How Schools Are Managing Coronavirus in Every State

Montana
> Start of 2020-2021 academic year: Late August
> Reopening plan: Hybrid model, half days
> Re-closing schools: At the end of August, middle schools and high schools in Hardin paused all fall sports for 2 weeks after several students tested positive. Great Falls High School was closed Sept. 14-15 after new cases of COVID-19 were reported.
> Daily routine changes: Lunch in classrooms, staggered arrival times
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended for all students and staff
> Health screening precautions: Visitor temperature checks
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Sep 15: 870 per 100,000 people — 8th lowest (total: 9,244)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Sep 7 – Sep 14: 9.5% — 6th largest increase (from 8,316 to 9,107)
> Population: 1.1 million

Nebraska
> Start of 2020-2021 academic year: Mid-August
> Reopening plan: Up to each district, based on community spread, start postponed until Sept. 16, academic year cut to 170 days
> Re-closing schools: At least one district closed schools for grades 6-12 for 2 weeks until Aug. 24 after 3 staff members tested positive. Lincoln Elementary School in Beatrice moved in late-August to tier four remote learning for several weeks after several new COVID-19 cases
> Daily routine changes: Frequent hand-washing, limit use of school materials, keep personal items separate
> Mask or face covering rules: Up to each school
> Health screening precautions: Visitors wash hands before entering the school, symptom self-screen
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Sep 15: 2,020 per 100,000 people — 19th highest (total: 38,970)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Sep 7 – Sep 14: 6.8% — 13th largest increase (from 35,886 to 38,335)
> Population: 1.9 million

Nevada
> Start of 2020-2021 academic year: Mid-August
> Reopening plan: Up to each district
> Re-closing schools: At least one elementary school was temporarily closed after one suspected positive case that may have exposed 8 people
> Daily routine changes: Limit use of common areas like playgrounds, teachers rotate, not students, restroom rotation
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended for staff and students
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and temperature checks recommended, post signs about proper hand-washing and other ways to stop the virus
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Sep 15: 2,440 per 100,000 people — 9th highest (total: 74,040)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Sep 7 – Sep 14: 2.6% — 5th smallest increase (from 71,967 to 73,814)
> Population: 3.0 million

New Hampshire
> Start of 2020-2021 academic year: Late August
> Reopening plan: Up to each district
> Re-closing schools: One high school moved classes online for 3 days and suspended sports indefinitely after several students tested positive
> Daily routine changes: Stagger dismissal, stagger meal times, serve lunch in classroom, monitor hallways to direct movement, assigned seating
> Mask or face covering rules: Recommended
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screenings for staff, students
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Sep 15: 571 per 100,000 people — 3rd lowest (total: 7,748)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Sep 7 – Sep 14: 3.2% — 12th smallest increase (from 7,476 to 7,714)
> Population: 1.4 million

New Jersey
> Start of 2020-2021 academic year: Early September
> Reopening plan: Up to each district, most return with a hybrid model
> Re-closing schools: At least 6 school districts announced in mid-September schedule changes just days into the academic year in response to coronavirus cases among students and staff.
> Daily routine changes: Staggering meal times, recess held in staggered shifts, gym classes in marked areas
> Mask or face covering rules: Required for school staff and visitors
> Health screening precautions: Daily symptom screening and history of exposure
> Cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Sep 15: 2,216 per 100,000 people — 14th highest (total: 197,404)
> Change in trailing 7-day avg. daily cases, Sep 7 – Sep 14: 1.3% — 2nd smallest increase (from 194,390 to 196,968)
> Population: 8.9 million