COVID-19 Policy Update #238
COVID-19 Policy Update
WEDNESDAY 4/21
TOP THREE
Youth Voice: What Boston students want you to know about school during the COVID-19 pandemic
Now’s The Time to Tackle Vaccine-Hesitant Parents: Via Bloomberg
"As with shots for diseases like measles and rubella, Covid-19 vaccinations for kids are about protecting them — and about shielding everyone else. Even if children aren’t “super” spreaders, but merely spreaders, the return to a normality of sorts remains a mirage without them."
"For one, figures like Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s medical adviser, point out that it will be tough to reach herd immunity levels — which he estimates requires 70% to 85% of people to be vaccinated or immune — without children, who make up about a quarter of the U.S. population."
"It’s an opportunity to build trust, particularly in communities and among parent groups that have been more vulnerable to Covid-19 but are also skeptical of official pronouncements. Success with these campaigns percolates in a way that mandatory drives do not. Convincing families to protect themselves now may well improve their willingness to get other childhood vaccines. That’s a win, since immunization programs have been battered in much of the world due to the broader disruptions of the past year."
ED: Released the State plan application that will support states in describing how they will use resources under the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) fund.
Interim Final Rule which, among other issues, outlines the public consultative/commenting process states and schools must use to gather input on their plans.
FEDERAL
White House / Treasury: Announced a COVID Paid Leave Tax Credit to help employers support employees with getting vaccinated.
For businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 500 employees, the tax credit will cover paid leave for up to $511 per day for up to 10 work days, or 80 work hours, taken between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2021.
On Friday April 23rd, will host Andy Slavitt, Senior Advisor to the White House COVID-19 Response Team for a discussion of the new tax credit. RSVP here.
FDA: Announced a new faster process for authorizing pooled testing, which increases options for school screening programs and others
COVID-19 RESEARCH
AstraZeneca: Swedish Health Agency recommended that people under 65 years old who received the first shot of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine should get a different vaccine for the second shot.
Johnson & Johnson: Announced it would resume the rollout of its coronavirus vaccine in Europe after the European Medicines Agency said unusual blood clots should be listed as a "very rare" side effect of the company's vaccine, but that the benefits of the shot still outweigh the risks. More via the NYT
"For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the clot risk has been put at an estimated one in a million. “If you take a theoretical million people who are infected with Covid, five thousand will die,” Dr. Offit said. “Therefore, the benefits of this vaccine clearly outweigh its risks.”
Counterfeit Vaccine: Pfizer says it has identified in Mexico and Poland the first confirmed instances of counterfeit versions of the COVID-19 vaccine
Unresolved COVID Questions: Good piece over at Stat: We know a lot about Covid-19. Experts have many more questions
What accounts for the wide variety of human responses to this virus?
How much immunity is enough immunity?
How often will reinfections happen and what will they be like?
How are viral variants going to impact the battle against Covid-19?
What is long Covid, who is at risk of developing it, and can it be prevented?
What’s the deal with Covid and kids?
How big a role do asymptomatically infected people actually play in SARS-2 transmission?
What does the future hold for SARS-2, evolutionarily and otherwise?
Can we figure out who might become a superspreader?
The differences between SARS-2 and its older cousin, SARS-1
STATE
California: Mental health services to greet LA County students returning to campuses
Developing a triage and referral process to assist schools by linking students to on-site counselors or over a digital connection along with services readily available;
Developing promotional materials and peer-to-peer networking for students to raise awareness about mental health and available resources;
Providing access to training and education for teachers and school faculty;
Exploring feasibility for the Department of Mental Health to hire additional counselors that specialize in student’s care; and
Identifying federal funding to expand mental health support services on campus.
Georgia: "Black and Brown children in Guilford County and Forsyth County schools have been the main victims of learning loss related to the COVID-19 pandemic."
"According to Guilford County Schools’ MAP Growth assessments in math and reading administered to K-10 students this winter, white and Asian students outperformed Black, Hispanic and other students in both subjects. That goes for both in-person and remote learning. In fact, the achievement gap for Black and Brown students has widened during COVID-19."
"Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools recorded a similar trend, with both Latinx and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds underperforming compared to other demographics."
Michigan: The Lansing School District announced that all classes will remain online through the end of the school year that concludes on June 11.
New Jersey: Camden Public Schools begin phased-in reopening today
Ohio: Columbus schools to host student COVID-19 vaccine clinics starting next week
Nevada: The Nevada Department of Education announced a new partnership with Schoolhouse.world to provide no-cost tutoring services in high school mathematics and SAT preparation for Nevada’s students.
New York: NYC to pay $500 to nearly 1,000 parents to address mental health needs at their schools
Tennessee: Metro Nashville Public Schools are helping students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic with a new summer program called Promising Scholars
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Big Ideas for Small Businesses: A Five-Step Roadmap for Rebuilding the U.S. Small-Business Sector, Reviving Entrepreneurship, and Closing the Racial Wealth Gap. Executive Summary / Report / Deck
RESOURCES
Stimulus: Via the Washington Post, "Biden’s mammoth education agenda would expand the federal role from cradle to college"
What Ed. Leaders Can Learn From a Wildfire About Spending $129 Billion in Federal Funds: Via Kristen McQuillan at EdWeek "Here are the entrenched routines that education leaders should reconsider to reject that panic and create a new map for the future:"
Assuming that teachers can do it all.
Underestimating the importance of family partnerships
Reducing equity work to checkbox transactions.
Deprioritizing student voices
Ignoring plausible ideas that are right in front of us
Summer Learning: Via Christine Pitts over at CRPE: The summer puzzle: Summer plans to date are lacking in key areas
7 Things Black Parents Can Do to Make Sure Their Child Will Thrive at School: Isis Spann at The 74
How Schools Can Help Kids Heal After A Year Of 'Crisis And Uncertainty': Via NPR
"To reestablish relationships in the classroom — and help kids cope with the stress and trauma of the past year — mental health experts say educators can start by building in time every day, for every student, in every classroom to share their feelings and learn the basics of naming and managing their emotions. Think morning circle time or, for older students, homeroom."
"But there will always be children who need more intensive interventions, which could involve school social workers and psychologists, when available, or a referral to a mental health professional beyond the school."
"Not all schools and districts are equipped to work on these complex mental and behavioral health issues and meet the unique needs of today's students," Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto wrote in a letter to the secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. "Many suffer from drastic shortages of counselors, social workers, and psychologists to work with students even under normal circumstances. They will need robust assistance from community-based service providers and the health care community."
Reflections on Derek Chauvin Verdict: Princeton professor Eddie Glaude said, “The jurors recognized that George Floyd’s life mattered. Justice is a practice, not an end. Now the hard work begins. We have this moment and thank God. But this is just the beginning.”