COVID-19 Policy Update #304
COVID-19 Policy Update
TUESDAY 7/27
TOP THREE
CDC Adjusts Mask Guidance: Just two weeks after the CDC said it was safe for vaccinated individuals to be maskless in schools, they revised their guidance recommending instead that vaccinated people wear masks in indoor, public settings if they are in areas of "substantial to high transmission."
The CDC defines "substantial transmission" as 50-100 cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period and "high transmission" as more than 100 cases per 100,000.
Based on that criteria, 46% counties have “high transmission” and 17% have “substantial transmission"
Per Axios, "In another reversal, the CDC also recommended universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools this incoming school year, regardless of vaccination status."
President Biden: "Today, the CDC also reaffirmed that we can safely reopen schools this fall — full time. Masking students is inconvenient, I know, but will allow them to learn and be with their classmates with the best available protection."
AFT: "Masking inside schools regardless of vaccine status is required as an important way to deal with the changing realities of virus transmission. It is a necessary precaution until children under 12 can receive a COVID vaccine and more Americans over 12 get vaccinated."
Implementing Routine COVID-19 Testing in Schools Can Significantly Reduce (and in Some Cases Eliminate) Transmission: Per Mathematica
"Modeling showed routine and robust testing programs are highly effective at reducing within-school COVID-19 transmission, but most schools require considerable support from federal and state authorities, including detailed operational guidance, practical assistance, and resources to navigate logistical, regulatory, and procurement needs."
"Modeling also showed that pooled PCR (nose swab) testing is generally the most effective testing strategy for higher-risk schools relying on testing to reduce within-school transmission. Serial antigen testing is a close second."
"Community engagement and buy-in from key stakeholders are critical to the success of a testing program. Effective communication and simplified processes helped build and maintain trust in the program."
COVID-19 and Education: The Lingering Effects of Unfinished Learning: Students fell 4 to 5 months behind during pandemic according to a new McKinsey report.
"Students in majority Black schools ended the year with six months of unfinished learning, while students from low-income schools finished seven months behind."
"Unless steps are taken to address unfinished learning, today’s students may earn $49,000 to $61,000 less over their lifetime owing to the impact of the pandemic on their schooling."
FEDERAL
ED: Secretary Cardona says schools must work harder to convince families to return
IES: Public school enrollment dropped 3% during the 2020-21 school year.
The largest decreases were in Mississippi and Vermont (5% each), followed by Washington, New Mexico, Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Maine (each between 4 and 5%). Eighteen states had decreases of 3% or more
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Vaccine Education: Join the COVID Collaborative and Ad Council tomorrow from 1-2 PM ET for their next briefing on the latest insights from the COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative.
Vaccine Mandates: Feels like a big shift in just the last few days
“With more states considering vaccine requirements for public employees, the president of the AFL-CIO was asked Tuesday whether the labor federation supports vaccine mandates in the workplace,” the HuffPost reports.
“President Biden said that the federal government was considering making vaccines mandatory for its workforce — what would be a significant escalation in push to expand vaccine coverage as the coronavirus surge from the Delta variant sends shockwaves through the country,” the Washington Post reports.
“State governments, private businesses and even part of the federal government are suddenly embracing mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for their employees,” Axios reports.
The VA issues vaccine mandate for health care workers, a first for a Federal Agency, the NYT reports.
NFL informs clubs that COVID-19 outbreaks among unvaccinated players could lead to forfeited games. Technically an incentive, but in practice a mandate. Reports the NFL.
More US states, schools and employers are likely to mandate vaccinations as COVID-19 cases climb but a federal mandate is politically unfeasible, an expert at the Infectious Disease Society of America (ISDA) said today.
STATE
Kentucky:
New COVID-19 testing program offered to schools
Gov Beshear encouraging masks in schools, “If school districts don’t embrace mitigation efforts, we are not going to be in school every day. It’s because the delta variant is going to stop you from ultimately having your students in like you want to.”
Missouri:
Children's Mercy reaches capacity due to an increase in kids with COVID-19.
Missouri’s attorney general filed a lawsuit seeking to halt a mask mandate that took effect Monday in the St. Louis area. It also questions mandating children to wear masks in school, noting they are less likely to become seriously ill.
New Jersey: Parents fight to reinstate remote learning for upcoming school year
New York:
NYC will be rolling out pop-up vaccination sites at public schools participating in Summer Rising.
Why the mayor is instituting vaccine mandates among city employees:
Ohio: Ohio Department of Health releases updated K-12 school guidance
"Health officials strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccinations for staff and eligible students, consistent mask-wearing for individuals who are not yet fully vaccinated and prevention measures that include good ventilation, regular cleaning, handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when sick."
Texas: New COVID spike leads Austin parents to consider homeschooling, private options for kids under 12—again
West Virginia: Raleigh County offers fully virtual education option for secondary schools
INTERNATIONAL
UK: Record 1.13 million children in England absent for Covid-19 related reasons
994,000 children self-isolating due to possible contact with a Covid-19 case
48,000 children with a confirmed case of coronavirus
33,300 with a suspected case.
50,700 pupils were off as a result of school closures
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
The Pandemic Changed How We Spent Our Time: Some great visualization of the American Time Use Survey by the NYT
Back to School Spending: Via WSJ
Back-to-school spending is expected to reach an all-time high this year, according to a recent survey from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. Another survey by Deloitte showed that parents expect to spend 16% more on back-to-school shopping this year, a marked uptick from the 1-3% growth rate seen in recent years."
RESOURCES
Want to Make Virtual Learning Work? Get Parents Involved in Meaningful Ways: Via EdWeek
Homeschooling: Via Washington Post: "Home schooling exploded among Black, Asian and Latino students. But it wasn’t just the pandemic."
"But for other parents, particularly parents of color, the pandemic and last summer’s national reckoning over race prompted them to pull their children from traditional schools entirely, moves that helped fuel an explosion in popularity of home schooling."
"In many cases, the migration from mainstream education shows the rising fears among parents of color that schools are failing their children, and the growing awareness of racial disparities in the treatment and outcomes for children of color. Despite aspiring to be “the great equalizer,” inequality is still deeply embedded in the nation’s public schools system, with yawning achievement gaps marking the performance between White and Asian students and Black and Latino ones. For parents already frustrated with their child’s education, the pandemic provided another reason to give home schooling a try."
How Risky Is the Classroom With Covid-19 Controls in Place? A WSJ video.
A Toolkit for Effective and Supportive Transitions for Children, Families, and Educators in Fall 2021 and Beyond: Via New America
Mourning Their Passing, Celebrating Their Lives:
Robert Moses, a civil rights hero who also championed mathematics education. "Low math achievement among minority students is “the nation’s dirty secret,” he often told educators. He urged them to avoid the tendency to neglect the subject and instead help students escape their “serf-like communities” within high-tech society, just as sharecroppers earlier sought release from the serfdom of the plantation."
Former Senator Mike Enzi passed away. He held several influential roles in the Senate and worked with Sen. Kennedy to reauthorize Head Start. In his farewell speed, he commented "Nothing gets done when we're just telling each other how wrong we are."
Find Friends That Cheer You On: The way Lydia Jacoby's friends and family cheered her on to GOLD from Seward, Alaska.