COVID-19 Policy Update #112
COVID-19 Policy Update
THURSDAY 9/24
TOP THREE
Parents File Lawsuit Against LAUSD Nine parents filed a lawsuit alleging that the Los Angeles Unified School District’s distance learning program fails to meet state educational standards and disproportionately harms Black and Latino students.
HHS: Troubling CMS report on children's health (comparing March-May 2020 with 2019):
22% fewer vaccinations for children up to age 2. AZ, CA, DC, HI, and VI had the lowest vaccination rates.
44% fewer child screening services
69% fewer saw a dentist. CA, DC, MI, PR, and RI had the lowest dental service rates
44% fewer saw outpatient mental health services. CO, HI, PR, RI and VI had the lowest outpatient mental health service rates
Children and COVID Vaccine: Drugmakers haven't started testing their coronavirus vaccines in children, putting kids at the end of the line for a potential shot.
FEDERAL
Phase 4:
Secretary Mnuchin said that he and Speaker Pelosi agreed to resume talks on another economic relief package.
House Democrats are drafting a new $2.4 trillion economic relief plan. The plan is said to include enhanced unemployment insurance, direct cash payments, additional funding for PPP, funding for airlines, and other provisions. We'll share the details as we receive them. The House could vote on the package as soon as next week.
HHS: Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir said the HHS will ship “millions of tests per week” to help schools reopen.
ED: Readout of the U.S. Department of Education’s virtual panel on successful strategies to reopen schools.
STATE
California: This morning, five Orange County school districts serving about 76,000 students will open for in-person classes.
Colorado:
COVID exposure traced to Garfield Re-2 buses moves nearly 100 students to online distance learning
Georgia: Only 39% of schools have a full-time nurse.
Indiana: Initial numbers indicate more than 1,100 schools reported no COVID-19 cases, and more than 900 reported at least one case. The state is planning on releasing a dashboard soon.
Ohio: ODH has released official weekly numbers for each school district and non-public school showing 739 total cases as of Thursday, up from 319 a week ago. 466 cumulative cases have been students and 273 have been school staff members.
Texas: Gregory-Portland ISD uses a pod system to bring students back to school.
INTERNATIONAL
Raj Chetty: Long piece on Raj Chetty and Opportunity Insights. Well worth the read.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Raj Chetty: Long piece on Raj Chetty and Opportunity Insights. Well worth the read.
LEARNING PODS
NC Pods: Asheville City Schools has launched eight pods for their students.
Football Stadium Suites: The University of Montana is offering a new free service to faculty and students with school-age kids. The stadium suites are being opened for students to learn and interact with others while their parents are working or in school at UM.
`Learning Pods’ Spread to Left-Behind Kids With Help From Cities: Great overview from BGOV.
RESOURCES
Vaccine Skepticism:
Via NBC: Many parents are hesitant to give their kids a COVID-19 vaccine. What if schools require it?
Gov. Cuomo said New York will establish their own review process for vaccines approved by the FDA.
'Back to School' is Here: Congress Must Act Now to Assist Schools: OpEd from CCSSO's Carissa Moffat Miller who argues it will take between $158.1 billion and $244.6 billion in funding, including $4 billion for broadband, to help schools with the recovery.
What Counts For Attendance? NPR article. "Districts such as Los Angeles Unified have been criticized for setting the bar too low by decreeing that any interaction — even a single text between a parent and a teacher — counts as "participation" for a given day."
Class for Zoom: New company launched by Michael Chasen which offers a number of instructional management tools for Zoom sessions including attendance, attention trackers, quiz assignments, and more.
During These Challenging Times: We all need a best friend.