COVID-19 Policy Update #245
COVID-19 Policy Update
FRIDAY 4/30
TOP THREE
White House: President Biden said schools 'should probably all be open' in the fall.
"Based on the science and the (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), they should probably all be open. There's not overwhelming evidence that there's much of a transmission among these people, young people"
ED: Launches Best Practices Clearinghouse to highlight innovative practices for reopening schools and campuses.
Vaccines and Children: Pfizer and BioNTech said data on how well their Covid-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5 to 11 could be available as early as the end of this summer.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
New Vaccine Finder Website: The administration has launched vaccines.gov along with a text-message tool and phone hotline to link Americans with Covid-19 shots near them.
Employee Vaccination Incentives: An ASU/Rockefeller Foundation survey finds that 65% of employers plan to offer employees incentives to get vaccinated and 63% will require proof of vaccination.
Higher Ed Vaccination Requirements: More than 100 US colleges and universities are now requiring students to get Covid-19 vaccinations
STATE
Connecticut: School districts will not be required to offer remote learning option in the Fall
New York: NYC schools pass the 1 million coronavirus tests mark.
Tennessee: TDOE selects 176 schools for new trauma-informed schools cohort
Texas: Demand for tutors surges to address learning gaps caused by pandemic.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
SNAP EBT: A new partnership between Instacart, Publix, Save Mart and Price Chopper/Market 32 means 1,500 additional stores will now allow people in the SSNAP to use electronic benefit transfers to pay for groceries online. The move represents a 60% increase in the number of US grocery sites offering SNAP participants a chance to order same-day delivery or pickup through the Instacart website or app.
RESOURCES
Tool to Support ESSER Strategy: CFC released a tool designed to help systems set goals and strategies, prioritize initiatives, identify partners, and plan for spending ESSER and other funds. The tool provides:
An overview of ESSER I, II, and III funds;
A planning framework to help you prepare, prioritize, organize, and monitor;
Input tabs for your district-specific information about funding sources and amounts, goals and strategies, partnerships, and initiatives; and
Self-populating dashboards mapping your priorities to funding decisions.
Where and How Are Schools Implementing Equity Approaches? New analysis from the Christensen Institute
It's The Weekend: Hope you get to play with a baby elephant too.