Students and parents share Covid-19 concerns as the school year starts

Katy Beebe.

It has been less than a month since school started for Katy Beebe’s two children and she already knows it’s going to be another tough one thanks to Covid-19.

Upon dropping her 11-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son at school, the first thing Beebe, of Greenville, South Carolina, noticed was “some teachers masked, some not,” she told CNN over email.

Beebe lives in one of the hardest-hit infection areas of the state, she said. That stress has also been felt by her children.

“My daughter is especially concerned because she thinks her teacher won’t like her and the students will make fun of her for being cautious,” Beebe said. “She’s also afraid that she will be labeled a Biden supporter and ostracized, she obviously isn’t old enough to fully understand but she’s picked up on the politics of it.”

One of the few silver linings for the Beebe family is her ability to work from home, which has cut down on commuting two hours each day.

“We’ve joined a play gym and go in the evenings or we swim. I’ve managed to lose more than 50 pounds,” Beebe said. “Our Saturdays and Sundays belong to family time and church, and life finally doesn’t feel like one harried week after another.”

Beebe added: “I truly love my state for so many reasons, and I have my parents and grandparents nearby, our church family, our whole lives here. But, I’ve been so disappointed in our governor’s actions and statements. He tied the hands of our school district. It’s all political infighting that has put my family at risk.”

The one lingering concern the Leighton family has as their children return to school this fall amid the pandemic has to do with social distancing.

Leighton’s six children, which range in ages from 5 to 17, are among the millions returning to in-person instruction while Louisiana faces a spike in Covid-19 infections.

Louisiana has seen an “astronomical” number of Covid-19 cases during the latest surge, according to Gov. John Bel Edwards, as infections are increasing particularly among younger populations.

Leighton is trying to mitigate the risk of infection among his children by asking them to shower once they come home.

“All six of them are wearing masks all day at school. For living in a heavy red area (Covid spread and Republican sense of the words), they are luckily not being harassed about masking up,” Leighton added. “The mask mandate was re-issued in Louisiana, but there is no enforcement of it in stores and lax enforcement in the schools. Last year, bus drivers reported kids that refused to wear their masks, and the kids tell me the bus drivers are fighting with kids to put their masks back on again this year.”

Sarah Vavra.

Mask wearing has become so common in Sarah Vavra’s household that her 7-year-old wears one in the car despite not having to.

The charter school Vavra sends her children to in Roseville, Minnesota, has mandated mask wearing for all students, regardless of Covid-19 vaccination status, she told CNN over email.

That has gone a long way to easing some concerns, she said.

In Minnesota, 6.5 million — or 87% — of the state’s 7.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roughly 56.6% of residents are fully vaccinated.

Vavra hopes the vaccination numbers increase.

“While we acknowledge every family is going through their own unique hell, we don’t ask for anything more than we ourselves do. We just want everyone else to get vaccinated (when possible) and wear masks so we can go back to normal (whatever that is) as soon as possible,” she said.

Florida school districts reacted Friday to the state appeals court ruling in favor of Gov. Ron DeSantis, allowing his ban on mask mandates in schools to stand.

Leon County Public Schools, which includes Tallahassee, said they would not comment on the ruling and “will continue to mandate masks” through eighth grade, according to spokesperson Chris Petley.

Brevard Public School System spokesperson Katherine Allen said they had “not been notified of any changes to our current policy at this time.”

There will also be no changes in the mask policy at Lee County Public Schools, according to spokesperson Rob Spicker, who said “the mask requirement remains in place.” Lee County includes Fort Myers.

Orange County Public Schools, which includes Orlando, said they will “continue to monitor the court proceedings.”

“Our current policy remains in place through October 30,” said spokesperson Michael Ollendorff.

CNN has reached out to Miami-Dade Public Schools, Palm Beach County, Sarasota County, Duval County, Manatee County, Osceola County, and Hillsborough County but did not immediately hear back. 

A return to in-class instruction has left Hannah Fagan “deeply concerned that a Covid outbreak will occur” this semester at Florida State University, where she’s a junior.

One of the first red flags Fagan saw upon returning to campus was how the syllabi for all her classes said face masks were expected but not required, she told CNN over email.

Fagan’s concerns are not unfounded.

Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Florida and Arkansas have less than 10% left of their intensive care unit bed capacity following a rise in Covid-19 infections, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

In Florida’s 15 largest school districts, at least 21,869 students and 4,481 employees have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of school, according to a CNN analysis.

Fagan is doing all she can to protect herself; which includes wearing a mask indoors and carrying hand sanitizer everywhere she goes, she said. And yet despite receiving the Covid-19 vaccine in May, the fear of infection persists.

“I cannot overstate how afraid I am of being a part of one of these large classrooms, filled with students in communal living situations, without any sort of mask or vaccination requirement,” she said. “Although I want a normal semester just as much as can be imagined, I do not want a normal semester at the expense of my classmates.”

A possible change: A Florida judge ruled against Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday and allowed schools in the state to mandate face masks while the case is appealed at a higher level.

The ruling from Second Circuit Judge John Cooper, effective immediately, means the state of Florida must stop enforcement of banning mask mandates — which ends sanctions against several school districts that have implemented such mandates.

The decision comes amid heated showdowns between the state and some local school districts, which have insisted on requiring students to wear masks amid a surge in Covid-19 infections.

In late July, DeSantis, a Republican, issued an executive order that directed the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Health to issue emergency rules giving parents a choice on whether their children should wear masks in class. The state threatened to withhold funding from districts that violated the order and required masks for everyone.

Even so, 13 Florida school districts have now implemented a mask mandate without a parent opt out in defiance of the governor’s position.

Cooper ruled against DeSantis’ order two weeks ago, saying the governor overreached and did not have the authority to ban school districts from implementing mask mandates without a parent opt out.

Reporting from CNN’s Mallory Simon contributed to this post.

A lack of transparency over confirmed Covid-19 cases, no social distancing and no mask requirement are among the reasons why Danielle Cady decided to take three of her children out of a physical classroom to homeschool them instead.

Cady, of Houston County, Georgia, said the district her children were once in just reported hundreds of Covid-19 cases following the start of the school year.

Cady said her three older children are in a Pfizer vaccine trial. She said she enrolled them in it in June 2020 and none have had adverse reactions.

Their involvement in the vaccine trial couldn’t have come at a more crucial time.

Kids as young as 12 can be vaccinated against Covid-19, but younger children aren’t eligible yet. Children made up nearly a quarter of the reported cases for the week ending Aug. 26. The numbers have “increased exponentially,” reaching levels the United States hasn’t seen since last winter, the American Academy of Pediatrics said Aug. 31.

Children have largely been spared the worst of Covid-19 — hospitalizations and deaths are more rare for children than for adults, although children’s hospitals are filling up in Covid-19 hotspots around the country.

Trial data are still being gathered for Covid-19 vaccines for younger children. Once the vaccine companies have trial results, they’ll need to submit the information to the US Food and Drug Administration, which will assess the vaccines for authorization.

Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill can voluntarily share their Covid-19 vaccine status with administration, but those who show up on campus unvaccinated or choose not to disclose their vaccination status will have to get tested for coronavirus weekly.

When apprehensive students started approaching Benjamin Meier, a professor of global health policy at UNC-Chapel Hill, about their peers buying fake vaccine cards, he began to worry about the effectiveness of university policy. Classes at will begin on August 18.

A spokesperson for UNC-Chapel Hill said they have not found any instances of students uploading fake vaccine cards. The spokesperson did not respond when asked how the university distinguishes between real and fraudulent vaccine cards in photos.

Vaccination cards were not designed to be long-term proof of Covid vaccinations, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The cards can be easily forged but it’s a federal crime, which is punishable by a fine and up to five years in prison for forging government seals found on the card. Forging a card could also violate university rules and students could face punishment from their schools as well.

But as thousands of students plan to return to primarily in-person instruction over the next few weeks, identifying fake cards through the photos in online portals may pose a challenge for university administrators.

“We were talking about handing out fake vaccine cards as a form of protest to make it clear to the administration that if they did end up trying to mandate vaccines, that the students will and can find ways around that,” said Dylan Dean, the chair of Young Americans for Liberty at Montana State University. “I chose against doing that because it is a crime.”

More than 400 colleges and universities across the country are requiring students to be vaccinated before returning to campus, including Duke University and the universities of Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and California.

While some universities expect students to be fully vaccinated by the time they arrive on campus, others only announced their requirement policies in the past few weeks and will allow students to receive inoculation by a certain date.

Many of these universities also have vaccine exemption applications for students with religious or medical opposition to getting vaccinated, but students ideologically opposed to the vaccine could face disciplinary action or be barred from enrolling if they do not provide proof of vaccination and are not exempt, according to policies at Duke and the University of California system.

A healthcare worker prepares a Pfizer vaccine dose at a large-scale vaccination site at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where some students may be using fake vaccination cards to skirt weekly testing.

Related article More than 400 universities are requiring Covid-19 vaccines. But the murky threat of fake vaccination cards worries some students and experts

Megan Roller

Oregon mom Megan Roller is “extremely anxious” about her 18-year-old daughter Jadyn starting her first year of college at the University of Oregon later this month.

Even though Jadyn is fully vaccinated, Roller said she is afraid that spread of the Delta variant by some students could cause campus to be shut down.

Roller also said her daughter was considering becoming a nurse or doctor a few years ago and has taken classes in medical training in high school, “but watching the stress and long hours of the pandemic, she completely backed away from that idea.” 

University of Oregon requires all students and staff to be vaccinated. Those who file for an exemption must undergo weekly testing, according to the school’s website. Face coverings are also required indoors during classes.

Roller said her daughter is also taking her own individual precautions.

“She is staying masked around people she doesn’t know, as well as keeping her group of people she does hang out with unmasked to a small number. She is also fully stocked on cloth masks, medical masks, a few N95 masks, hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap and antibacterial wipes,” according to Roller. 

Roller said her family has taken the pandemic very seriously, as she is immunocompromised and taking medication for psoriasis arthritis and her husband has chronic pancreatitis due to diabetes. 

Corporate America is getting serious about vaccines.

In the last week, companies from Disney to Walmart to Google have begun mandating their employees get shots to protect against Covid-19. Even famed restaurateur Danny Meyer said it’s not just his employees who must be vaccinated: He won’t serve customers in his restaurants without proof they’ve gotten the vaccine.

Momentum for vaccine mandates has been building, and President Joe Biden announced a requirement that all federal employees and on-site contractors be vaccinated or submit to regular testing and mitigation requirements.

Here are the companies that have announced Covid-19 vaccine requirements for at least some of their employees.

Google

Google (GOOG) CEO Sundar Pichai sent an email to staff recently announcing a vaccine requirement for employees who are coming back to the office. The policy would roll out in the United States and in other regions in the following months as vaccines become more widely available, Pichai said. It’s not clear how Google plans to enforce the policy.

Facebook

All Facebook (FB) employees must get vaccinated before coming back to the office, the company announced Wednesday. “As our offices reopen, we will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our US campuses to be vaccinated,” Lori Goler, Facebook’s VP of people, said in a statement. “We will have a process for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons and will be evaluating our approach in other regions as the situation evolves,” she added.

Walmart

Walmart (WMT), the nation’s largest retailer, said all its US-based corporate employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 4, according to a Friday memo from Doug McMillon, the company’s president and CEO. This mandate does not apply to Walmart’s store employees, but it will soon implement a new process to verify their vaccine status, and is offering employees the chance to get vaccinated while on the clock (along with up to three days paid leave for any reaction to the shot). The company is also doubling its current vaccine incentive to $150; current employees who get vaccinated and new employees who were vaccinated before they started at Walmart are all eligible to receive the bonus.

Disney

Disney (DIS) is requiring all its salaried and non-union hourly employees in the US to be vaccinated. Workers who are working on-site but are not yet vaccinated must get their shots within the next 60 days, according to a statement from the company to CNN Business. Employees who are still working from home must provide the company with proof of their vaccination before returning to work. The company also said it has started discussing vaccine mandates with the unions representing its workers. The company is also mandating that all new hires be fully vaccinated before beginning their jobs.

Union Square Hospitality Group

At Union Square Hospitality Group, which operates restaurants and event businesses in New York and other US cities, all employees and customers must be able to prove they’re vaccinated — a rule that will go into effect September 7. CEO Meyer told CNN that he would call it a “company policy” instead of a “mandate.”

Concentra registered nurse Deysi Fleix administers a Moderna COVID-19 vaccination to an Amazon employee at an Amazon fulfillment center on March 31, 2021 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The company is offering employees vaccinations at its facility for eight days.

Related article From offices to restaurants, companies are requiring proof of vaccination

For now, “fully vaccinated” means either two doses of an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine, but that may change based on recommendations for additional doses, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday.

Responding to a question on whether requirements for federal workers and contractors to be fully vaccinated will include a booster dose, Walensky said that the question will be asked of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

US health officials have previously announced a plan to begin to offer booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines the week of Sept. 20. The US Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisers are planning to meet Sept. 17 to discuss Pfizer/BioNTech’s application for approval of boosters of its coronavirus vaccine. Moderna has also submitted data to the FDA for approval of booster doses.

The White House indicated it could be a matter of “weeks” before President Biden’s new vaccine mandate for employers with over 100 staff goes into effect via OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

Asked what the punishment could be for companies that do not abide by the mandates on vaccines and/or testing, Zients suggested there could be steep fines. 

“If a workplace refuses to follow the standard, the OSHA fines can be quite significant. Enforcement actions can include fines up to $13,600 per violation,” Zients said.

Students return to class on the first day of school at the Jericho, New York school district on August 26, 2021.

Millions of students are heading back to school with a challenge they didn’t have to face last year.

The more contagious Delta variant is fueling a nationwide Covid-19 surge that’s sending younger people to hospitals – including children.

The best weapon for students ages 12 and up is vaccination, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But kids too young to get vaccinated also have ways to help dodge Delta.

Before heading out: Minor symptoms that may have been overlooked in the past – such as a runny nose – shouldn’t be ignored now, said pediatrician Dr. Steven Abelowitz, regional medical director of Coastal Kids Pediatrics in California.

“With the current rise in Covid cases, especially in children, it is advised that parents of children even with minor symptoms should contact their pediatrician to rule out Covid,” Abelowitz said, matching guidance from the CDC.

Of course, some kids can get or spread the Delta variant without symptoms. So precautions during other parts of the day are important.

At the bus stop: When chatting with a friend outdoors, “the risk of acquiring coronavirus is very low,” CNN medical analyst and emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen said.

“Therefore, waiting at the bus stop or recess or coming out of the school, masks can be taken off.”

But if there are many children crowded together, “even though it’s outdoors, if you’re unvaccinated … the advantages of masks are going to outweigh the disadvantages,” Abelowitz said.

On the school bus: “Mask wearing is absolutely critical because you’re in close proximity in an enclosed space,” Wen said.

“Make sure to be wearing a mask that covers your nose and your mouth. It should be at least the quality of a 3-ply surgical mask,” she said.

“There are also KN95s, depending on the age of the child, that are even better. But the mask should be at least a 3-ply surgical mask. A cloth mask is not sufficient.”

The importance of masks this year: The CDC recommends students from kindergarten through grade 12 wear masks in school as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads nationwide.

The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends masks in schools for everyone over age 2.

The Delta variant has been a game changer, Abelowitz said.

New pediatric Covid-19 cases are “significantly higher than a few months ago – and climbing quite rapidly,” he said.

Get masks that kids actually like: There’s no point in wearing a mask if a child keeps tugging at it or taking it off in school.

“This is something that does take getting used to,” Wen said. “It may be good to practice wearing the mask at home and making sure that you’re OK with that type of mask.”

U.S. President Joe Biden in the State Dining Room of the White House as he spoke about combatting the coronavirus pandemic on September 9, 2021.

President Biden was just asked to respond to some Republican governors who have called his vaccine requirements an overreach and have suggested it may be challenged in court.

He continued: “We’re playing for real here. This isn’t a game. And I don’t know of any scientist out there in this field that doesn’t think it makes us considerable sense to do the six things I’ve suggested.”

Biden also lamented the political polarization in the nation as some Republican governors have issued statewide bans on mask mandates and vaccines have become an area of deep division. 

“One of the lessons I hope our students are going to learn is that politics doesn’t have to be this way… They’re growing up in an environment where they see it’s like a war. Like a bitter feud. If the Democrat says right, everybody says left… It’s not who we are as a nation and it’s not how we beat every other crisis in our country. We gotta come together,” he said.

Yesterday, Biden unveiled a six-pronged plan to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and stringent new vaccine rules on federal workers, large employers and health care staff.

The new requirements could apply to as many as 100 million Americans — close to two-thirds of the American workforce — and amount to Biden’s strongest push yet to require vaccines for much of the country.

CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed reporting to this post.

President Joe Biden speaks at Brookland Middle School, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 in Washington. Biden has encouraged every school district to promote vaccines, including with on-site clinics, to protect students as they return to school amid a resurgence of the coronavirus.

President Biden urged parents to vaccinate their children against Covid-19 today while visiting a school in Washington, DC.

Currently, children 12 and older are eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Children under 12 remain ineligible.

Biden went on to say that his administration would work to bring vaccine clinics to schools as well.

Some background: On Thursday, Biden unveiled a six-step Covid-19 plan, which includes vaccine requirements for educators in federal Head Start programs. Biden will also call on governors to require vaccinations for schoolteachers and staff.

The President promised to make up the salary of any teacher or administrator whose pay was withheld by a state opposing mask requirements.

Infections and hospitalizations among kids are rising, which worries experts, but they are still the least likely age group to get sick or die from the virus. Among recent infections, more than a quarter were children, but less than 3% of hospitalizations are for children. Some younger kids develop an inflammatory ailment — MISC-C —after contracting Covid-19. That can keep them hospitalized for weeks.

“Now for any parent, it doesn’t matter how low the risk of any illnesses whether it could happen to your child. But we all know if schools follow the science and they are here and implement safety measures, like vaccinations, testing, masking, and children could be safe in schools, safe from Covid-19. My plan does all of these things,” Biden said today.

Reporting from CNN’s Zachary B. Wolf contributed to this post.

President Joe Biden tours Brookland Middle School on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 in Washington.

While visiting a school in Washington, DC, today, President Biden urged parents to vaccinate their children against Covid-19, sweetening the deal by inviting vaccinated kids to the White House.

“I’m going to get in trouble with the Secret Service and everybody else,” Biden said in what appeared to be an impromptu invite.

“I’m not sure how we’ll mechanically do it, but I assume the buses can get you to the White House and if we can’t get you all in one room, we’ll be out in the Rose Garden or out in the back there, and maybe let you fly the helicopters. I’m only joking about that,” Biden added.

President Biden is delivering remarks on how the administration is helping keep students safe in classrooms.

The President is visiting a local school in Washington, DC, alongside Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

Biden’s remarks come as more US children are getting hit hard by Covid-19. A record-high 2,396 children were hospitalized with Covid-19 as of Tuesday, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. While childhood Covid-19 deaths are still rare, that number is increasing. As of Wednesday, at least 520 children have died, according to CDC data.

The President on Thursday announced a major expansion to free testing, a step public health officials have said is critical to containing the virus, particularly as children return to school and some workers return to offices.

Biden also imposed stringent new vaccine rules on federal workers, large employers and health care staff in a sweeping attempt to contain the latest surge of Covid-19.

CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins contributed reporting to this post. 

A syringe is filled with a first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination clinic during a back to school event offering school supplies, Covid-19 vaccinations, face masks, and other resources for children and their families at the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA in Los Angeles, California on August 7, 2021.

All eligible children attending Los Angeles Unified public schoo— – the nation’s second largest school distri—ct – will be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of the calendar year, the school board of education has voted.

In a special meeting held Thursday, the Los Angeles Unified School Board decided a mandate was appropriate based on the sudden surge of the virus brought about by the Delta variant and data showing lower rates of infection and hospitalization among those who are vaccinated.

The proposal approved Thursday requires all eligible students 12 years of age and older to receive their first Covid-19 vaccine doses by no later than November 21, and their second doses by no later than December 19. Students who participate in in-person extracurricular activities, including sports, face an earlier deadline of October 3 for a first dose of the vaccine and a second dose no later than October 31.

The district, which includes more than 600,000 students, already mandates the vaccine for teachers and staff, requires face coverings be worn by all, and tests all students and staff for infections weekly. Classrooms have also been outfitted with enhanced ventilation systems in an effort to decrease the spread of the virus.

District spokesperson Shannon Haber was not able to provide the number of students affected by Thursday’s decision, but noted that many students have already been inoculated.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about combatting the coronavirus pandemic in the State Dining Room of the White House on September 9, 2021 in Washington, DC.

President Biden, speaking from the White House Thursday, said he will sign an executive order requiring all federal workers be vaccinated against Covid-19, with no option of being regularly tested to opt out of the requirement.

The President said he will also sign an executive order directing the same standard be extended to employees of contractors who do business with the federal government. The Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Service and National Institutes of Health will also complete their previously announced vaccination requirements, which the White House estimates covers 2.5 million workers.

The new announcements move beyond what Biden announced earlier this summer, when he required federal workers be vaccinated but allowed for those who opted out to be subject to stringent mitigation measures. The White House has said the federal government should act as a model for other businesses in their own vaccine mandates, and has praised large companies that require employees to be vaccinated.

Alicia Barron.

If being a first-generation college student wasn’t challenging enough, Alicia Barron has had to contend with transitions from online classes to in-person instruction all while the pandemic persists.

Barron, of Aurora, Colorado, is a sophomore at Colorado State University studying political science and French.

Barron is not alone in her stress.

National dropout numbers for this school year are yet to be released, but anecdotal evidence from across the country shows steep declines in attendance, a rising number of failing grades, and shrinking enrollment.

The economic impact of the pandemic means some older students may have had to take a job to make up for one lost by a family member. Or they’ve had to step up to handle child care for siblings or their own kids.

“Since the pandemic, life has been hard, but I am pushing through my education and hopefully one day, be able to give back to my parents in all that they did for me,” Barron said.

Susan Colvin and Randy Black.

After teaching for nearly two decades at numerous elementary, middle and high schools around Fort Collins, Colorado, Randy Black was forced into retirement due to health conditions that made him more susceptible to Covid-19.

When the last school district he worked for announced they would be returning to in-person instruction this year, Black, 68, considered it “a life or death decision and I chose life.”

Black, a former math and science teacher, suffers from asthma and takes three prescriptions for it.

Black is currently looking at a retirement job in wellness coaching using traditional Chinese medicine to supplement his pension, he said.

A student of history: Black said the time he spent studying the 1918 flu prepared him for what the coronavirus pandemic would become.

The 1918 flu killed 50 million to 100 million people through 1919. There are eerie parallels between the 1918 flu and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic: a disease with a startling range of symptoms for which there is little treatment, human behavior as a hindrance to public health and cluster outbreaks that have become widespread, to name a few.

The startling and harrowing nature of the 1918 flu and its fatal consequences induced a sense of caution that, in some places, had permanent implications for how people would respond to disease outbreaks in later decades — such as using isolation and quarantine, according to a 2010 paper by Nancy Tomes, a distinguished professor of history at Stony Brook University.