The fall semester started with a battle at Immanuel Schools near Fresno, California. Despite an order from health officials to cancel in-person classes during COVID-19, the private Christian campus opened on schedule. A Fresno County judge intervened on Sept. 15, siding with the government, but classrooms have remained open anyway.

Similar clashes have unfolded across the country. Cameron County, Texas, tried to close private campuses but backed down after two schools lawyered up. Maryland’s Montgomery County tried the same thing until Gov. Larry Hogan intervened. Wisconsin’s Dane County also ordered private schools to close until the state Supreme Court granted a temporary injunction on Sept. 10.