School, college and other closings for Monday

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As the pandemic slides into a fifth school semester, there is less appetite than ever among U.S. leaders for schools to go remote, even though cases – and with them, pediatric hospitalizations – are rising. According 

, an organization that tracks individual school and district websites, the vast majority of U.S. schools are staying open for in-person learning this week.

Still, Burbio reports that at least 2,750 schools around the country announced they were cancelling in-person learning. Some announced closures for one week. That includes 

 Others are closing for two weeks, including schools in 

Schools reopen, brace for COVID-19 surge

Most districts cited rising cases, but school leaders in Greendale, Wisc., 

 they simply had too many staff in quarantine to keep the district open on Monday, and Pittsburgh is also 

Leaders are determined to keep schools open

 and the U.S. secretary of education have been speaking forcefully in favor of keeping schools open.

"Our expectation is for schools to be open full-time for students for in person learning," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona 

Meanwhile, some teacher unions are pushing for delays and stronger safety measures. Some parents and students are worried, too.

Kathryn Rose, a substitute teacher in Chicago Public Schools, was teaching at a high school on Monday. She says, "We opened class talking about how [the students] felt about being in the building. Many of them said they did not feel safe."

Chicago's teacher union is set to vote Tuesday on 

whether to begin teaching remotely Wednesday

New York City, home to the largest school district in the country, is reporting about 31,000 cases a day. The head of the city's teachers union, Michael Mulgrew, said in 

 on Sunday that he advised the mayor that a temporary return to remote would be the safest course of action.

No dice. Mayor Eric Adams, who was sworn in on New Year's Day, started his first Monday in office with 

 held at an elementary school in the Bronx. "We are really excited about the opening of our schools," he said. "And we want to be extremely clear: The safest place for our children is in a school building, and we are going to keep our schools open."

Schools are turning to vaccines, altered quarantines and tests, tests, tests

Compared to previous semesters, some schools are adjusting how they use vaccines, tests and masks to keep schools open safely.

 for children as young as 5 years old. The FDA 

 booster shots for certain immunocompromised children 5-11, and for all children 12-18 years old. New Orleans is in the vanguard among districts in announcing a 

vaccine mandate for students as young as 5 years old

Schools are also increasingly relying on rapid tests, which produce results in as little as 15 minutes. These can be used both for detecting cases and for keeping children in school after an exposure, 

 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls "test to stay." California's governor 

 the state will send 6 million of these tests to schools. New York state officials are sending 

, with 2 million kits to schools in New York City. Connecticut is providing 

While these numbers are large, they are nowhere near enough to test everyone multiple times a week, which is the protocol adopted at some workplaces and private schools.

Public health experts are also advising people to upgrade their masks. Los Angeles County is 

 to use medical-grade masks, and New York City officials 

 they will provide KN95 masks for school staff. But there have been few calls to replace cloth masks among students. And more than a third of districts in Burbio's sample of 500 large districts had

Even where there are mask mandates, two enduring concerns are high school athletics – especially sports like wrestling – and lunch time. Dr. Danny Benjamin of the ABC Science Collaborative, which advises districts on safety protocols, says, "There's going to be a considerable amount of spread at lunch if people aren't careful with omicron."

While the experts make their recommendations, Kathryn Rose, who is six months pregnant, says she will continue going to the classroom. So will her three children, all in Chicago Public Schools.

"Turn the air purifier up to turbo, wear your mask. I feel that it's important to put students in rooms together, talking and laughing and asking questions."

Education News

Health

COVID-19

Anya Kamenetz

Author

As coronavirus cases, and pediatric hospitalizations, surge in the U.S., the majority of U.S. schools are staying open for in-person learning.

Officials are determined to keep schools open, despite omicron

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