School Closures Dropping for the First Time this Year
School closures and switches to remote learning are rapidly dropping.
January 31, 2022
During the COVID-19 shutdown, more than 191 countries have shut down all of their primary and secondary schools, which affected almost 1.6 billion children. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis closed schools for the remainder of the academic year on April 18, 2020. Prior to the report, all schools in Florida were closed through May 1st.
Since the opening of schools in 2021, the number of public schools that recorded disturbances, including brief closures and transfers to remote learning, have descended to 4,473, which is a 38% decline from the previous week.
This is the first week that a slowdown has been marked in the number of temporary closures and transfers to remote learning since schools reopened after winter break in January. Others may argue that the data is incorrect because of schoolwide closures due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but experts have observed that roughly 10% of schools experienced disruptions last week, as a result of infections and exposures- according to US News.
“Very few schools are closing,” President Biden said during a press conference that marked his first year in office, to emphasize that a majority of schools were remaining open. Around 95% of all schools are open for in-person learning as of right now.
The president even took time during a press conference marking his first year in office to chide news outlets for focusing on closures and emphasized that an overwhelming majority of schools are open, including Florida education systems. Legally, mask mandates are no longer allowed to be implemented in several schools, with many arguing that they should be able to make their own decisions for their bodies.