Policymaking is not linear or neutral, nor is it ever made or enacted in isolation, especially not during a crisis. Framed by theories on the contextual, interactive nature of policy enactment, this year-long, ethnographic study examined how an urban elementary school and nonprofit organization worked to address challenges made visible by the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses explored how negotiations among the school, its nonprofit partner, and district shaped pandemic policy responses. Data included 35 transcriptions and eight field notes from stakeholder interviews and principal–partner meetings, and 128 external stakeholder artifacts. Findings showcase the policy enactment of family–school communication and access to remote learning, and limitations of the partnership due to structural and racialized processes. The discussion presents implications for educational policymaking in response to crises, highlighting the need to understand the external contexts and racialized discourses that are part of shaping those responses to be dynamic and “nonlinear.”

政策制定不是线性或中立的，也不是孤立地制定或颁布的，尤其是在危机期间。这项为期一年的民族志研究以政策制定的背景、互动性质的理论为框架，研究了城市小学和非营利组织如何努力应对 COVID-19 大流行带来的挑战。分析探讨了学校、其非营利合作伙伴和学区之间的谈判如何塑造流行病政策应对措施。数据包括来自利益相关者访谈和主要合伙人会议的 35 份抄本和 8 份现场笔记，以及 128 个外部利益相关者工件。调查结果显示了家庭-学校沟通和远程学习的政策制定，以及由于结构和种族化过程而导致的伙伴关系的局限性。