School officials are relaxing some policies while adding new restrictions to others, and they’re having to adjust as they go, swapping rules in and out as understanding of the virus’s behavior evolves.

“It’s as chaotic as you can get,” said Daniel Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. The continuing threat of the pandemic has placed extraordinary demands on school districts, he said, and many changed their protocols right up to the first day of class…

Last year, Dallas mandated temperature checks at school building entrances, like other cities including New York, to screen for fevers that could be associated with Covid.

School officials found that few students arrived for class with a fever, Dr. Hinojosa said, and the process tied up school staffers and created long lines at some schools. This year, the district has done away with the process.

Masks were recommended last year but not mandated on campus. There were several school closures and a couple of classroom outbreaks that led to quarantines, district officials said. This year, Dallas is requiring students to wear masks, in accordance with CDC guidelines.