“Every day is an eternity for a young man,” said Inslee, a Democrat. “We couldn’t wait any longer.”
In the weeks since most governors took action, cases across the country have started to rise again, which can complicate the effort to get children back to school. Many school officials have already been offered vaccines, which has reduced the resistance of teachers’ unions to reopening and, as long as staff vaccination rates are high, will limit opportunities for the virus to spread in schools.
Still, in areas where cases are increasing dramatically, such as Michigan, some schools have had to switch back to remote education temporarily because many students were quarantined.
But for now, at least, the actions of these governors have produced significant results.
In Ohio, almost half of all students were in totally remote districts by the beginning of 2021. By March 1, that number had dropped to 4% and decreased further in the weeks that followed.
In Washington, before Inslee released its proclamation, the state’s largest district, the Seattle Public Schools, was at an impasse with its teachers’ union over a reopening plan. Days after Mr. Inslee announced that he would require the districts to bring students back at least part time, the two sides reached an agreement that all pre-school and elementary students and some older students with disabilities return by April 5.
And in Massachusetts, Baker’s move brought about a radical change, with dozens of districts bringing students back to school for the first time since the pandemic began, and hundreds shifting from part-time to full-time.
“It worked really well,” said DeWine, a Republican, of his decision to offer vaccines to Ohio districts that promised to reopen. “We have these kids back to school.”