Protests against mandated COVID-19 vaccines pop up across US

Hundreds of student and staff members from the Marion School District in Arkansas are now quarantined in only the second week of the school year, officials announced.

The state has a ban on school districts imposing a mask mandate.

On Tuesday, the district said 253 students would begin their two-week quarantine due to 15 cases that were reported in the schools. This came after 168 students were already quarantined last week.

"If all students and teachers had been wearing a mask appropriately- then today's 15 positive cases would be isolated- but there would be no resulting quarantines for anyone else," the district said in a statement.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters Tuesday he regretted signing the bill that banned masks in schools and urged the state legislature to amend the law to give schools the option.

A Florida school district that defied Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on school mask mandates said Tuesday that two of its employees died from the virus last weekend.

Carlee Simon, the superintendent for the Alachua County Schools, said in a statement that the district "is experiencing this spike first-hand."

"Over the weekend two of our employees passed away from COVID," she said in a statement. "We've had 18 new cases in the last three days alone. More than 80 employees are now in quarantine, and that number is rising fast."

The school district, which includes which includes Gainesville, voted Tuesday night to issue a mask mandate for students and staff for the next two weeks. The mandate will be reevaluated on Aug. 17, Simon said.

The Hawaii State Department of Education announced that all middle and high school athletes, athletic staff and volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 24 in order to participate in activities.

The rule affects students who are eligible for the vaccines, meaning they must be over 12.

"This decision was not made lightly because we know the important role athletics play in a well-rounded education, but we cannot jeopardize the health and safety of our students and communities," interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in a statement.

The start of the athletic season was delayed to Sept. 24 due to the state's rising positivity rate, according to the department.

This is the first state to require vaccinations for its student athletes.

-ABC News' Bonnie McLean

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday that all pre-K through 12th grade schools and day cares must follow universal masking indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Pritzker said the state is facing a growing threat from the delta variant and noted that children under 12 aren't yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.

"Far too few school districts have chosen to follow the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prescription for keeping students and staff safe," he said at a news conference. "Given the CDC’s strong recommendation, I had hoped that a state mask requirement in schools wouldn’t be necessary, but it is."