Conflicting policies, fiery political debates and the continued spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 are sowing chaos and uncertainty into the back-to-school season.

Why it matters: This will be the third school year in a row with COVID-related disruptions. Many students have already suffered severe learning loss, and the gap between students could grow even wider, thanks to disparities in vaccinations and rising case counts.

What they're saying: "The outlook right now is too similar to what we went through last year," Dan Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, tells Axios' Erica Pandey.

• "It's sad because it's so controllable," he says. "We know what works. We can get our kids in school in person if we can get the older ones vaccinated and the younger ones masked."

What's happening: Mask mandates for students aren't universal, but they're pretty common. Florida, Arizona, Texas and South Carolina are among the states that have banned mask mandates, though some districts are defying those orders.

• And one Florida district that didn't require masks has already had to quarantine 440 students — just two days into the school year.

Here's a snapshot of what's unfolding in local communities:

Chicago

Chicago Public Schools, the nation's third-largest district, officially starts up on Aug. 30, and masks will be mandatory indoors, Axios' Monica Eng reports.

• Last week, officials announced that vaccines would be required for all staff (except those with health exemptions), but the Chicago Teachers Union says they need more access to vaccines.
• Students are not required to be vaccinated.
• Schools will be in-person for now, but as cases rise, some parents are petitioning for a remote option.

Columbus

Ohio school districts are left to decidetheir own safety policies for the upcoming school year, as the statewide case count rises to its highest level since last winter, writes Axios' Tyler Buchanan.

• Columbus City Schools will require masks in all buildings, regardless of vaccination status. But a handful of nearby districts will begin the school year without any mask requirement.

D.C.

Nearly all of Washington, D.C.'s 51,000 public school students will return to the classroom in person starting on Aug. 30, Axios' Cuneyt Dil and Paige Hopkins report.

• Virtual learning is only open to students with a doctor's note documenting their medical need for distanced learning — and only 98 children have been approved so far.
• Masks are required for everybody. Employees must either get vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.

Yes, but: More than 600 people have signed an online petition urging D.C. to allow virtual learning until vaccines are available to children under 12.

Denver

Gov. Jared Polis has rebuffed calls for a statewide mask mandate, but says he may shift his stance if schools are plagued with outbreaks and cannot remain open, writes Axios' John Frank.

• The governor's decision to punt the responsibility to local districts means a messy patchwork of policies at the start of the school year that seemingly changes by the day.
• Denver Public Schools, which returns next week, took the strictest stance, requiring all students, teachers and staff to wear masks and forcing all staff to get vaccinated.

Des Moines

Des Moines Public Schools will not mandate masks or vaccines for staff or students when classes begin Aug. 25 because of a recent state law that prohibits it from doing so, Axios' Jason Clayworth reports.

• Des Moines Superintendent Tom Ahart said Thursday he supports defying the law if the school board approves a mask mandate, the Des Moines Register reports.

There is no threshold for how big many absences would cause a school to close because of a COVID-19 outbreak.

• Virtual options are available to K–12 students.

Nashville

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee largely left local governments to craft their own response to the COVID-19 pandemic but has limited their options on mask mandates, Axios' Nate Rau and Adam Tamburin write.

• After Metro Nashville Public Schools implemented a universal mask mandate just days before school began, Lee responded with an executive order allowing families to opt out.
• The Nashville school district disregarded the executive order, telling families the mandate remains in effect, setting the stage for a likely court battle.

Northwest Arkansas

Local school districts have been scrambling to decide what their policies can and should be after a judge temporarily blocked a state law that bans public entities from requiring masks, Axios' Alex Golden reports.

• The state's four largest school districts — Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville — will all require masks for at least some students for now.

Tampa Bay

Facing record-shattering COVID-19 spikes, three of the nation's largest school districts — Florida's Hillsborough, Broward and Miami-Dade — have defied Gov. Ron DeSantis and made masks mandatory, Axios' Ben Montgomery reports.

What's new: School board meetings have become the stage for this debate. One in Tampa lasted four hours and featured a parade of emotional people trying to shoehorn elaborate political philosophy into one-minute speaking slots.

• Anti-mask moms wore T-shirts that said "Freedom Over Fear" and called masks "tyranny" and "oppression" — while a pediatric nurse called this a "pandemic of sincere ignorance."

Twin Cities

With no statewide policy in place, Minnesota parents are navigating a variety of mask rules based on their child's district, Axios' Torey Van Oot writes.

• Schools in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Rochester will require face coverings for students and teachers when classes resume next month. But the state's largest district, Anoka-Hennepin in the Twin Cities suburbs, will recommend, but not mandate, masks.
• Even in places with mask mandates, parents are stressed ahead of the fall semester.
• Lindsey Wollschlager said she's "relieved" that St. Paul Public Schools will require masks when her 5-year-old daughter starts kindergarten in September.

Yes, but: "She has no excitement about kindergarten. Only dread," Wollschlager said of her daughter.