As students return to class this month, a study has found more than 97,000 children in the U.S. tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of July. 

The report, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association (CHA), found a 40% increase in child COVID-19 cases in the areas studied. 

This new data shows not only that infections are rising among children but also, "the total number of cases, percentage of total cases and rate of cases in children are also the highest they've been since the AAP and CHA's first report, which examined COVID-19 data as of April 16," according to ABC News. 

Almost 9% of all cases are children, according to the AAP. 

With schools already back in session in some U.S. cities, and more schools preparing to reopen, some districts are already facing outbreaks and new closures.

In the U.S. state of Georgia, a high school featured in a viral photo showing students packed tightly in a hallway announced on Monday it is temporarily closing after nine students and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.

"Six students and three staff members who were in school for at least some time last week ... have since reported to us that they have tested positive," wrote the principal in a letter to parents. 

A 15-year-old student who shared photos of the school on social media was initially suspended, but the punishment was reversed following public outrage.

Another Georgia school district is facing similar issues and had to cancel plans to reopen with in-person instruction this week. 
CNN reports, more than 90 staff members are in quarantine because of confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 or exposure from someone who is positive. 

How schools reopen has been left to individual states and school districts. Methods vary across the country with some schools coming back to in-person teaching, online classes or a hybrid program. And COVID-19 safety among teachers, staff and students remains a top concern among families. 

U.S. President Trump is also pushing schools to reopen but as cases climb in many areas, officials are struggling to balance the pandemic and education. In some areas, teachers are organizing and protesting against school reopening policies. 

"We knew how to close schools," said Annette C. Anderson, an assistant professor of education and deputy director of the Center for Safe and Healthy Schools at Johns Hopkins University. "But we have no idea how to properly reopen schools," she told the Washington Post. 

The American Federation of Teachers passed a resolution endorsing strikes and protests against in-person instruction, with teachers in New York City threatening to walk out.

Some universities are also amending their plans to reopen and/or pushing back their start dates. Johns Hopkins University reversed its plans and moved all classes online. The university also discouraged students from returning to Baltimore, Maryland. 

For those schools planning in-person classes, there are concerns over student housing, sports programs and on-campus activities.

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