Traditional

School begins at the regular time in the fall and continues throughout the school year.

Adjusted

School begins earlier or later than normal in the school year.

Students

• Are students available for an early start? Do they need to work summer jobs in some areas, such as in coastal areas?
• End-of-year events such as graduation could happen early or late.

Staffing

• Teachers’ work calendars may need to be adjusted — and does this affect contracts in some states? Does this impact hiring or the availability of new teacher candidates?

Parents

• Changing school schedules may affect vacation plans or other activities.

Nutrition/Food Services

• Meal service and staffing schedules will need to be adjusted.

Facilities

• An early start could mean an expedited schedule to clean and prepare school buildings for students and staff, sooner rather than later.

Policy/Accountability

• Testing schedules and timing of results may happen differently.

Postponed

School is delayed substantially from its regular start time, then continues into the following summer.

Students

• May face a COVID-19 “learning slide” and need tutoring or other academic support as they await school reopening.
• May lack access to nutritious meals during the delay.
• May not have access to social activities or recreation during the delay.

Staffing

• School leaders, teachers, counselors and other staff may need to contact students personally, especially those who may be falling behind academically, have special needs or live in dangerous situations.
• Educators and staff may not be able to start until later than usual.

Parents

• May experience employment or scheduling issues if they rely on schools to keep their children during daytime hours.

Transportation

• Bus drivers and maintenance staff may not be able to start until somewhat later.

Nutrition/Food Services

• Schools may need to provide students with meals or deliver meals for a longer period in the summer and fall, before school begins.
• Do schools have the resources to provide these additional meals? Can local partners help, such as food pantries, community or religious groups, and police or fire/rescue personnel? Are new local, state or federal resources needed?

Policy/Accountability

• Will district- or state-level testing schedules need to change?

Partial

Schools operate traditionally for part of the year and online during other times.

Students

• Some students may need accelerated teaching and instruction to make up for skills or lessons missed during online study.
• Some students will need access to digital devices and high-speed broadband internet.
• Some students will need additional support for academics, technology use and emotional health.
• Extracurricular activities such as sports and the arts may be impacted — practice schedules, local travel for games or events, etc.

Parents

• Digital devices may be in short supply if families must share computers or tablets for work and school.
• School reopening may need to be coordinated with local government and businesses, so that children are not left at home alone.

Transportation

• Some bus drivers have other jobs and may face challenges in changing schedules.
• Buses and drivers may be needed earlier or later in the year than school reopening to deliver meals or lessons.
• Additional buses, miles or trips may require additional funds for transportation. More drivers, additional maintenance, fuel and supplies may be required.

Nutrition/Food Services

• Schools may need to adjust plans for students who need school meals, providing deliveries by bus or through community pick-up sites.

Facilities

• Schedules may need to allow for the regular cleaning and disinfecting of classrooms and other areas.
• Schedules may need to be managed to keep traffic at a minimum in common areas, such as hallways, playgrounds, cafeterias and pick-up and drop-off locations.
• Will additional classrooms or other space be necessary, requiring districts to repurpose areas in schools, reopen old schools, use community buildings or other facilities?
• Career and technical centers that serve multiple communities may need to adjust schedules depending on their situations.

Policy/Accountability

• Does your state have requirements around classroom seat-time and minutes of instruction? Do they need to be waived or changed?
• How does your state fund schools, and will those policies be affected?

Intermittent

Schools operate in more of a year-round schedule, taking breaks of up to a few weeks at multiple times through the year.

Students

• May need support as they switch from in-person classes to online or blended instruction and back again.

Staffing

• Teachers and staff may need support as they switch from in-person classes to online or blended instruction and back again.
• Other part-time staff, such as bus drivers, may face new hours or changed schedules. Could create driver shortages or require new drivers.

Parents

• This type of new school schedule could impact child care and parents’ work schedules.

Transportation

• Bus drivers may have new or changing work schedules, which could affect child care or other part-time jobs.

Nutrition/Food Services

• Schools may need to deliver student meals or establish community pickup sites during breaks in school.

Policy/Accountability

• District- and state-level testing schedules may need to change.

Expedited

Schools begin traditionally and remain open with no holidays or breaks until Thanksgiving, to reduce the likelihood of students traveling and bringing the virus back to the school. The Fall semester ends by Thanksgiving, or additional school days are offered online. The second semester begins (a) in January and ends early or (b) in February and ends late; with either option, there are no breaks.