administration survey.

On the eve of COVID, high school students were making progress in two high-priority areas: they were earning more credits and taking more rigorous STEM courses.