All the biggest (and weirdest) ideas schools around the world are considering to get students back in classrooms

An example of an outdoor class in Turin, Italy, in June 2020.Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images

• Many K-12 schools are flying blind on how to reopen as President Trump threatens to cut off funding to schools that don't reopen without providing additional guidance and teachers push back against returning to potentially unsafe conditions.
• The economy can't recover without open schools, yet students can't continue to struggle with virtual learning.
• There's a difficult balance to strike this fall.
• Here are some of the big ideas that have been suggested — and implemented — around the world to allow a return to in-person instruction, from testing to pod-style classrooms to outdoor classes. Some of them are quite weird.

For many K-12 students, back-to-school season is looming — and it's going to look a little different this year.

Some schools, like those in New York, are planning on only partially reopening, while some schools in Florida are set to reopen fully, and others in California are planning on remaining remote.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off funding for schools that don't reopen (something that he doesn't legally have the authority to do). Trump does have the authority to approve extra funding for schools, which teachers have been saying is badly needed to reopen safely

The Republican "HEALS Act" proposes $70 billion of K-12 education of education, but much of that money is directly tied to reopening. It's also much less than what would be provided in the bill already passed by the Democratic-led House, but the parties have not so far been able to reach an agreement.

There's a delicate balance to be struck: the economy cannot recover with daycares and schools closed. And experts say that key aspects of in-person instruction can't be replaced with virtual learning. But reopening also must be safe for teachers, students, and families.

Here are some big — and weird — ideas at the forefront of schools reopening, from frequent testing to pod-style classrooms to outdoor instruction.