Last night the Detroit Board of Education, which opened for summer school Monday, voted to unanimously reopen school on the regular first day in August. This happened despite three hours of unified testimony by teachers, parents, and community organizers that the schools should not be reopened until minimum conditions are met. We held a state wide Press conference this morning calling on schools not to open until a set of health conditions have been met. Here is some remarkable testimony given by one teacher to the board last night.
.https://www.facebook.com/30308059/posts/10107099891572474/?d=n
Here is our archived press conference from this morning:
https://www.facebook.com/38514087/posts/10104168872243786/?d=n
Here are the demands:
https://mailchi.mp/afbe6d675b55/press-release-on-school-reopenings-5033109?e=71d7c71fdb
Best, Tom
Thomas C. Pedroni
Associate Professor, Curriculum Studies
Wayne State University
Citizens should usher Dick DeVos and family and those associated with the Acton Institute into the reopened schools.
Here in Flor-uh-duh, our Trump Mini-Me governor is insisting that we reopen schools fully at the very time when cases of Covid19 have exploded. We’ve seen 11 thousand new cases per day for the last seven days.
Yes. You read that right 11,000 new cases per day.
When does the good of the community as a whole trump the right of the individual to protect that community? We have all sorts of regulations meant to curb the impulses of the individual and protect the community. I cannot understand why people find it so hard to think of the health and welfare of their communities without imposition by law.
Wayne County, Michigan (essentially Detroit) has a population of 1.8 million with approximately 25,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases (and 2800 deaths). The actual number of current and former Covid-19 cases is twenty times higher than that, meaning that 25-30% of Wayne County’s population has had the disease within the last six months.
The number of daily deaths is now 5-10, a constant rate that will continue to be so until a vaccine is developed in 1-2 years. Deaths will continue at that rate regardless of whether or not children are in school; students may as well go back.
The same is true for New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Florida and Texas are late to the game and will reach the former states’ situation in a couple months. They should probably push the start of school back a few weeks.
I am assuming those 5-10 deaths per day take into account people following the recommendations from the CDC to wear a mask, social distance, etc. Given what we have seen of the horrible condition of many schools in the Detroit area, what makes you think that while cramming kids into substandard schools for prolonged periods of time the infection and death rates will remain at 5-10 per day? Simple common sense tells you that more contacts in enclosed spaces for long periods of time will result in more infection. Have you not examined the data from the countries that have been able to return students to the classroom? Have you not heard of the continued vigilance that has been required to get ahead of outbreaks?
The exponential increase we saw in Covid-19 deaths early on was due to the disease decimating the country’s nursing homes, where 1/2 of all deaths occured. It is currently killing a constant number of people in the 65+ age category, a slightly higher number of 40 – 65 year olds (higher than before) and a miniscule number of 18 – 40 year olds as it slowly burns through the population [being 1/3 to 1/2 of the way there in the regions I previously mentioned.] Children are not being killed.
No real measures have been taken in the US to halt the spread of the disease compared to places like South Korea and China, the result being that Covid-19 has spread at a constant rate through our population…a rate only slightly slower than that of Sweden, which made no efforts to stop the spread. People are picking it up in the US as they go through their normal daily activities and we are continuing to see a constant death rate in much of the country.
Sweden’s (pop. 11 million) death rate is currently counted on one hand and their studies showed that transmission was not hastened by having children in school.
Covid-19 is going to hit 75% or more of the entire population by the end of the year and all we have done is slow down the propagation. People at severe risk of dying need to isolate themselves from society and the government should have been helping them do that from the beginning.
If 20% – 30% of school families and teachers/staff feel that they need to isolate themselves, then have them do so by engaging in remote learning. The rest should go back to school with minimal to moderate safeguards in place.
perhpas more to the point: WHY HAVE YOU NOT examined and heeded that data
ciedie aech,
I’m not sure who you’re cap-yelling at, so I can only state:
The articles/references that Diane cites 3-4 posts up [and others attempt to use to back their claims] all say that reopening schools in a rational fashion had no impact on overall infection rates.
Also, few people understand how our various states compare to the rest of the western world in terms of death rates:
New Jersey – 0.17% of population has died
New York State – 0.16% of population has died
United Kingdom – 0.067% of population has died
Spain – 0.059% of population has died
Italy – 0.058% of population has died
Sweden – 0.056% of population has died
Pennsylvania – 0.053% has died
France – 0.045% of population has died
Sweden can laugh at all of the idiots that have been saying they are not a model for how to approach Covid-19. Their infection rates are essentially the same as other western countries (25 – 30% of the population), yet their death rates are 1/3 that of New Jersey and New York.
We live in a society where people have no idea what they’re talking about. governments, news agencies and health organizations spew lies and half-truths, and disinformation has become the norm.
Steve M says children are not dying from Covid. Yes, they are. Steve’s point is that few are dying. And, he has more confidence than the scientists that Covid’s mutations will not adversely affect younger age groups.
Medical workers shouldn’t be put in jeopardy caring for know-it-alls like Steve M (and his loved ones in lesser represented Covid segment age groups ). Given Steve’s view, civilized society expects him to decline Covid medical care for himself and extended family if they become infected. Steve can originate, sign and disseminate the document for use by others who share his desire to be exempt from treatment.
Linda,
In a post I made a few days ago I indicated that the number of children in the US that had died by April 3rd as a result of Covid-19 was 3. That revised figure was surprising to me, as it was downgraded from the original estimate of 20. I thought it would be higher than 20…in the 40 – 50 range, so I’m sure it’s even more shocking to you.
So, have kids died as a result of Covid-19? Yes, a whopping three US children as of April 3rd. That compares to 150 children that died of influenza by April 3rd. Covid-19 is not a direct threat to children, which is why the American Pediatricians’ Association recommended that children go back to scholl, come August. They backpedalled on that a few days later due to political pressure.
Make of that what you will. I’m not pulling numbers out of my ass; go research it yourself.
You’re painting a false picture and making suppositions (that mutations will be immediately harmful to children), suggesting that we base our nation’s educational policies on those suppositions. That is asinine.
if you have been following the news, you have also heard about the lung damage being identified in asymptomatic children. The point is we do not know enough about this virus to open schools without robust safety measures and contingency plans geared to the needs of the local community unless of course you are comfortable with using the schools as part of an experimental design. If I lived in the middle of a hot spot, my first concern would not be opening the schools in a timely fashion.
Steve,
Put your proverbial money where your mouth is. Decline treatment for yourself and loved ones, especially the youngest ones.
Men like you, Mike Petrilli, Robert Pondiscio, John Paulson, John Arnold, etc. should be tethered to the classroom desks on the first day that students return to inner city schools in the states of Florida, Arizona, South Carolina and Texas.
I am feeling really snarky. You are saying that since Americans are so poor at following safe practices, they should just give up and get on with it. Hey we could institute mandatory covid parties for those who don’t fall into a high risk group! I think Betsy or Donald may have a job for you.
I’m saying that, rather than shut down our entire society, elderly Americans that are morbidly obese, diabetic and/or have severe cardiovascular disease should be isolated from society for the next year or two, until a vaccine is developed.
A lot of them are going to die, regardless; it’s just going to take a while to get there. I’m sure many lives would be saved if vulnerable people were physically isolated…that’s not the case under our current practices.
We are all going to die.
Just remember that among the dead are people who were in the prime of life.
Wouldn’t it be nice if it was only the elderly ended up in the hospital with severe illness?! Unfortunately, we are finding those younger folks who figured they were next to invincible seem to be occupying more of those hospital beds. We can only hope that they haven’t/don’t manage to infect any more vulnerable people. Even if they don’t die, the long term consequences are unclear. We haven’t done a good job of handling infection surges so far and healthcare professionals have made that very clear.
None here has offered a single suggestion regarding how to protect vulnerable elderly persons. Your default is to carry on as they are…which leads to 500 – 1000 deaths per day in the US. 93% of those deaths are vulnerable elderly persons, six percent are unhealthy middle aged persons and one percent are adults between 18 and 40.
I’ve heard nothing but maundering, the rending of clothes and the tearing of hair. My bad; also derision.
I’ve given some practical suggestions regarding how we should handle this (firm isolation of vulnerable elderly persons; minimal disruptions to normal school openings; allowing 20 – 30% of vulnerable students and faculty to engage in remote learning). Nothing productive has been proposed by anyone else here and I assume that many on the retired posters take umbrage with my suggestion…too bad.
Snarky young adults suggest that the Boomer generation should have its wealth confiscated – to pay the $25 trillion of national debt that it has racked up. I actually agree with that sentiment to a large degree.
Online schooling is harmful to students, particularly disabled students and EL students; those posters that have engaged in it know this to be true. Starting the new school year via remote learning will have much more profound negative effects than did finishing last year in that fashion. South Korea found that to be true when they began the first two months of their new year once spring began. Japan spent even less time using remote learning [most asian countries begin their school years with the coming of spring and have two months off during winter.] They are leaps and bounds ahead of the US in terms of available technology and educational infrastructure.
Online instruction is a dead issue amongst progressive educators; shame on those that propose more of it.
“None here has offered a single suggestion regarding how to protect vulnerable elderly persons. Your default is to carry on as they are…which leads to 500 – 1000 deaths per day in the US. 93% of those deaths are vulnerable elderly persons, six percent are unhealthy middle aged persons and one percent are adults between 18 and 40.”
Is it necessary to repeat the CDC guidelines ad infinitum? Open schools when they can open safely. What is so hard to understand? My default is follow the d***** guidelines! Get the virus under control and then talk about opening schools. That is what countries who have opened their schools have done.
Has anyone posted Monday’s opening of A Late Show with Stephen Colbert:
I don’t think it a good idea at all
FROM: the law offices of A. Wayne Kerr, Esq.
TO: The State of Georgia
OK. We here in Flor-uh-duh are not happy. We’ve spent years, literally, building our reputation as the dumbest state in the union. We’ve built rope swings over pits of alligators. We’ve worn “Seriously, I have drugs” T-shirts when we were carrying drugs. We’ve organized people to shoot down hurricanes. We’ve claimed in court that we weren’t drinking and driving because we only swigged alcohol at stop signs. We’ve committed criminal assault with fried chicken. We’ve passed resolutions banning Satan from our towns. We’ve committed armed robbery with transparent bags on our heads. We’ve elected Ron DeSantis our governor. We’ve passed stand your ground laws. We’ve driven on highways with a “Car in Toe” sign in the back window. And we’ve issued an order to open all our schools to full in-person instruction on the very day that we set a national record for new cases of Covid-19.
In short, we have worked extremely hard to build the brand of Flor-uh-duh Man. Now, the state of Georgia thinks it can capriciously encroach on our brand by rescinding its order to wear masks in public during the pandemic. This cannot stand. Please cease and desist from further stupid.
Thank you.