This is the Kato Daily Podcast for Tuesday, August 10th, 2021.

I'm Caleb Brown.

What's the school year look like for your family?

For many parents, there is actually more uncertainty regarding schooling options going

into the fall than last year. Many states have responded with mandates, new school

choice programs, and many parents have responded by turning to homeschooling.

Cato adjunct Carrie McDonald gives a preview

into what she sees in the coming school year.

For a lot of parents, 2020 through 2021,

the school year was an exercise in stoicism potentially at its best handling a very difficult

situation. A lot of teachers seem to be differing opinions about whether or not students should be back in the classroom.

So what does this fall look like?

I think this fall back to school season is just as uncertain and

unsettling as the last. You know we see for example changing mask guidance the American Academy of Pediatrics

This month came out with recommendations saying that all children

to and over should be masked at schools this fall regardless of vaccination status

as well as staff.

That's similar, although it goes further than the current CDC guidelines saying that

unvaccinated students should be masked in schools.

And, you know, this is going to create a real challenge,

I think, for teachers and administrators,

the Associated Press, for example, saying that it will be very difficult on a daily basis for educators to figure out who has to be masked and who doesn't have to be masked and that they're suggesting that many school

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