This article describes how an increasing number of districts across the country are no longer quarantining all close contacts of an infected individual but instead allowing them to remain in school, as long as they continue to test negative. This approach is called "test to stay" or "modified quarantine."

This blog post describes how federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act will be distributed to schools and how they can be used. It includes an interactive tool that shows funding allocations by state.

The California Department of Public Health announced that they will suspend the implementation of the vaccine mandate in schools for the 2022-23 school year, and will only reconsider the mandate after the vaccine gets full FDA approval for school-age children.

This press release explains the new California public health order for all k-12 public school staff, who must either provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing.

With roughly 7.2 million students and staff heading into and returning from spring break, California has distributed more than 14.3 million COVID-19 at-home tests to schools for students and staff to help minimize the spread of COVID-19.

This article describes how, in response to parent concerns, Chicago Public Schools are now offering weekly COVID-19 testing for students who opt in, a key mitigation strategy to prevent transmission and track the spread.

This press release describes initial findings from a rapid on-site COVID-19 testing pilot program. Out of 3,256 tests conducted across 8 districts, only 7 tests (0.21%) came back positive. 

This article details how schools in England no longer require masks and have subsequently seen a rise in pediatric COVID-19 infections, with about 1% of all students aged 10 to 19 being infected each week.

This press release explains that after following 12,000 recipients for 6 months to observe long-term safety outcomes, the FDA has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in individuals age 16 and older. The vaccine had previously received only emergency use authorization (EUA) for this population. The EUA still applies for individuals age 12 through 15.

Individuals 16 and older who have been fully vaccinated with any FDA-authorized or -approved COVID-19 vaccine for at least 6 months can now get a Pfizer booster shot.

This press release describes new state investments to support a return to in-person instruction and expanded learning, as well as vaccination priorities for teaching staff, data reporting requirements, and establishment of a State Safe Schools team to monitor outbreaks.

In areas with high infection rates in the UK, students are being sent home to study remotely because many teachers are unavailable to work for COVID-related reasons. School principals are calling on the UK government to introduce more protective measures, such as masking in classrooms.

This article highlights how California's aggressive COVID-19 policies, including requiring universal masking in schools and vaccinations for all students and staff, have enabled more schools to stay open. It emphasizes that the most effective way to keep young children safe is for more adults and older siblings and classmates to get vaccinated and reduce the opportunity for the virus to spread among their communities.

This article summarizes recent findings that it is safe to mix and match COVID-19 vaccine types (Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna). It clarifies when and who should receive booster vaccinations based on which vaccine they originally received and on their personal risk factors. It also explains the potential benefits of getting a booster that is different from the original vaccine received.

This news article describes how more than 18,000 New York City public school teachers elected to receive their first shot the week before an October 4 deadline, mirroring the rush to vaccinate after the city issued a similar mandate for health care workers.

This landing page links to the latest news on school reopening not only in New York City but around the globe, including media coverage of ongoing reopening debates as well as scientific evidence.

This California Department of Public Health press release reaffirms California's approach to COVID-19 mitigation in k-12 schools through universal indoor masking. The department will monitor conditions through the winter.

This article explains that several studies agree that most COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing hospitalization. The Pfizer vaccine remained 88% effective against the Delta virus variant in the UK and 87% effective in Canada.

This article discourages schools from using plexiglass dividers and plastic shields in classrooms, as they do not reduce COVID-19 transmission and may actually trap aerosol particles.

On January 3, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15. The FDA also authorized a third shot for children ages 5 to 11 who are immunocompromised.

As of January 3, there were more than 2,750 school closures across the country, and many school systems went virtual or closed altogether. Some districts and states have addressed these challenges by emphasizing testing. In Washington, DC, all staff and 51,000 public school students were required to upload a negative test result to the district's website before returning to class. In Boston, the school system distributed 55,000 tests to students before the winter break.

On Jan 31, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which means that health regulators have completed the same rigorous review of Moderna’s vaccination as dozens of other long-established vaccines. Over 200 million doses of the vaccine have been administered since December 2020, when the FDA authorized the vaccine for emergency use.

This article, also playable as a podcast, describes the obstacles Rhode Island faced when operating in-person instruction during the pandemic. The state department of health determined that cases within a school were usually linked to out-of-school gatherings.

This news article explains that 65 million pediatric doses have already been purchased to administer to children once FDA approval arrives, which is expected by early November for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.