--- title: Vermont Showed the U.S. How to Reopen Schools Safely description: Vermont initially had the right approach to reopening schools during the pandemic, but now they're backtracking, like too many other states. canonical: https://time.com/6092603/vermont-covid-19-schools/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-08-25T15:43:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-14T09:14:30.248Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Vermont Offered the U.S. a Textbook for Reopening Schools Safely. Why Is It Throwing Out the Lesson Plan? og:description: Vermont initially had the right approach to reopening schools during the pandemic, but now they're backtracking, like too many other states. og:url: https://time.com/6092603/vermont-covid-19-schools/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94a2f59a1b2a0e59/698a1c320116822efa980e4a/back-to-school-masks-us.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: Back to school in masks og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Vermont Offered the U.S. a Textbook for Reopening Schools Safely. Why Is It Throwing Out the Lesson Plan? twitter:description: Vermont initially had the right approach to reopening schools during the pandemic, but now they're backtracking, like too many other states. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94a2f59a1b2a0e59/698a1c320116822efa980e4a/back-to-school-masks-us.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Vermont Offered the U.S. a Textbook for Reopening Schools Safely. Why Is It Throwing Out the Lesson Plan? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8cf33295-84f8-473a-9a3d-59ac2571feac&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What Kids Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic [Watch (HLS stream): What Kids Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0rv0kxon.m3u8) (5:48)  _Published 2021-06-09. Too many young generations have been shaped by the global crises they faced—Depression-era poverty, Cold War nuclear fears. Add to them the COVID generation._ by [Anne N. Sosin](https://time.com/author/anne-n-sosin/) ## Anne N. Sosin Aug 25, 2021 3:43 PM UTC Too many young generations have been shaped by the global crises they faced—Depression-era poverty, Cold War nuclear fears. Add to them the COVID generation. by [Anne N. Sosin](https://time.com/author/anne-n-sosin/) ## Anne N. Sosin Aug 25, 2021 3:43 PM UTC Americans have reached consensus on a single goal: children must return to classrooms. Yet, as the Delta variant has surged, policymakers across the country have abandoned measures to [protect unvaccinated children](https://time.com/6090900/covid-19-protecting-kids/) from COVID-19\. Months after a withering debate on the best way to open schools, only [12 states have school mask](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/education/2021/08/13/school-mask-mandates-states-banned-mandates/8094422002/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbANqSeBBU$) mandates while 9 have banned them. In Florida, Gov. DeSantis signed an [executive order](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.flgov.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Executive-Order-21-175.pdf%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbADZhy7BA$) prohibiting mask mandates in schools, and the State Board of Education threatened to withhold state funding from districts that required masking in defiance of his prohibition. Several governors, including Tennessee’s Bill Lee, have issued orders allowing parents to[ opt out of local mandates](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/16/world/covid-delta-variant-vaccine%2Atennessee-bill-lee-mask-mandate%5F%5F;Iw!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAry4CFhg$). Even in Vermont, a state lauded as a model for its approach to school reopening and [vaccination rates](https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/covid-19-vaccine-dashboard), children have been an afterthought of the pandemic response. As a public health researcher, practitioner, and parent in Vermont, I’ve watched the state over the last year retreat from many of the lessons it initially offered for a country struggling to return children to classrooms. Vermont reopened its schools on September 8, 2020 with [robust, 41-page statewide guidance](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/education.vermont.gov/documents/guidance-strong-healthy-start-health-guidance%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAoUAkkIc$) amid a mere [5 cases](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/geodata.vermont.gov/datasets/vt-covid-19-daily-counts-table/explore?showTable=true%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAXssHiY0$). State and [school leaders](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.timesargus.com/opinion/commentary/bonesteel-murphy-school-year-beginning/article%5F70274f2d-fdf5-56d9-b0bc-e7afa2744954.html%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAI2SLRPo$) called upon communities to come together to keep kids safe and in-school. When cases flared in late fall, Vermont Governor Phil Scott [closed bars and instituted ](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/02/10/covid-open-schools-spend-money-prioritize-public-health-column/4434132001/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAw%5FE%5FfuY$)restrictions on social gatherings, travel, and sports. Keeping kids in school represented a central priority for the state, and leaders aligned its public health response to achieve this goal. Yet, Vermont’s state leadership has set aside key elements of its success as it has prepared for the 2021-22 school year. Citing its high vaccination rates, the state bucked CDC and AAP masking guidance in its [1.5 page reopening memo ](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/edu-vdh-memo-french-levine-advisory-covid19-prevention-measures-fall-2021.pdf%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbA5aBnU4E$)recommending[ “light touch” ](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/vtdigger.org/2021/08/12/should-workers-in-schools-and-child-care-facilities-be-required-to-vaccinate/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAU8AD80s$)mitigation measures in K-12 schools even as it in August registered the fastest growing epidemic in the U.S. State leaders recommended masking in children under 12 and in students 12 and older in schools with vaccination rates less than 80% but stopped short of mandating it. Absent in state plans were descriptions of the robust layered approach including effective ventilation that experts widely view as essential to reopening as the hyper-transmissible Delta variant spreads. Vermont’s local control approach has left school leaders and unvaccinated children at the mercy of village political whims and expertise. School leaders struggle to make public rapidly changing conditions, and some report [receiving threats](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/huusd.org/blog/2021-08-19-huusd-reopening-letter-from-superintendent-nease-2%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbA-dknAPE$) from community members opposed to mask requirements. Schools in the country’s most vaccinated communities [have adopted the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidance](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/vtdigger.org/2021/08/18/vermont-is-taking-a-local-control-approach-to-the-pandemic-in-schools-in-canaan-that-means-no-masks/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAqIOiYbc$) in full while the school board in Essex County, an area with vaccination rates more than [25% lower](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/covid-19-vaccine-dashboard%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAbPvUw7s$) than the rest of the state, voted [5-0 against masking](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/vtdigger.org/2021/08/18/vermont-is-taking-a-local-control-approach-to-the-pandemic-in-schools-in-canaan-that-means-no-masks/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAqIOiYbc$). As a result, some unvaccinated Vermont children will return to schools with more limited mitigation measures in place than what the CDC recommends in public indoor settings in counties with substantial or high transmission. Yet, the risk of a variant twice as transmissible as the wild-type virus is far greater this fall and therefore calls for redoubling mitigation strategies. Gov. Scott is not the only governor hiding behind the state’s high vaccination rate and counterparts who have shown outright disregard for the health and education of children. Once [criticized for instituting an outdoor masking mandate](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.bostonherald.com/2020/11/03/charlie-bakers-new-mask-mandate-pandemic-theater-says-harvard-epidemiologist/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAWR5Vh10$), Massachusetts Gov. Baker rejected [calls from the Massachusetts Medical Society, Teachers’ Unions, and others](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.nbcboston.com/news/local/massachusetts-doctors-call-on-baker-to-mandate-masks-in-schools/2469532/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAtHhUbAc$) for universal masking mandates in schools, leaving the onus of public health decision making on the state’s 404 individual school boards. New Hampshire Gov. Sununu signed a law [banning vaccine mandates](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-bills-immunizations-8bd5cccfc3558d761bb59643ee2c6761%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAFXx0jCM$) while eschewing calls for [masks](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/twitter.com/annmarietimmins/status/1425902729457721346?s=20%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAuZixITE$) in schools. These actions have come at the most dangerous moment for children in the pandemic. Children now account for nearly [1 in 5 cases of COVID-19](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAjfE0C2E$) in the U.S, and pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations have reached their [pandemic record](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/%2Anew-hospital-admissions%5F%5F;Iw!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAfmo2RGM$). Schools that have opened without mitigation measures in place now have sent [ thousands of students into quarantine](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/08/17/back-school-thousands-students-quarantine-schools-shutting-down/8174088002/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAStBUWOU$) within days, and staff shortages have forced others to close. Even as vaccines continue to protect against hospitalizations and death, [mounting data](https://urldefense.com/v3/%5F%5Fhttps:/www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/%5F%5F;!!OToaGQ!6Np-dg58rW2zzUKQXim6FVCRQWUguiiY%5F3R9DdSLn4HH-XCB1OzKCD-GAqbAjfE0C2E$) highlights the imperative to employ robust strategies to protect children too young to be vaccinated. It’s time to stop minimizing the risk of Covid-19 to children and debating minimalistic approaches to reopening schools. U.S. and state leadership must build on the best practices from Vermont and other states, rather than rationalizing policy choices that compromise the health and education of children mere weeks or months before they are eligible for vaccination. Heavily vaccinated states such as Vermont must once again lead by example and use all available tools to ensure a safe return to in-person education. Returning children safely to classrooms must now be the central goal of the public health response. To this end, governors must institute indoor mask mandates—and restrict other activities as conditions dictate–to curb skyrocketing cases across communities. At the same time, governors must mandate robust school guidance that employs all evidence-based tools to keep kids healthy and in school, including universal masking, ventilation, testing, and controls on high-risk indoor activities, including lunches. States must also ensure that students with high-risk medical conditions have access to remote learning or other accommodations until they are eligible for vaccination. Vermont has taught the country that it takes a village to bring children back to school during a pandemic, but now we must not leave villages to manage the pandemic on their own. Instead, the U.S. must center the health and education of its children in a unified public health response and create the conditions for a safe return to schools. ## Transcript [00:00] I never imagined that, at the age of 12, [00:03] I would be a witness to something so unusual, something that would become history. [00:07] I was pretty sure that it was just like any other virus outbreak we’ve experienced. [00:13] I thought that it would soon be over. [00:16] COVID-19 didn’t seem that real back then. [00:19] So when the first major wave of COVID cases hit in the United States, [00:22] our way of life as we knew it was being upended. [00:25] This was a type of uncertainty that I’d never felt before. [00:29] I mean, I didn’t have any school, sports or friends to play with. [00:32] School was cancelled. Then it went virtual. [00:36] No yearbook signings, no end of year celebrations, nothing. [00:39] Loneliness, boredom and isolation made me feel pretty gloomy. [00:45] For over a year, children around the world have adapted to life in a pandemic, [00:51] navigating new ways of socializing and going to school. [00:55] I’m wondering when we’re going to start having school without masks [00:59] because I’m starting to not get used to it. [01:03] While children as a whole were generally spared from COVID-19’s viral impact, [01:09] many still suffered from feelings of fear, isolation and loss. [01:14] It makes me think about what if I make a mistake of taking my mask off accidentally. [01:20] And it was scary for me because I have reactive airway disease. [01:23] Due to my condition, my exposure to people outside my family was limited. [01:29] Before the pandemic, my family visited my aunt in a memory care facility every week. [01:33] Then she caught COVID-19. Watching her decline was horrible. [01:37] She passed away on New Year’s Eve, and our family had to hold her funeral virtually. [01:41] And in rare instances, some children struggled through severe symptoms and hospitalization. [01:47] It was really bad for me because I was really weak. [01:50] I could barely get out of bed for around two weeks. I was really sensitive to the light. [01:53] I had stomach aches and headaches. The headaches have actually persisted up until now. [01:56] I was also hospitalized and intubated in a ventilator because of a new, rare disease [02:03] called PMIS, [02:04] which developed after contracting COVID-19. [02:09] TIME spoke with child trauma experts about the pandemic’s potential lasting impact [02:15] on children’s mental and emotional well being. [02:19] I think that we have reason to suspect that there’s going to be a very big emotional, [02:25] psychological impact on kids, [02:27] and there’s still a lot I think that we’re learning about just how extensive that is. [02:37] We have some experience with how communities and young people cope with disasters. [02:44] There are two things that are different about this. [02:48] One is the enormously protracted nature of this chronic stressor. [02:53] The second is that we were forced to socially distance, [02:57] and restrain our social interaction, [03:01] which is not our typical tendency when we're under stress. [03:06] We know for example those children who have experienced deaths of loved ones [03:11] will be more vulnerable. [03:15] They're dealing with many more issues, particularly around grief and loss. [03:20] We know that children that are in BIPOC communities, have always had disparities, [03:30] and we're seeing that more and mental health is no different. [03:34] There’s definitely evidence that mental health service use among kids and adolescents [03:41] has dropped significantly. [03:43] School based mental health services are one of the main areas [03:46] where kids and adolescents receive mental health services from [03:49] and with so many schools having gone remote for, you know, a very big chunk of the past, [03:57] over a year now, [03:59] there's no question that a lot of those services have been disrupted [04:02] and it's made it a lot harder for kids and adolescents to get mental health services. [04:08] I think there are curriculums and activities being developed for kids really helping [04:12] them think flexibly and proactively taking initiative, [04:19] and understanding how do you cope with these things. [04:23] You can't control so many aspects of this, but what can you control? [04:30] We need to really think about how do we infuse strong positive relationships [04:37] both at home and at school. [04:41] Because we know from the science that one caring adult, just one, [04:50] can make a complete difference [04:53] in the trajectory of a child's life. [04:57] Experts will need more time to develop a fuller understanding of the pandemic’s [05:00] lasting psychological impact. [05:03] But children are resilient, and they are already drawing their own lessons from their experiences. [05:10] I think one of the best things to come out of this pandemic was realizing how much [05:16] enjoyment there really is in the little things. [05:19] I learned how much we rely on human interaction, [05:23] especially in person human interaction, [05:24] looking someone in the eye, being able to give someone a hug. [05:28] Life is all about facing problems and tackling them with perseverance, [05:33] and it always applies on a universal and an individual level. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6092603/vermont-covid-19-schools/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6092603/vermont-covid-19-schools/"},"headline":"Vermont Offered the U.S. a Textbook for Reopening Schools Safely. 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