Are schools free to ignore CDC guidance about the safest way for children to go to school during the pandemic?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says its guidance about dealing with the threat of the coronavirus is "meant to supplement—not replace—any state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which schools must comply."
State and local authorities have final say over public school operations, prompting vigorous debates as infections surge in some parts of the country and a new term approaches.
On July 13, despite rising infection trends in Southern California, the Orange County Board of Education voted to reopen schools without social distancing or face coverings. In this county's case, the board's role is only advisory. On July 17, the county said its 475,000 students would begin the year with distance learning, under guidelines imposed by the state.
