COVID-19 Policy Update #235
COVID-19 Policy Update
FRIDAY 4/16
TOP THREE
Parents Begin to Ask: Should My Child Get a COVID-19 Shot? Via Reuters
"Parents may question the risks versus benefits, given the unknowns about the vaccines’ long-term impact on childrens’ development and data on how few young kids have been hit hard by COVID-19."
"Moderna and Pfizer have said vaccines could be widely available to even younger children by early 2022."
"Dr. Cody Meissner, head of pediatric infectious disease at Tufts University’s medical school, said it comes down to one question: “Does the low burden of disease in children justify a more protracted evaluation of safety?”
NIH: The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program is is awarding up to $33 million over two years to fund projects at 10 institutions across eight states to build evidence on safely returning students, teachers and support staff to in-person school in areas with vulnerable and underserved populations.
Tracking Variants: The Biden administration will spend $1.7 billion to track spread of coronavirus variants.
FEDERAL
ED: Gwen Graham nominated for for Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs
White House: Announced $39 billion from ARP for childcare.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Johnson & Johnson: ACIP will reconvene on April 23 to discuss the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and blood clotting concerns.
TN Vaccine Hesitancy Research: A case study conducted by the Tennessee Department of Health and Designsensory Intelligence reveals that more people are afraid of dying from the COVID vaccine than the disease itself.
41 percent feared death by covid, but a whopping 59 percent feared dying from the covid vaccine
Community-based medical professionals have the highest degree of acceptance but are not currently being tapped for information.
STATE
California:
Fremont parents threatening to sue school district if classrooms don't reopen
UCLA study shows COVID-19 has likely worsened inequalities for Black students in L.A. County
Illinois: CPS, CTU announce tentative agreement to reopen high schools
Kentucky: Fayette parents who think their child suffered academically during the pandemic have just two weeks until May 1 to request a repeat year under a new state law.
Louisiana: 600 East Baton Rouge Parish teachers stage a sick out to protest the consideration of starting school two weeks early.
Maryland: Less than 1% of MCPS classroom COVID-19 tests return positive results
Michigan: 90% of school employees are either fully or in process of being vaccinated
Minnesota: Teachers union, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton schools clash in court over extra prep time
"Education Minnesota, the union representing pre-K-12 teachers and staff throughout the state, said in court documents that originally an extra 30 minutes were provided as per the executive order, but when the district returned to in-person instruction, the preparation time was eliminated despite some students continuing distance learning."
Missouri: Parents plead to SLPS to help their children struggling through the pandemic
New York: NYC students set to ‘age out’ of school may stay an extra year
Texas: Houston-area schools plan for virtual classes beyond the pandemic
Wisconsin:
A group of ed reform organizations wrote the governor asking for the American Rescue Plan’s funding to support course access for struggling students.
INTERNATIONAL
France: Will offer free therapy for children affected by COVID.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Deferring College: 25% of students postponed college according to a survey from Junior Achievement and Citizens.
Unemployment Is High. Why Are Businesses Struggling to Hire? Via NYT
RESOURCES
Thousands of Kids Have Lost Loved Ones to COVID: Are schools prepared to help them?
Creating an Emergency Connectivity Fund to Outlast the Pandemic: Via SHLB
It's The Weekend: Time for a dance off