COVID has wreaked havoc on virtually every aspect of America's public schools. Now parents are pulling their kids out of the system altogether, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.

• Why it matters: With school funding directly tied to enrollment, experts warn the decline will have deep repercussions for individual districts.

By the numbers: Districts in the country with the most remote classes lost 4% of their students, compared to a 1% drop for those that held school in person, according to a national survey by the American Enterprise Institute and the College Crisis Initiative at Davidson College.

• New York saw the most significant drop in enrollment statewide from 2020 to 2022, with nearly a 6% decline.
• Public school enrollment in California fell below 6 million this academic year for the first time in two decades, per statewide data.
• Kindergarten enrollment was down 8% in districts with the most remote learning vs. a 2% drop for those with in-person schooling.

"A likely explanation for the sustained or even accelerated enrollment loss is parents looking for safe harbor for their kids, looking for some continuity through this," said Thomas Dee, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education.

• Dee said schools will have to plan for enrollment drops as "the new normal" as long as the pandemic persists.

Go deeper: N.Y. Times, "With Plunging Enrollment, a ‘Seismic Hit’ to Public Schools" (subscription)

This weekend, more than 100 million Americans will likely experience dangerous weather conditions — from wildfires to record heat, and even heavy snow, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes.

• Parts of the mid-Atlantic will experience temperatures that are 20 to 30 degrees above average for this time of year.
• A powerful cold front is diving southeast across the Rockies today, with heavy snow expected in Denver and Boulder.

Numerous wildfires are already burning throughout the Southwest, including the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire, the largest in New Mexico's history.

1. Trevor Reed — the former U.S. Marine detained in a Russian prison since 2019, before his release last month — told CNN he feared for his life while imprisoned. Go deeper.
2. 🗽Former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he'd run for Congress to represent parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn in a newly drawn district. Go deeper.
3. A poll by AP and NORC Center for Public Research shows President Biden has 39% approval — a new low in his presidency. Go deeper.

If you’re sick of making a mess every time you eat — or make burritos — a group of John Hopkins undergraduates has come up with a fix: edible tape.

• "Tastee Tape" is a clear, edible tape (dyed blue for the photos) that's strong enough to hold even the biggest burrito together.

It can also be used with gyros, wraps or tacos. The students are working with university officials to apply for a patent, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes.

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