Matt Barnum reports that Trump and DeVos renewed their pressure to reopen schools despite the fact that most large districts have ignored their previous threats to cut funding. They and their Senate allies have refused to provide the funding necessary to enable schools to open safely, in accordance with CDC guidelines. Please open the article and read it in full, both for the links and the content. The Trump administration apparently believes that safety measures—like masks and social distancing—are unnecessary except for “high risk” individuals. Trump’s politicization of reopening will not assuage any parent’s fears. No child should be compelled to return in a district where the risk is high to help Trump’s re-election campaign.
He writes:
The Trump administration mounted a pressure campaign last month aimed at getting America’s schools to reopen their doors. To a large extent, it didn’t work.
Now, officials are trying again, in a move that might signal that Republican leaders are unlikely to relent in their push to tie additional school funding to physical reopening.
At a White House event Wednesday, President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos continued to make the case that schools must reopen because children benefit from in-person learning and the economy benefits from the de facto child care that schools provide. They cast opposition to reopening as driven by teachers unions, while pushing aside concerns about virus transmission.
“For students and their families, they can’t be held captive to other people’s fears or agendas,” said DeVos. “We have got to ensure that families and parents have options that are going to work for their child.”
“We cannot indefinitely stop 50 million American children from going to school and harming their mental, physical, emotional, and academic development and inflicting long-term, lasting damage,” Trump said at a Wednesday evening press conference.
The comments signal that President Trump continues to see school reopening as key to the country’s, and perhaps his electoral, fortunes. But it’s unclear whether he will find any more success. Most of the country’s largest districts are starting the year virtually, and most parents, teachers, and voters are skeptical of the push to reopen school buildings — even as many worry about child care and the ability of students with disabilities, among others, to get the support they need at home.
The administration’s messaging has contributed to a deep political polarization on the issue of reopening, a divide that may have affected which districts reopen buildings. A Brookings Institution analysis found that schools were more likely to open for in-person instruction in areas where Trump got more votes….
At Wednesday’s event, Trump reiterated his argument that schools that reopen shouldn’t get money from the federal government. “I would like the money to follow the student,” he said. “If the school is closed, why are we paying?”…
On Wednesday, White House officials argued the public is on its side. “Parents overwhelmingly are saying yes when they are asked do you feel it is safe for your son or daughter to return to school,” said counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway.
“Teachers want to be back in the classroom with their kids, even if they have an underlying condition,” said Florida education commissioner Richard Corcoran, who has pushed schools in the state to reopen and has been sued by the state teachers’ union.
Polls tell a different story, though. Most parents, especially parents of color, say they prefer that schools err on the side of safety rather than push to reopen quickly. A July poll, for instance, found that 60% of parents prefer that school reopen later to reduce risk…
The White House event will likely do little to assuage those concerns. Two of the participants — Paul Peterson, a Harvard education professor, and Scott Atlas, a medical doctor and fellow at a conservative think tank — recently co-authored an op-ed suggesting that schools forgo many widely recommended safety precautions.
“Even in states and districts where schools are allowed to re-open, unnecessary restrictions and requirements will seriously jeopardize our children’s education,” they wrote in The Hill. “Masked teachers can hardly be effective … Repetitive sanitation and temperature-taking activities subtract from the time on educational tasks that students need … Worst of all, social distancing rules will disrupt regular, full-schedule attendance.”
Paul Petersen is a professor of education policy at Harvard who relentlessly promotes charters and vouchers. He has no credentials in public health. He and Dr. Atlas are both fellows at the conservative Hoover Institution. Atlas is an advisor to Trump on COVID-19 and advised Trump’s presidential campaign.
I had Paul Peterson in college as a professor for a class on the American presidency. Depressing to see that he has made his name as a hero of Education Reform. Never in a million years would I have expected to see us opposite sides of this issue.
I first met Paul P in 1983. He fiercely defended public schools against critics. Today he fiercely attacks public schools and defends Trump, DeVos, charters, vouchers.
Gov. Holcomb [R-IN] has said that he is against having absentee ballots for all citizens of Indiana.
Dr.JenniferMcCormick,Indiana Superintendent of PublicInstruction has brought up something I hadn’t thought about. If schools have students present on voting day, hundreds of adults will be coming into schools.
Date: August 5, 2020
RE: Use of Public School Buildings for the November 3, 2020, General Election
Indiana Code 3-11-8-4 states that public buildings, including schools, shall be made available to serve as polling sites. Schools proudly open their doors to serve this important role for their communities. During the Spring 2020 Primary Election held June 2, when Indiana schools were closed due to Governor Holcomb’s Executive Order, 374 vote centers or polling locations were hosted inside Hoosier schools. In light of the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the encouragement schools are receiving to resume in-person instruction, continuing the practice of schools serving as polling locations for the upcoming November General Election will create considerable safety and financial concerns for schools and community members. Introducing hundreds or thousands of visitors into a school building in the midst of a pandemic will create unnecessary risks.
[NWI Times] Holcomb rejects vote-by-mail expansion, urges Hoosiers to cast ballots in person
Aug 9, 2020 Updated 11 hrs ago
If Hoosiers are safely leaving their homes to go to work and school, shop in stores, and eat in restaurants amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Eric Holcomb believes there’s no reason they can’t also vote in person on or before Election Day.
The Republican chief executive last week said he does not support making mail-in absentee balloting available to all registered voters for the general election due to COVID-19, even though a record 500,000 Hoosiers participated that way in the June 2 primary election.
“Folks need to understand that it is safe to vote,” Holcomb said. “Indiana will have a safe and secure and healthy, in-person election on Nov. 3.”
Holcomb said unlike the primary election, which was moved from May 5 due to the pandemic and took place while Hoosiers were living under a modified stay-at-home order, most of Indiana now is open for business and there’s no need for expanded mail-in voting.
“There are a lot of people out and about, whether its working or going to the grocery or doing your lives, and they’re doing it safely. And we can vote safely in person as well,” Holcomb said…
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/holcomb-rejects-vote-by-mail-expansion-urges-hoosiers-to-cast-ballots-in-person/article_5bb4a4d5-6f18-5528-83cb-91ac91e93b72.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share
I hope people like Petersen realize that they will have “blood” on their hands.
IGNORE DeVoodoo and that dump. They have nothing of any good to offer.
This was back in July 2020 – According to the AP-NORC poll: “Only about 1 in 10 Americans think daycare centers, preschools or K-12 schools should open this fall without restrictions, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs. Most think mask requirements and other safety measures are necessary to restart in-person instruction, and roughly 3 in 10 say that teaching kids in classrooms shouldn’t happen at all.”
https://apnews.com/b133f482b2eba88f8bd733e2d15d13ae
Also in July, Chalbeat reported: “Despite stress of closures, most parents wary of rush to return to school buildings, polls show” …
“But one new national survey, conducted in recent days, found that nearly three-quarters of parents felt there was a large to moderate risk of sending students back to school this fall. For Black and Hispanic parents, the numbers were even higher.”
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2020/7/14/21324873/school-closure-reopening-parents-surveys
Trump is his own worst enemy.
He blew it with COVID-19 and most of the country knows it.
He blew it with the economy and most of the country knows it.
He blew it with the Black Lives Matter peaceful protests, and most of the country knows it.
Now he is blowing it with sending OUR children back to school, and most of the country knows it.
The result of Trump being his own worst enemy:
“One of the few political prognosticators whose election model correctly predicted the outcome of the 2016 presidential election [and every presidential election since the 1980s] now says that President Donald Trump will be defeated this November – adding that there’s not much Trump can do about it.” …
“So Donald Trump went from four keys down to seven keys down. Never, in the history of the United States, has there ever been such a dramatic and sudden reversal of fortune for the party holding the White House.” …
“Allan Lichtman, a history professor from American University in Washington, has employed a unique prediction model for presidential elections, going back to 1984.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285147
Thank God that Trump is his own worst enemy. May TrumpEekThinlySkin end up totally broke, living in poverty and mired in court for his crimes and corruption for the rest of his miserable, hate-filled life that he filled with debauchery and lies.
Southern states are seeing an uptick in virus transmission among children from school reopening. Several schools in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi are moving to virtual learning after schools reopened. Students and some teachers are ill with Covid as a result.
My local district in North Florida polled families about school attendance. About 80% of parents will be sending their children to school. Another 11% of students will be at home live streaming lessons, and about 6% have opted for online instruction. Schools here will not open until next week. The district did not anticipate that so many parents would select the in school option, and school district employees are scrambling to get ready.
Coronavirus has spread to such an extent throughout Georgia that now only two counties are consistently detected having uncommonly high COVID-19 cases per 10K persons. One county, Echols, in South Georgia, borders Florida. The other county, Chattahoochee, in West Georgia, borders Alabama.
“scrambling” seems to be the national word
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Carol, so proud of you! Don’t send money. Send a contribution to Biden in their honor!
Tuesday the Superintendent of our District presented to our Rotary Club via Zoom a presentation on the opening of schools. It is the District has a student population of approximately 25,000 students. I asked about the Feds threat to without funding if the school do not fully open for students in the classroom. She said that the Fed funds amount to only 8% of the total budget and if the funds are withheld then they will figure something else out. The Fed funds are just for the Title programs. She made her comments in a polite non-political manner but it was very clear that the Fed could put their threats where the sun does not shine.
Asked as when classes would actually start. Her comment was we will open schools when we locally that the threat to the students and facility has been reduced. It was very clear that the students safety comes first. It will probably be after the Labor Day weekend or later.
Trump and DeVos can stick it.
Try this level of stupidity. This is coming from the HEALTH department. They must be run by Trump supporters. [Indiana]
……………………..
Schools can stay open until coronavirus positivity rate hits 25%, Shelby County health department says
By Laura Faith Kebede Aug 12, 2020, 4:15pm CDT
Shelby County health officials say they won’t recommend closing schools or returning to a stay-at-home order until 25% of coronavirus tests in the community come back positive — a threshold dramatically higher than other cities across the nation.
By contrast, New York City’s mayor has said school buildings must shutter if the positivity rate exceeds 3%, and other school districts have vowed to limit in-person learning when the rate hits 5%.
While Shelby County’s guidelines mean that coronavirus infection rates would have to get a lot worse before the health department urges school buildings shut, the majority of students in the county won’t be returning to campuses just yet. That’s because Shelby County Schools is scheduled to begin online Aug. 31 and remain virtual until further notice. The district has not yet indicated what coronavirus case numbers would signal a safe return to school buildings or what would prompt recurring closures…
Alisa Haushalter, the county health department director, said the 25% threshold was set through consensus of local infectious disease experts, health department officials, and leaders of the county’s “Back to Business” plan. She also said testing and hospital capacity would factor into decision-making.
“Getting children back to school is a priority for many reasons,” she said in an email. “Decreasing community transmission impacts schools. We will aim to address community factors prior to closing schools.”…
Considering this is coming from Indiana and where Pence, Trump’s buddy in crime, came from — I got it. Stupid is as Stupid does.
This nation, the students, teachers, administrators, and parents would be much better off if our so called leadership would quit playing politics with our public education system.
I guess the economy is more important than the death of one child. At least to Trump, Pence, and the rest of his minions.
Once again, this is not about the Trump administration and supporters evaluating evidence differently. It is about willful ignoring what is in front of our eyes for one reason– the pretense of normality. The abnormality we are living through (or not, for too many) reflects their callousness and incompetence. They want to pretend everything is OK because if they admit it is not they know they will be voted out of power. Since pretense only goes so far, they are prepared to cheat and lie and suppress the vote. Speaking of evidence, it is abundantly clear they will stop at nothing to retain power.
Chicago Tribune:
Here’s what to know about kids and COVID-19 as some return to school
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently reported that nearly 180,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 in the last month, a 90% increase in a four-week period in child cases nationwide.
Of those child cases, 97,000 were reported in the latter half of July, a nationwide increase of 40% in two weeks coinciding with the reopening of schools in certain parts of the South and Midwest.
The below is from In The Public Interest August 13, 2020 CBK
“This is a guest post by Sharon Krengel, Policy and Outreach Director of Education Law Center, which is at the forefront of state-based efforts to improve school funding equity.
“You’ve got to hand it to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
“Even during a pandemic that’s hitting the U.S. hard and caused every state to physically close schools, she has not wavered from her agenda of using public dollars to subsidize private education.
“Her boss, President Trump, has spent the past few months trying to help her out, pushing private school voucher policies that have failed for years to gain congressional support.
“Now come two federal bills that make no illusions about diverting taxpayer dollars to private schools, even though the nation’s public schools are struggling mightily to reopen their doors while simultaneously improving virtual learning for students who will still be at home.
“Senate Republicans recently put forward a stimulus bill that would divert approximately 10 percent of the $70 billion earmarked for K-12 education to private schools. At the same time, Senators Lamar Alexander and Tim Scott have introduced a tax credit voucher bill that would divert $5 billion annually in federal tax reimbursements for contributions to organizations that give out private school vouchers.
“Some state leaders aren’t waiting to see if either bill becomes law. The governors of South Carolina, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Florida have declared their intention to divert portions of their CARES Act funds—coronavirus relief aid passed by Congress earlier this year—to private school vouchers.
“In South Carolina, a judge put a temporary hold on Governor McMaster’s decision to use $32 million in pandemic aid for vouchers.
“And a recent report showed that private schools across the country received between $2.67 and $6.47 billion from the Paycheck Protection Program, a source of federal pandemic aid under the CARES Act unavailable to traditional public schools.
“What does all this mean? Already underfunded public schools, which are open to all and educate 90 percent of students nationwide, need significant additional resources to keep providing students in need with meals and other essentials. They need to purchase PPE and adjust classrooms for physical distancing. They need to provide devices and hot spots for continued remote learning. And they need to support student learning and social-emotional needs.
“Just as state and local budgets are tanking, DeVos, Trump, and others want to divert public money from a public good that has never seemed so essential for children, families, and communities everywhere.
“Now more than ever, public funds should support public schools.”
Sharon Krengel
Policy and Outreach Director
Education Law Center
In the Public Interest
1305 Franklin St., Suite 501
Oakland, CA 94612
United States