LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Louisiana students and teachers learned suddenly before dismissal on a Friday afternoon that schools would shut down for a month.

It was jarring news, and on top of all the questions — Would there be distance learning? What about meals? What happens with testing? — many educators were just plain sad.

"Oh my word, this is even harder than summer break," said Jennifer Babineaux, a first-grade teacher at Broadmoor Elementary in Lafayette.

She described the initial feeling as something similar to mourning or grieving. She's not alone. Blogs using the same descriptors have cir...