In California, inconsistent school COVID rules are the norm

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Now that schools are back in session, parents are mastering this year’s new school vocabulary: Modified quarantine, antigen vs. PCR testing and the so-called Swiss cheese model for keeping classrooms safe, which has become the butt of a few jokes.

But aside from a common pandemic lingo there is little similarity in how California schools are applying COVID-19 rules, leading to a dizzying patchwork of approaches that parents and teachers say can be confusing and frustrating.

While California has a few statewide requirements for all schools, such as requiring all public and private school teachers and students to wear face masks indoors, and a vaccinate-or-test rule for teachers starting in mid-October, many other details are left to local school officials. That includes the who, when, where and how to test for COVID-19, and ever-shifting quarantine rules.

Some large urban districts like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland tell students to mask up for outdoor recess, while many others do not.

Some schools have rigorous on-site mandatory COVID-19 testing programs, but many don’t.

Across the state, parents who want to see more testing are looking to the Los Angeles Unified School District — the nation's second-largest — as a model. The state’s largest school district has an ambitious program that mandates weekly on-site testing for all 600,000 students and 75,000 employees.

“It’s crazy that a school district as huge as Los Angeles can pull it off, and we’re just twiddling our thumbs over here,” said Samantha Benton, a mother of two in Sacramento, where only voluntary testing is offered.

Last week, California became the first in the nation to say it will require the coronavirus vaccine for all public and private schools once the shot receives full...