A Spatial Examination of COVID‐19 Policies among Missouri School Districts

Abstract

BACKGROUND As the COVID‐19 pandemic spread, school district administrators in the United States were faced with difficult decisions regarding the implementation of virtual or in‐person learning to reduce risk of infection throughout student and staff populations. While a coordinated effort with surrounding districts would be most beneficial when encountering a highly infectious respiratory‐based infectious disease, the determinants of type of education delivery is unclear. METHODS Data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education assessing education delivery method at each school district across the state of Missouri (n = 514) from August 2020 were used. This cross‐sectional study, using results from a school district‐level survey, local COVID‐19 rates, and community‐level sociodemographic characteristics, conducted a spatially adjusted analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine associations between education delivery type and geographic‐level sociogeographic characteristics. RESULTS Among Missouri school districts, 172 (33.4%) reported starting the 2020‐2021 academic year with an in‐person policy, 52 (10.1%) with a distant/virtual policy, 242 (47.1%) in‐person with a distance option, and 48 (9.3%) with a blended policy. This study found districts with lower household income levels were less likely to offer students any virtual learning options. Additionally, community COVID‐19 infection rates were not associated with the selection of virtual or in‐person education delivery. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest the presence of a specific school policy was spatially random in regard to neighboring community policies, even when accounting for community characteristics. The efficacy of policy is likely to benefit upon application of a spatial framework when addressing a crisis fundamentally tied to location. Future planning that highlights and focuses on regional coordination for community resilience in the face of a pandemic should incorporate data sources that inform decisions made for families, students, and communities.