We are heartened to see that many government agencies, public health authorities, and educational institutions are beginning to incorporate outdoor spaces into their official guidance documents and protocols. Many published guidance about how to reopen schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by how beneficial and meaningful learning outdoors has been, many have continued to incorporate or center outdoor learning in their policy and guidelines, and we hope will do so well into the future.

We believe that outdoor learning policies should be rooted in environmental justice and equity. While the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote learning affected everyone, the health risks, education, and economic impacts have been disproportionately experienced in lower income and BIPOC communities. We recognize the power that policy and funding can have to equitably or inequitably shape students’ opportunities to participate in outdoor learning. We seek to share policy guidance that ensures that all students have access to educational and environmental resources they need to thrive. Our statement on equity has more information about our approach.

This chapter of our online library reflects work undertaken by the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative’s Policy Working Group, which researched and cataloged policies made at the federal, state, and local levels, with the following overall goals:

• We seek to make existing policies and funding easier for school districts around the country to locate and apply for during the pandemic, and in the years to come.

• We would like to encourage policymakers to include outdoor learning (staff, supplies, and infrastructure, etc.) as a priority for their short-term financial allocation recommendations to address COVID-19 and help schools remain open for in-person learning outdoors, where virus transmission risk is lower.

• We want to help ensure that green schoolyards and outdoor learning programs are seen as increasingly important, cost-effective assets for student learning across the country and become fully integrated into school infrastructure, green infrastructure planning processes and funding mechanisms, and state education standards.

Policy Exemplars that Advance Living Schoolyards, Environmental Literacy,
and Sustainability
This resource includes a collection of policies that have been adopted across the country over the last twenty years that support the use and development of outdoor spaces on PK–12 school grounds and public lands.

Government Programs and Funding for
Outdoor Learning and Schoolyard Greening
This resource lists examples of federal and state government grants that have helped to build outdoor learning programs and green infrastructure for living schoolyards over the last 15 years. Some examples on this list are still active funding sources and others are examples of grant programs that have been effective and could be replicated elsewhere.

Policy Guidance for School Reopening
This article includes a collection of COVID-19 related official, public guidance documents that address reopening policy for PK–12 schools, issued by national, state, and local institutions around the country.

Federal Funding to Provide COVID-19 Relief
This article discusses the two major economic stimulus bills that were passed in 2020 by the federal government, and highlights sections of the current bill that school districts may be able to use to fund outdoor learning.

Community Engagement Strategies
This multi-part resource highlights how to facilitate community engagement when advocating for outdoor learning. It provides suggestions and frameworks that help districts co-create outdoor learning plans with all community members and stakeholders in mind.