A letter from Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education.
First and foremost, we care about you. When we realized the 43% of our registrants were in a higher-risk group for Covid-19, we knew we had to reschedule.
Our conference hotel, the Philadelphia Doubletree, has been a wonderful partner, and within a few days, we will share a new 2020 date.
We ask that you be patient as we finalize plans and create a list of what you need to do. But, we wanted to let you know quickly in case you need to cancel a flight.
We are so disappointed that we will not see you in two weeks, but we look forward to seeing you in the not too distant future. An email with more detail will arrive in a few days.
Stay healthy and take care of those you love.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Stay healthy and take care of those you love.
Same to you, Diane.
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I am so sorry to hear this: this is all unbelievable, but was predicted.
Stay healthy, everyone, & better safe than sorry.
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Hmm…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/10/coronavirus-is-mysteriously-sparing-kids-killing-elderly-understanding-why-may-help-defeat-virus/
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Wise decision and exactly right message….and evidence based !!! with that 43% calculation 60 or over (to say nothing of those 80 +) Thanks Carol and Diane. I hope Diane will find some good down time for R and R.
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I am planning to read some books that have been sitting on my desk for too long.
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That’s excellent. Last Sunday was the L.A. Public Library’s ‘Stay Home and Read Day’. I’d say reading good books rivals almost any other activity or action.
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I knew that this would be happening.
I was so looking forward to this conference, and the ‘dialogue and comradeship” that I would find among. people like myself — who know truth as observable reality –the facts’– people who have the capacity to engage in genuine conversation about what matters most. Words matter, and the tsunami of words that drown us every day are untrustworthy.
On a personal note, as many of you know, my husband has Altzehimer’s and I am his caregiver. He is descending rapidly into a place where he cannot think clearly or remember a minute ago. This chaos is happening as chaos surrounds me.
I live in a beautiful place, and stepping out under the sky, an into gardens to see the mountains and woodlands that surround me, offers peace. Birds, squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys, deer are my companions….But there is no one to speak with in this place, and I go nowhere, these days. . I cannot talk with the sweet neighbors, about anything political as I live in the middle of what has now become an orthodox community. at the edge of Monsey… yes that Monsey.
I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to read your blog Diane, and to engage in conversation. with the intelligent people who talk here. I couldn’t wait to meet everyone, and to hear & JOIN the rich conversation… and to meet you, once more, Diane… a peer and a friend like no other. I couldn’t wait to. meet Carol, Anthony, Leonie and all the folks who are a band of brothers and sisters who fight for truth, and for our future… which is, of course our children.
I look forward to the resumption of normal… and pray that this disease does not decimate the vulnerable in our society.
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Susan Lee Schwartz: “On a personal note, as many of you know, my husband has Altzehimer’s and I am his caregiver.”
I wish you well on this journey. He is fortunate to have you caring for him. It can’t be easy. You have beautiful surroundings to view.
I have one former hospice patient who also has Alzheimer’s. I’ve been visiting her for over two years as she stays in her hospital room in the Alzheimer’s wing. She is a beautiful lady who spends her days either sleeping or sitting in a wheelchair.
I also have a cousin whose husband is suffering from either dementia or Alzheimer’s.
My uncle died a few years back from dementia. He stayed at home and had a hospice volunteer come each week to give my aunt some time for a break.
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Thanks for your kind words. I am married 57 years and it is hard to watch him vanish before my eyes.
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Take care of yourself. My mother almost ruined her health in a 16 year stint of caring for my father. Do not hesitate to get some help and give yourself time to make it through this most arduous of all tasks.
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