Last year it was all about chairs and headphones. This year it's time for T-shirts and sneakers — and more laptops. Back-to-school shopping in the U.S. is expected to top $37 billion.

Preparing for both in-person and virtual learning has families budgeting for new school supplies like masks and bleach wipes as well as bigger purchases like laptops, speakers, desks and chairs.

Parents started a Facebook group dedicated to “positivity vibes” and organized a Tuesday morning rally to show support for the school board that made the difficult decision to allow students to come to class unmasked.

Two suburban Atlanta school districts that began in-person classes Monday with mask-optional policies face more questions about COVID-19 safety protocols after on-campus pictures showed students packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

Ultimately, students need to return to school this week despite high rates of COVID-19 in Georgia because staying healthy means more than avoiding the virus.

"On Second Thought" hosted a panel discussion on youth mental health during this particularly fraught back-to-school season, produced in collaboration with American Public Media's "Call to Mind" initiative and public media station WETA's Well Beings tour.

Allison Webb resigned Thursday morning, not long after the Board Of Education meeting removed public comment and a proposal to start classes after Labor Day from its agenda.

It is unclear whether the state board can do much more than strongly urge districts to move back their start dates as Georgia has locally controlled school districts.

Cherokee County schools will start Aug. 3 in person, with roughly 23% of students starting remotely through digital learning.

Teachers in Cherokee County schools say they want to return to classes — safely — but were again silenced when they were not permitted to speak during a school board meeting Thursday night.

With all we don’t know about the coronavirus and keeping children safe, returning to school is much like a game of Russian roulette, some parents say. ...

Students across the state are readjusting their sleep schedules as they head back to school after summer vacation. But not all kids spent the past few...