COVID-19 raises anxiety at start of new school year

COVID-19 cases are on the rise and raising anxiety around the possibility that schools could implement mask mandates or close down again. 
Surges of COVID-19 cases in Texas and Kentucky have caused three school districts to briefly suspend in-person classes.

But few schools have taken those steps so far, and superintendents contend that without national guidance, it is highly unlikely we’ll see a return of mass closures or mask mandates. 

In the post-emergency era of COVID-19, schools no longer have the comprehensive surveillance data that was readily available during the pandemic, though some local data remains available to inform their decision-making.