Schools that experienced COVID surges after opening this summer without mask mandates are now seeing a decline in cases while new outbreaks are occurring in northern and midwestern states where face coverings are largely optional.
Schools have mostly returned to in-person in the South while closures are how spreading in Michigan, Ohio and other states where mask-wearing has been less consistent, according to District Administration’s school closings tracker.
States where mask mandates are in place, such as in New England and on the West Coast, have seen fewer closures since school started in early September.
Meanwhile, judges have ruled in favor of safety precautions in several states, upholding New York City’s staff vaccine mandate and finding bans on school mask mandates unconstitutional.
New York City’s vaccine requirement for school staff, for instance, was reinstated by a federal appeals panel Monday just a few days after another court had temporarily suspended the requirement, The New York Times reported.
That means that the city’s 150,000-plus educators and staff must have gotten their first dose of a COVID vaccine by Friday, the Times reported.
About 97% of New York City’s principals and about 95% of teachers have been vaccinated, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, according to the Times.
Cases rate vary depending on mask mandates
Sarasota County Schools in Florida dropped its mask mandate this week due to declining community spread. “We strongly encourage everyone to continue to wear a face mask when indoors to help keep the positivity rate below 8%,” the district said on its website.
Vestavia Hills City School District in Alabama ended its mask mandate last week as cases in the school and the surrounding county steadily declined. “We will continue to have reduced capacities in cafeterias, limit large indoor gatherings, and observe physical distancing as much as practical,” Superintendent Todd Freeman said on the district’s website. “We will continue to emphasize the 4Habits 4Health practices, especially the importance of students and staff staying at home when they are sick.”
Other parts of the country, however, are grappling with rising cases in schools. The number of Minnesota schools reporting COVID outbreaks surged from 26 to 96 in one week, Fox9.com reported.
Schools in San Francisco, which are following California’s statewide mask mandate, are reporting low case rates so far this school year. There have only been five outbreaks of five or fewer students or staff members, according to SFGate.com.
There are similar reports from in New York City’s northern suburbs. With a statewide mask mandate in place, public schools in seven suburban counties reported only about 830 cases between Sept. 13 and Sept. 24—that represents just 0.2% of total enrollment, LoHud.com reported.
Judges back safety measures
Arizona’s bans on school mask and vaccine mandates were found unconstitutional by a judge on Sept. 27, AZCentral.com reported.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper ruled the bans violated Arizona’s Constitution because the Republican-controlled legislature included the measures in a budget package that should only cover spending. “It was not to enact laws prohibiting mask mandates, regulating school curriculum, or authorizing special interest projects unrelated to the budget or budget reconciliation,” Cooper wrote, according to AZCentral.com.
And in Tennessee, a third judge—this one in Williamson County near Nashville—rejected Gov. Bill Lee’s ban on school mask mandates for potential violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Associated Press reported.
“Due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in Williamson County, including at plaintiffs’ schools, along with a significant number of students who have opted out, plaintiffs have likewise been denied access to a safe, in-person education experience,” U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw wrote, according to the AP.
