Back To School: What Can Parents, Teachers And Kids Expect This Fall?

There’s a sense of panic about going back to school. We push past simplistic debate and take a close look at the actual decisions families and educators are making around the country.

Dana Goldstein, national correspondent for the New York Times. Author of "The Teacher Wars." (@DanaGoldstein)

Chris Guerrieri, life skills teacher at Palm Avenue Exceptional Student Center in Jacksonville, Florida. (@ChrisinJax1)

Jessyca Mathews, English teacher at Carman-Ainsworth High School in Flint, Michigan.

Angela Orange, vice chair on the Marietta City School Board, representing Ward 5.

Guadalupe Guerrero, superintendent of Portland Public Schools in Oregon. (@Super_GGuerrero)

New York Times: "Los Angeles and San Diego Schools to Go Online-Only in the Fall" — "California’s two largest public school districts said on Monday that instruction would be online-only in the fall, in the latest sign that school administrators are increasingly unwilling to risk crowding students back into classrooms until the coronavirus is fully under control."

Washington Post: "Despite pressure from Trump, major districts say schools will stay closed in fall" — "Resisting pressure from President Trump, three of the nation’s largest school districts said Monday that they will begin the new school year with all students learning from home."

New York Times: "‘I Don’t Want to Go Back’: Many Teachers Are Fearful and Angry Over Pressure to Return" — "Many of the nation’s 3.5 million teachers found themselves feeling under siege this week as pressure from the White House, pediatricians and some parents to get back to physical classrooms intensified — even as the coronavirus rages across much of the country."

Politico: "DeVos slammed for meetings with conservatives while school reopening debate rages" — "Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is holding three virtual meetings this week with members of the conservative Federalist Society, prompting the nation's largest teachers union to criticize her for spending time on political events rather than plans for reopening schools shuttered by the pandemic."

New York Times: "‘Big Mess’ Looms if Schools Don’t Get Billions to Reopen Safely" — "Bus monitors to screen students for symptoms in Marietta, Ga.: $640,000. Protective gear and classroom cleaning equipment for a small district in rural Michigan: $100,000. Disinfecting school buildings and hiring extra nurses and educators in San Diego: $90 million."

Washington Post: "Trump administration cites the American Academy of Pediatrics to make its case for school reopening. Here’s what the AAP really said." — "The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently issued guidance saying that school districts should try to get students back to campuses this fall for their health — and the Trump administration has used it to bolster its new push to force public schools to open fully for the 2020-21 academic year."