TAKING NO CHANCES: Even in patches of the country where coronavirus rates are relatively low, some school districts are now opting for an all-virtual start. The American Federation of Teachers has adopted a resolution saying officials should only consider reopening schools where less than 5 percent of people tested for coronavirus turn up positive and the transmission rate is less than one. Yet online learning is the plan for months in districts that meet those health standards. Among them: District of Columbia — In the nation's capital, less than 4 percent of coronavirus tests have come back positive for seven weeks straight and the transmission rate has been below one for three weeks. And still, D.C.'s mayor said late last week that the roughly 50,000 students attending DCPS schools won't return to brick and mortar classrooms until November at the earliest. New York City — The nation's largest school system won't reopen for in-person instruction unless the city's coronavirus infection rate remains below 3 percent on a seven-day rolling average, city officials said. That's despite maintaining an infection rate below that level for more than seven weeks. Massachusetts — The Massachusetts Teachers Association says its members refuse to return to unsafe school buildings and are calling for the state to meet "negotiated public health benchmarks" before buildings reopen. The state's overall average positivity rate has been below 3 percent for more than a month. Illinois — All students in the U-46 school system, a suburban Chicago district and the second-largest in the state, must plan to start the school year via distance learning for at least the first nine weeks. The district serves students from three Chicago-area counties that are logging seven-day rolling average test positivity rates between 4.7 and 5.7 percent. Colorado — The Denver Public Schools system will continue fully remote instruction through Oct. 16. The region's public health department has been reporting a seven-day average positivity rate of under 5 percent for about two months. Bolstering the districts' position? A new CDC report raises alarms about reopening classrooms. The analysis examined a sleep-away camp in Georgia where at least 260 children and staff were infected with the virus. — The key takeaway: "This investigation adds to the body of evidence demonstrating that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection," the authors wrote, adding that "contrary to early reports" children "might play an important role in transmission." DeVos has said that, "There's nothing in the data that suggests that kids being in school is in any way dangerous." SIZING UP THE SCHOOL YEAR: Many annual tests were put on ice last spring as districts sent kids home because of the pandemic and federal rules on testing were waived. States may not be able to count on getting another free pass. DeVos, during a virtual forum last month , said states should consider "snapshot" assessments this fall to understand students' learning retention. One of her top aides told reporters in recent days that the Trump administration is leaning against again excusing states. — The Council of Chief State School Officers is pushing for student assessments in the coming academic year, saying it's "more important than ever" to measure student learning and identify potential gaps during the pandemic. Some governors, though, are asking for another break. — Like many education leaders, the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, has been grappling with whether it's time to put assessments on pause — or whether it's more important than ever to proceed. — So far, they aren't slowing down: The board on Friday approved a resolution advising the National Center for Education Statistics to keep prepping for the 2021 NAEP reading and math assessments unless "accurate reporting ... is not technically possible." If, for example, most school systems extend virtual-only classes in early 2021, there won't be enough participating students and schools to make administering the test feasible, a NAGB spokesperson added. — The board will keep watch on the state of school operations and health and safety factors to decide whether it's necessary to seek a waiver from Congress to postpone the assessments from 2021 to 2022, the resolution states. The board also officially approved postponing until 2022 NAEP's long-term trend assessment for 17-year-olds along with the civics and U.S. history assessment. | 
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