At a time when schools are closing to reduce exposure to the coronavirus, school and community leaders must consider the consequences for students who live in low-income families.
For many, the school is the only place these children are certain to get a meal. Plan to distribute meals to homes in need.
A more pressing problem is the impact on low-wage workers who must stay home to take care of their children and will have no income.
How will they pay their rent if they do not get paid leave?
How will they pay for basic necessities?
Communities should insist that employers offer paid leave to parents who are required to stay home to take care of their children who are not in school.
These plans are essential in large cities and especially difficult because of the numbers of students involved.
But as a society, we cannot allow families and children to suffer because of school closures intended to protect their health.
We must make sure that we protect their well-being while they are home-bound.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Communities should insist that employers offer paid leave to parents who are required to stay home to take care of their children who are not in school.”
That isn’t going to work for small businesses, and there are a lot of small businesses. I’d be surprised if a lot of small businesses have sufficient funds to pay them to work if they don’t have customers coming in the door, let alone for paid leave. A lot of them operate with about a 4 week buffer- they don’t have funds beyond that.
They’re going to have to subsidize at the federal and state level. My suggestion would be to run it thru the unemployment insurance system since it’s already up and running. Broaden the categories for “unemployed” on an emergency basis unless you want small businesses to go under for good.
I’d say they should do it now rather than wait for tens of thousands of small businesses to collapse, but I have zero faith the Trump Administration is competent or hard working enough to plan anything or put the federal piece together. I think the whole thing falls to governors.
The President probably has his ridiculous, unqualified and not very bright son in law managing it, so it will be a chaotic disaster. Petition your governor. The Trump Administration is useless.
Chiara,
Agree: “The Trump Administration is useless.”
Trump is the BIGGEST National Security Threat … ever.
I’m listening to Kudlow right now bragging about the stock market.
This is our punishment for hiring a bunch of clueless people who have no connection, at all, to the real economy and no idea how any of it works.
If they don’t get some money out the door quickly to small businesses who rely on customers all of those businesses will fail.
There’s no sense of urgency at all- they’re all sitting around watching the stock market. Are they just lazy?
https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/2020/03/15/press-conference-may-2020/
😀
Tried to reply on your site. Funny stuff. Sounded like a transcript of the real(?) thing.
Yes. And do not expect Senate republicans to help. According to Politico:
“Tonight at 5:30 p.m., the Senate will have a procedural vote on a bill to renew the FISA laws. The chamber will finish that bill.
If any senator wants to bring up the coronavirus bill before they finish FISA, it would require unanimous consent. Sen. DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) called on Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL to pass the bill by unanimous consent in a pretty extraordinary statement. ( The statement also calls attention to the risks imposed on all members of Congress and their staff by Mitch McConnel and Republican foot dragging).
LEADERSHIP AIDES BELIEVE there are GOP senators who are against the House’s coronavirus package, so unanimous consent seems unlikely. Combine that with the fact that the House has to make technical corrections to its bill, and it seems likely that the Senate will not get around to the coronavirus bill until MID- to LATE WEEK. Is that sustainable? Who knows. It’s just the reality at this point.”
Mitch and Republicans are determined to find funding for airlines, payroll tax relief, military and so on, not the many people who need immediate help NOW.
From a Twitter Post
I am 30 minutes into home schooling my 6 year old. I suggest that all school teachers are paid £1m per year from now on.
143K
3:59 AM – Mar 16, 2020
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LMAO!!!!
Does DeVos even bother showing up for work anymore?
Half the schools in the country are closed. Where is the federal government? I know they’re all ideologically opposed to our schools and students but one would think they could offer some assistance in an emergency. Oh, well. No help there!
This is a no brainer. The test is fundamentally worthless. However, this is an opportunity. While you are out, gather together with your colleagues and develop an honest assessment of students dependent on a system that works for them. And then put on your trench coat, tip your fedora over one eye and subvert the system in the best interest of the kids,
To quote from Deborah Meiers forward to my book: “As educators, a hundred years later, we are being judged on our ability to accomplish the very different task of providing a ruling class education for all students while still trapped in the same antiquated system.”
The time has come to subtly change the system. Guaranteed the administrators will not know what to do when they get back. They can’t fit everyone into that tiny box of word games and math riddles so they will make up ways to screw over kids.
It’s time for you to take back your profession and own the classroom .
It’s time for you to take back your profession and own the classroom.
Amen to that!
Here’s a good start: A federal Executive Order suspending all utility disconnections and evictions.
Some districts will continue to offer food for students. However, it is the poorest students that will have the hardest time during this crisis. Many poor parents will continue to work despite the warnings. Children may remain home unsupervised. Poor families are less likely to have a home with books, materials, school supplies, technology and the internet. They are also likely to be those that live in small, cramped apartments or rooms without outdoor space. Without a doubt, the students that need the most will be those that will get the least.
“Plan to distribute meals to homes in need.”
If they mandate school closures, they should also set up such services. It shouldn’t be left to a volunteer service. Imo. Otherwise, poor areas will suffer more than others—an unacceptable prospect.