COVID-19 Policy Update #215
COVID-19 Policy Update
TUESDAY 3/9
TOP THREE
OpEd From CDC Researchers: The authors of a CDC study of Wisconsin schools wrote an oped in USA Today "CDC misinterpreted our research on opening schools. It should loosen the rules now."
"First, children are not at significant risk of poor outcomes from COVID-19. As of Tuesday, 288 children have died from the disease in the United States, compared with more than 500,000 adults."
"Second, viral spread is minimal in schools with appropriate safety precautions, even in communities with a high disease prevalence (significantly higher than the CDC red zone that the CDC suggests middle and high schools be all virtual and elementary schools hybrid)."
"Dr. Hoeg led a study of 4,876 grade K-12 students and 654 staff members in Wisconsin school districts last fall. COVID-19 test positivity rates reached 41.6% in the community during the study. Notably, despite the majority of ventilation systems not being replaced, with 92% of students wearing masks (no mask wearing during recess), and with variable distancing, there were only seven students (five children grades K-six, and two in grades seven-12) and zero staff who contracted the virus in school."
"Third, no science supports mandating 6 feet of distance with children wearing masks. A 6-foot distance between students creates space constraints for schools to open in entirety. There is data supporting at least 3-foot distancing."
"Fourth, despite fearmongering regarding variants in America, we have not seen evidence that variants are spreading through in-person schools."
"The best way to overcome fear is to follow the science, and the science shows we can safely open our schools now for full-time (nonhybrid) learning and keep them open."
NYC Study Finds In-Person Learning Was Not Associated With Increased Prevelance: New study:
Researchers analyzed data from 234,132 persons tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection in 1,594 New York City public schools during October 9–December 18, 2020
"During eight weeks of in-person school, we found that persons associated with public schools had an overall burden of COVID-19 infections that was no higher than the burden in the general community and that transmission within schools was not common"
"Overall incidence was higher for staff than the general community and markedly higher for persons aged 45–64 years and 65–74 years during December. The fact that prevalence remained similar to or less than model estimates for persons 18-64 years old, however, suggests that increased incidence was attributable to increased ascertainment of infection—staff were tested at far higher rates, including 10 times the rate in December, than adults in the community—or acquisition of infection outside of school settings because of rising community incidence"
"When strict protocols were implemented for preventing, diagnosing, and managing school-associated cases, in-person learning in public schools was not associated with increased prevalence and incidence overall compared with the general community, and secondary transmission was infrequent."
"I Was So Nervous’: Back to Class After a Year Online": Great long piece from the NYT with stories about different children. Well worth reading.
FEDERAL
American Rescue Plan: The House will vote on the package tomorrow with the President signing it Wed or Thurs.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: From KFF
Four in ten who got COVID-19 vaccine got help finding appointments.
Over half (53%) of adults are worried that the vaccines currently available against COVID-19 might not be effective against new strains of coronavirus.
Vaccine Distribution: Electric food truck reborn as mobile vaccine unit
STATE
California:
Gov. Newsom announces 200,000 education workers have been vaccinated.
As LAUSD schools reopen, parents have to choose: send kids back or keep them home?
Kansas: Schools starting to see evidence of learning loss, but most pressing is this year’s senior class:
"Enrollment at the state universities, technical colleges and community colleges overseen by the Kansas Board of Regents fell by 4% across the board, with in-state enrollment dropping by 6%. Overall enrollment at Kansas’s private colleges also fell by 6%, but those independent institutions saw a much higher, 21% drop in in-state enrollment."
New Mexico: Schools to reopen April 5.
New York: Opinion: NYC Schools Can Help Close the COVID Achievement Gap With Tutoring
Ohio: Cleveland teachers, school district reach agreement; some students back in school Friday.
Texas: Students start a tutoring company.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
9 States Awarded Grants to Accelerate COVID-19 Workforce Recovery Efforts: Via NGA:
Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Hawai‘i, Maine, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada and Washington have been selected as the inaugural cohort of states in the Workforce Innovation Network
"Hub and Home": Prime Therapeutics will use their home offices for individual work and then go into the company's Eagan headquarters for collaboration and socialization.
"Under the hub and home strategy, most local employees will continue working from home 50% to 65% of the time, with their teams meeting in the office on certain days of the week or month."
MOOCs Failed, Short Courses Won: Interesting article on Coursera
A Year Later, Who Is Back to Work and Who Is Not?: Via NYT
LEARNING PODS
The Great Pandemic Pod Experiment: Via Slate
Just Communities: Has stepped up and provided a safe and educational program to help lessen the achievement gap in our community. They also helped families economically by providing care for children at zero-cost so parents could get back to work.
RESOURCES
The Problem With the CDC’s Six-Foot Rule for Schools: Via David Zweig:
"For most schools, the difference between three feet and six feet determines whether children can attend school full time or not."
"A study published by the CDC itself at the end of January showed minimal in-school spread with students generally not maintaining six feet of distance."
"Science is messy, and it’s a good thing when there is dispute and discussion. But when that’s the case, it behooves the CDC to go out of its way to articulate clearly and succinctly why its guidance is correct. The agency should explain to Americans why kids in Europe, across a wide range of countries, cities, and school facilities, not to mention kids in states within our own country, are operating under different metrics than what it’s recommending, and, by and large, are no worse off for it. Perhaps there’s a persuasive reason. But we have yet to hear it."
Five Youth Filmmakers Capture Start of Shutdown: Via Axios:
A community-based media center in Manhattan gave handheld cameras to five young New York filmmakers whose families were helping keep the city running during shutdown.
The result: "COVID Diaries NYC," a 39-minute documentary available on demand beginning tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.
The filmmakers, ages 17–23, show what it was like to live with a postman, a bus driver, a home-health-care worker when the pandemic's first wave was pounding the city.
Tutoring: Knoyo is a tutoring company created by students for students. Offers personalized tutoring from college honor students to students of all ages. The company was created by a diverse team of 18 college students in collaboration with The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS)
Baby Stegosaurus: Paleontologists discover the smallest known stegosaurus footprint. Has nothing to do with COVID or education, but I found it interesting. And I bet baby Stegosaurs was super cute.
Lessons Learned From a Year of Closed Schools: Via US News & World Report
Single Shot Drone Video: Just amazing... through a bowling alley no less.