COVID-19 Policy Update #175
COVID-19 Policy Update
THURSDAY 1/7
A Dark Day For Democracy
The Incitement: Trump picked the day, summoned his supporters, and billed it as “stopping the steal." He addressed the crowd saying "You'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong." He then asked for them to march to the capitol.
The Siege: Rioters overwhelmed the capitol police, stormed the building, and made it to the Senate well and the Speaker's office. Pipe bombs were found and disarmed. Police later discovered firearms including an assault rifle. The Senate Parliamentarian office was ransacked. The Confederate Flag was flown inside and a noose was erected outside. Efforts are underway to assess if any sensitive information was stolen.
The Response:
President Obama: "History will rightly remember today's violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation."
President Bush: “This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic–not our democratic republic... I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement.”
President Clinton: "The assault was fueled by more than four years of poison politics spreading deliberate misinformation, sowing distrust in our system, and pitting Americans against one another. The match was lit by Donald Trump and his most ardent enablers, including many in Congress, to overturn the results of an election he lost."
The Calls:
For impeachment from Speaker Pelosi, Sen. Schumer, U.S. House Judiciary Chairman Nadler, Peggy Noonan, the Dispatch, Checks & Balances, Village Capital, , and the NEA.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), became the first Republican in Congress to call for the 25th Amendment to be invoked. Others include NAM, former White House chief of staff John Kelly, and the NYT Editorial Board. ABC News reports some Cabinet members had preliminary discussions about the 25th. NBC says Pompeo and Mnuchin were among them. Vice President Pence said he does not support invoking it. Schumer said that if the Cabinet does not exercise the 25th Amendment, Congress should reconvene to impeach and remove Trump.
The WSJ called for the President to resign.
Secretary DeVos submitted her resignation to President Trump on Thursday night, saying the Capitol riot was an inflection point for her.
The Double Standard: Many are drawing contrasts to the use of force during BLM protests with the lack of force (and only 53 arrests) at yesterday's insurrection. President Trump used tear gas and rubber bullets on a crowd of peaceful protestors in order to have a photo-op, but he refused to authorize the national guard when the capitol was under attack.
The Shame: It was a shameful day. I hope this is our rock bottom.
TOP THREE
Record Deaths: States reported 266,00 cases, 132,370 COVID-19 hospitalizations, and a record 4,033 deaths. The 7-day average for deaths is now over 2,750, also a record.
American Academy of Pediatrics: Updated school guidance:
"New information tells us that opening schools does not significantly increase community transmission of the virus. However, it is critical for schools to closely follow guidance provided by public health officials," said Dr. Lee Beers, new president of the AAP.
They also advise:
It is critical to use science and data to guide decisions about the pandemic and school COVID-19 plans.
Community-wide approaches to mitigation are needed for schools to open and remain open. Adequate and timely COVID-19 testing resources must be accessible.
School transmission mirrors but does not drive community transmission
Cloth face coverings in schools are strongly recommended for adults and all students over age 2.
School COVID-19 policies should be practical, feasible, and appropriate for children’s and adolescents’ developmental stage and address teacher and staff safety.
Special considerations and accommodations to account for the diversity of youth should be made, especially for those who are medically fragile or complex, have developmental challenges, or have disabilities.
Schools should collaborate with state and local public health to assure that teachers and staff have access to the COVID-19 vaccine as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) and CDC.
School policies should also look to create safe working environments for educators and school staff. This focus on overall health and well-being includes addressing the behavioral/mental health needs of students and staff.
Reopening: JHU epidemiologists OpEd: "Yes, there’s risk in opening schools. But we can find ways to manage it."
"We should open schools not because it would be risk-free, but because schools are important, and the risks can be managed."
"Closing schools does help slow transmission of the virus."
"It is likely that these strong associations have a lot to do with things other than transmission in schools themselves. ... Closing schools itself also leads to behavior change, of course, as the need for people to stay home with children changes their patterns of social interaction in ways that can limit transmission."
"The trick is to open schools safely. Mitigation measures such as required masking, class cohorting and physical barriers between desks can go a long way in reducing covid-19 transmission. Different strategies should be developed for elementary-age children than for older students, because there are differences in the importance of schooling by age and because older children appear to be more susceptible to the virus compared with younger ones. Critically, teachers need to feel safe and supported — without their buy-in, in-person learning is impossible."
FEDERAL
ED: Announced the $54 billion in K-12 funding has now been made available to states. Here is the state-by-state breakdown.
GA Runoff:
Warnock (50.9%) to Loeffler (49.1%)
Ossoff (50.5%) to Perdue (49.5%)
The Democrats now have a unified government, but only by the slimmest of margins. It will make it easier for Biden nominees going through the confirmation process. It could lead to breaking the 2:2 deadlock at the FCC. And it will help the Biden administration advance a number of their priorities.
EdWeek has a writeup on Sen. Murrary who will take over the HELP committee.
Goldman Sachs believes there will be another $600 billion package. Sen. Murrary has also said, "she wants Congress to pass a new COVID-19 relief package that would include more money for K-12 schools once President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20."
Transition:
Just after 3:30 am, Congress, with VP Mike Pence presiding, certified the election of Joseph R. Biden.
Nominations: Biden intends to name Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to be his Secretary of Commerce and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to be the Secretary of Labor. And Merrick Garland as his pick for Attorney General
Gallup poll finds American expect Biden to improve the environment (64%), education (63%) the most. The 63% on education compares to GHW Bush (61%), Clinton (69%), Bush (66%), Obama (71%), and Trump (53%).
House: Our partners at Brownstein have a summary of the House rules package. Here are some takeaways:
The Centrality of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)
Economic Fairness as Key Concern
PAYGO Waived for COVID-19 and Climate Measures
Toward Statehood for Washington, D.C.
Elimination of the Motion to Recommit with Instructions
COVID-19 RESEARCH
New Variant: CDC foresees spread in the U.S. of highly contagious coronavirus variant. But, scientists are concerned that we're still blind due to a lack of comprehensive testing.
8 Months of Immunity: According to a new paper.
Vaccine Hesitancy: HBCU leaders take active role in coronavirus vaccine education.
COVID Hospitalizations: More than 130,000 Americans are in the hospital with COVID-19 infections. In 34 states, coronavirus patients are occupying at least 10% of all hospital beds. Rural hospitals have a greater percentage of COVID-19 patients:
STATE
California:
Superintendents of seven of California’s largest school districts said that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to reopen local campuses fails to set a clear statewide standard for judging COVID-19 conditions and seeks to use taxpayer funds that would otherwise go toward existing education programs.
EdSource on "What obstacles must be overcome to offer in-person instruction in California schools"
1 in 3 students are testing positive for COVID-19 at some LA schools. The student positivity rate was 32% in the Maywood, Bell and Cudahy communities, where families have a median income of about $37,000, according to district data, and 25% in Mid-City, where the median income is about $41,000. In contrast, the rate was 4.3% in Venice, with a median income of about $73,000, and 7.1% in the Woodland Hills, West Hills and Tarzana area, with a median income of about $81,000.
Colorado: Gov. Polis announced teachers and students will be able to access COVID-19 tests for home use. Public and private schools will be able to opt into the program.
Florida: Seems irresponsible: About 1,700 Broward County teachers with underlying medical conditions who have been teaching remotely have been ordered to return to classrooms.
Maryland: Parent groups in six counties ask Maryland leaders to prioritize reopening public schools
New Jersey: Jersey City Public Schools will continue remote learning until April.
New York: NYC Catholic schools want to be included in early COVID-19 vaccine distribution
South Carolina: $20 million of CARES Act funding was used to create an Online Learning Initiative. $12 million was spent securing mobile hotspots and wired internet service for qualifying student households in school districts and institutions of higher learning statewide.
Texas: Houston schools can require students struggling online to return in person.
West Virginia: Teachers, school employees can receive COVID-19 vaccine this week
INTERNATIONAL
Greece: Kindergartens and primary schools to reopen on January 11
Ireland: Ordered the closure of all schools for three weeks.
Israel:
The Education Ministry announces distance learning plan during the new lockdown.
Education Minister Yoav Gallant said, “the analysis of the data of the education system by the best experts and analysts proves that the education system curbs infection, since about 85% of the morbidity data occurred outside the education system. It has also been proven over time that morbidity rates among students who do not stay in educational institutions are higher than those of students studying at the time.”
Italy: Teenagers will return to class on January 11 instead of January 7, when younger children go back to school — but then still only for half their time, under a new government order.
Scotland: The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) said schools are not adequately prepared for the challenge of delivering remote learning from next week.
UK:
The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said it was mandatory for state schools to offer between three and five hours of teaching for pupils who are at home during the UK’s third lockdown.
The Government has purchased more than one million laptops and tablets and have already delivered over 560,000 of them to schools and local authorities. An extra 100,000 are being distributed this week.
Parents are urged to report their child's school to the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) if online lessons aren't working well.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
New Way of Measuring Family Poverty: Before the pandemic, one-third of U.S. households with children were already "net worth poor," lacking enough financial resources to sustain their families for three months at a poverty level. In 2019, 57% of Black families and 50% of Latino families with children were poor in terms of net worth. By comparison, the rate for white families was 24%. The NSF funded study is among the first to consider family poverty in terms of assets, not income.
Covid Teaches the Well-off a Lesson About Family That Poor People Already Knew: Gene Sperling OpEd.
RESOURCES
Financial Turmoil and Public Education: Video of a webinar by Marguerite Roza on the impacts of the new federal aid package.
Spring Exams Are the Best Shot State Leaders Have at Knowing What’s Happening With Their Students: DQC oped.
EdChoice / Morning Consult Poll: Dec parent survey. Quarterly teacher survey. All Data / Crosstabs. So much great data in here on vaccines, school reopenings, pods, and more. Some excerpts:
Making Policy for a Low-Trust World: Really great, must read short essay:
"A very large share of the people involved in politics and government are lawyers, and their lawyerly instinct about the problem seems to be that you need to layer on more layers of process. If people are worried about the discretionary use of power, you need to make sure the decision-makers go through an elaborate compliance checklist."
"When you try to address low trust through compliance, you end up where Andrew Cuomo is — he’s creating an elaborate checklist for vaccine prioritization which is hard to follow, so he’s ramping up penalties for people who don’t comply, which is slowing vaccine administration and further eroding trust."
"The correct way to respond to a low-trust environment is not to double down on proceduralism, but to commit yourself to the “it does exactly what it says on the tin” principle and implement policies that have the following characteristics:
It’s easy for everyone, whether they agree with you or disagree with you, to understand what it is you say you are doing.
It’s easy for everyone to see whether or not you are, in fact, doing what you said you would do.
It’s easy for you and your team to meet the goal of doing the thing that you said you would do."
"That combines with a very open media ecosystem where it’s just inevitable that anything that happens will end up subject to scrutiny, some of it crazy and some of it sophisticated and almost all of it coming from people who feel that they are qualified to participate in serious discussions. Today’s elites seem less remote, less mysterious, and less impressive. They also aren’t coming off the back of leading the country to victory in a World War, and they are navigating a landscape with much more polarized politics and much higher expectations from historically marginalized people."
Canada Also Faced Insurgents: A knife-wielding squirrel has been spotted in Toronto. Be safe up there...