In Oklahoma City Schools, COVID cases exploded after just three days of school. Elsewhere, teachers faced a high-stakes vaccine mandate and schools shut down.

Hopes for a return to normal in-person instruction are being dashed throughout the south as the delta variant forces dozens of districts to shift back online or close altogether.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona wrote to the governors and state education chiefs of Florida and Texas, saying their moves against masks will threaten in-person instruction.

The ban, passed by the Newberg School Board last week, applies to anything political, though the board has yet to define the term.