Angela McCray left her job as a pharmacist to homeschool her three children as pandemic lockdowns closed public schools in Monroe, North Carolina. So when public schools in the region announced reopening plans, she was excited to return her daughter for in-class instruction.

But McCray became concerned when her school district -- Union County Public Schools -- didn’t announce any official plans to test students or even require masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

"I was being patient knowing that they would see the numbers increase and would change their mind," she said.