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School responses in Nebraska to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

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Responses by state


As students returned to school for the 2021-2022 school year, states set a variety of policies on education and the COVID-19 pandemic, including how schools should open to in-person instruction and whether students and staff would be required to wear masks. By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, about 66% of students nationwide were in states that left closure decisions to schools or districts, 33% were in states with state-ordered in-person instruction, and 1% were in states with state-ordered regional school closures.[1][2] All 50 states closed schools to in-person instruction at some point during the 2019-2020 school year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This article summarizes responses to the coronavirus in Nebraska schools in the academic years ending in 2020, 2021, and 2022. You will find:

Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This page is updated monthly, but our email is always open. We encourage you to share updates from local officials, policymakers, and campaigns in your community at editor@ballotpedia.org.


Timeline by school year

Below is a list of major events involving schools in Nebraska during the coronavirus pandemic between 2019 and 2022, including school closings and openings, mask requirements, and the release of statewide operating guidance. Know of something we missed? Click here to email us and let us know.

2021-2022 school year

  • Sept. 9, 2021: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio, a school data aggregator, reported no in-person schooling disruptions in Nebraska.[3][4]


2020-2021 school year

  • June 29, 2021: At the end of the school year, Burbio reported most schools were in-person in Nebraska .[5][6]
  • Sept. 10, 2020: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio reported a majority of schools were in-person in Nebraska .[7][8]
  • August 3, 2020: Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) said that schools were ready to reopen but would leave decisions on when and how up to local school officials.[9]
  • May 7, 2020: The Nebraska Department of Education released guidelines for reopening schools for the 2020-2021 school year.[10]


2019-2020 school year

  • April 1, 2020: Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) directed schools to operate without students through May 31. This date was after the academic year was scheduled to end.[11]

Mask and vaccine requirements in the 2021-2022 school year

Mask requirements in schools

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

As of August 1, 2022, no states had school mask requirements in effect. Forty-two states left mask requirements in schools up to local authorities. Seven states banned school mask requirements.

The table below shows statewide school mask requirement laws and orders in states with school mask requirements or school mask requirement bans in place at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Mask requirement orders
State Ban or requirement? Type of order Date lifted or altered
Arizona Ban Legislative action N/A
Arkansas Ban Legislative action Sept. 30, 2021 - Suspended by court action
California Requirement California Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Connecticut Requirement Executive order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Delaware Requirement Executive order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Florida Ban Executive order N/A[12]
Georgia Ban Legislative action N/A
Hawaii Requirement Executive order Aug. 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Illinois Requirement Illinois Department of Public Health order Feb. 4, 2022 - Suspended by court action[13]
Iowa Ban Legislative action May 16, 2022 - Reinstated by court action[14]
Kentucky Requirement Kentucky Board of Education order Sept. 9, 2021 - Suspended by state law
Louisiana Requirement Executive order Feb. 16, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[15]
Maryland Requirement Maryland State Board of Education order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[16]
Massachusetts Requirement Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[17]
Nevada Requirement Executive order Feb. 10, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Jersey Requirement Executive order March 7, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Mexico Requirement New Mexico Public Education Department order Feb. 17, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New York Requirement Executive order March 3, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Oklahoma Ban Executive order N/A
Oregon Requirement Oregon Health Authority and Department of Education order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Pennsylvania Requirement Pennsylvania Department of Health order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Rhode Island Requirement Executive order March 4, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
South Carolina Ban Legislative action Sept. 28, 2021 - Temporarily suspended by court action
Tennessee Ban Executive order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Texas Ban Executive order N/A[18]
Utah Ban Legislative action N/A
Virginia Ban Legislative action N/A
Washington Requirement Washington State Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action

School mask requirements over time

School mask bans over time


Teacher and school employee vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

Seven states had issued a statewide requirement for K-12 teachers and staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or receive regular coronavirus testing during the 2021-2022 school year. The table below shows teacher and staff vaccine requirement laws and orders in states that issued such policies during the 2021-2022 school year.

Vaccine requirement orders
State Testing instead of vaccination allowed? Type of order Date effective
California Yes California Department of Public Health order Oct. 15, 2021
Connecticut No Executive order Sept. 27, 2021
Delaware Yes Executive order Nov. 1, 2021
Illinois Yes Executive order Issued: Sept. 19, 2021
Suspended by court action on Feb. 4, 2022
New Jersey Yes Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
New York Yes Executive order Sept. 19, 2021
Oregon No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
Washington No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021


Student vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

On Oct. 1, 2021, California was the first state to announce a vaccine requirement for eligible students. Louisiana also announced a vaccine requirement for eligible students on Dec. 14, but then announced the state would be removing the coronavirus vaccine from the list of required immunizations in schools on May 18, 2022.

School reopenings and closures (2020-2021 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year

Initial school year operating plan

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: July 29, 2020

Nebraska released an initial operating plan for the 2020-2021 school year on July 20, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on July 29. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

The Nebraska Department of Education most recently updated its school reopening guidance on July 20. It contains a phased approach to reopening schools based on four levels of risk and community spread: significant spread (red), moderate spread (orange), minimal to moderate spread (yellow), and minimal spread (green). According to the plan, “The purpose of this document is to outline protocols schools should consider given their particular level of risk as determined by their Local Health Department and/or the Department of Health and Human Services.”

Nebraska does not have an official date for public schools to reopen—individual districts can set their own timelines, depending on the virus’ effect on their community. According to EdWeek, public schools in Nebraska traditionally start the academic year in mid-August, with the exact start date varying by district.

On April 1, Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) closed K-12 schools in the state through May 31, effectively ending the school year.

Context

Nebraska is a Republican trifecta. The governor is a Republican, and Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The state became a Republican trifecta in 2011.

The following tables show public education statistics in Nebraska, including a rank comparing it to the other 49 states. Rank one is the highest number of each figure, rank 50 is the lowest. All data comes from the Common Core of Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Nebraska school metrics
Category Figure Rank
Per pupil spending (16-17) $15,176 18
Number of students (18-19) 326,392 37
Number of teachers (Fall 2016) 23,611 36
Number of public schools (18-19) 1,081 31
Student:teacher ratio (18-19) 13.7 37
Percent qualifying for free/reduced lunch (16-17) 44.7% 33


Nebraska school revenue
Category Figure Rank
Total revenue $4,168,349,000 36
Federal revenue percent 8.2% 30
State revenue percent 32.4% 48
Local revenue percent 59.4% 3

Details

District reopening plans
The Department of Education’s plan asks schools to coordinate with local health officials to determine their risk level, consider the corresponding guidance in the document, and create a Return to School team to create school or district-specific plans. Plan-makers should then continue to communicate with their "Local Health Department as they review and approve your plan. Finally, communicate the steps with all stakeholders including parents and family, community, and students.”

In-person, hybrid, and online learning
Nebraska’s reopening plan allows for in-person, hybrid, and fully remote learning, depending on a school district's risk level. In the red phase, the plan says, “Schools should be closed for all in-house activities for an extended period of time,” and directs schools to move teaching to video conferencing. In the yellow and orange phases, the plan encourages schools to use a hybrid schedule to minimize on-site gathering sizes and allow for social distancing. The green phase allows schools to fully reopen for in-person instruction.

Mask requirements
Nebraska’s plan does not require masks in schools. The plan recommends that students and teachers wear masks when feasible, especially when social distancing is not possible. Districts and schools can develop their own mask policies.

In-person health recommendations and requirements
The general preparedness guidelines for schools in the green phase include:

  • School preparedness activities primarily focused around awareness and updating emergency operations plans.
  • Close and continuing communication between school and local public health leaders focused on local epidemiology and any changes in disease surveillance that would necessitate a change to “minimal to moderate spread” community spread status.
  • Evaluate whether there are students or staff at risk for severe illness and/or students or staff living with a high-risk individual and develop or refine plans for remote work and education if necessary.
  • Encourage sick students and staff to stay home and consider waiving requirements for doctor’s excuse notes.
  • Clean and disinfect work and school areas regularly (between groups of students, between school day and after school programs, etc).
  • Embed teaching of hygiene practices into regular routines.

In the yellow and orange phases, the plan suggests the following mitigation measures:

  • School preparedness and response activities shift from ongoing surveillance to a series of active mitigation measures.
  • All staff and students should wear facing coverings when feasible.
  • Schools should be prepared to immediately implement physical distancing measures that include:
    • Reducing the frequency of large gatherings,
    • Altering schedules,
    • Limiting inter-school interactions, and
    • Deploying remote learning.
  • Short-term dismissals of 2-5 days and suspension of extracurricular activities should be expected for cleaning and contact tracing purposes
  • Students and teachers at increased risk of severe illness should be prepared to implement distance teaching and learning modalities.

For more information on guidance for in-person operations, click here.

Transportation and busing requirements and restrictions
The plan says school bus operations, schedules, and seating schemes can proceed normally in the green phase of reopening. In the yellow and orange phases, the plan outlines the following guidelines:

  • Clean and disinfect transportation vehicles regularly. Children must not be present when a vehicle is being cleaned.
  • Ensure safe and correct use and storage of cleaning and disinfection products, including storing products securely away from children and adequate ventilation when staff use such products. Ensure proper and adequate ventilation after cleaning and before returning students to the area.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces in the vehicle (eg. surfaces in the driver’s cockpit, hard seats, arm rests, door handles, seat belt buckles, light and air controls, doors and windows, and grab handles) prior to morning routes and prior to afternoon routes.
  • Keep doors and windows open when cleaning the vehicle and between trips to let the vehicles thoroughly air out.
  • Clean, sanitize, and disinfect equipment including items such as car seats and seat belts, wheelchairs, walkers, and adaptive equipment being transported to schools.
  • Create a policy that if an individual becomes sick during the day, they must not use group transportation to return home and must follow protocols outlined above.
  • Create a plan for getting students home safely if they are not allowed to board the vehicle.
  • If a driver becomes sick during the day, they must follow protocols for sick staff above and must not return to drive students.
  • Encourage the use of hand sanitizer before entering the bus. Where possible, hand sanitizer should be supplied on the bus.
  • Where possible, allow for six feet of physical distancing between students, and between students and the driver, while seated on vehicles if feasible (e.g., by utilizing larger vehicles with more seats, by increasing frequency of routes to reduce occupancy, one rider per seat in every other row)
  • Consider keeping windows open while the vehicle is in motion to help reduce spread of the virus by increasing air circulation, if appropriate and safe.

Map of school closures

The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.

As of July 8, 2021, the status of school closures and reopenings was as follows:

  • Two states (Delaware, Hawaii) and Washington, D.C. had state-ordered regional school closures, required closures for certain grade levels, or allowed hybrid instruction only.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 410,896 students (0.81% of students nationwide)
  • Thirteen states had state-ordered in-person instruction.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 15,697,460 students (30.96% of students nationwide)
  • One state (Arizona) had state-ordered in-person instruction for certain grades.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 1,152,586 students (2.27% of students nationwide)
  • Thirty-four states left decisions to schools or districts.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 33,449,499 students (65.96% of students nationwide)



School reopenings and closures (2019-2020 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2019-2020 academic year


The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.

  • States closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 48
  • Number of public school students in states closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 50,261,464


The chart below shows the first date schools in a state were closed to in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 academic year, divided by the political party of the governor.

School responses by state

To read about school responses to the coronavirus pandemic in other states, click one of the following links below:

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Number of operating public schools and districts, student membership, teachers, and pupil/teacher ratio, by state or jurisdiction: School year 2019–20," accessed September 10, 2021
  2. ↑ EducationWeek, "Map: Where Were Schools Required to Be Open for the 2020-21 School Year?," June 14, 2021
  3. ↑ To read more about Burbio's school disruption tracking, click here
  4. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed August 27, 2021
  5. ↑ Burbio rated Nebraska's in-person index at 94. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  6. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  7. ↑ Burbio rated Nebraska's in-person index between 60-80. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  8. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  9. ↑ Omaha World-Herald, "Gov. Ricketts: Decision to reopen schools must rest with policymakers," August 3, 2020
  10. ↑ Nebraska Department of Education, "NDE’S LAUNCH NEBRASKA PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR UNFINISHED LEARNING, RESTARTING SCHOOLS," May 7, 2020
  11. ↑ 3NewsNow, "Gov. Ricketts directs Nebraska schools to operate without students through May 31," April 1, 2020
  12. ↑ On Sept. 2, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Sept. 10.
  13. ↑ Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) ended the statewide school mask requirement on Feb. 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ On Sept. 13, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action for all schools. On Jan. 25, 2022, the ban was partially reinstated.
  15. ↑ Oct. 26, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they followed CDC quarantine guidance
  16. ↑ Dec. 7, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they met one of the three following criteria: 1) the county vaccination rate was 80% or higher, 2) 80% of school staff and students were vaccinated, or 3) COVID-19 transmission in the county was considered moderate or low for 14 straight days.
  17. ↑ Oct. 1 - Schools could become exempt from the school mask requirement when at least 80% of students were vaccinated
  18. ↑ On Nov. 10, 2021 the ban was suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Dec. 1.
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