So very proud and inspired by the voices of our children from my former district in Alachua County, Florida; advocating for their own health and safety; trying not to get Covid…
This message from them should inspire all of us to wear that mask…and get vaccinated for our children…
#DemandBetterFL
Please listen to their message advocating for themselves… Their lives…
#maskup #vaccinate
This ruling giving our local school districts a better opportunity to protect our children, teachers, and staff…
Our children younger than 12, who can not get vaccinated, especially need that added protection from the highly contagious delta variant.
Our Governor DeSantis is definitely, only looking out for his political future… not the children and people of Florida…
This lawsuit’s ruling was fair…and extremely impactful…
With all the children now sick…we now have an opportunity to control this virus…
By David K. Li
DeSantis’ school mask mandate ban is unlawful, Florida judge rules…
Local school boards have the right to set their own policies as long as they’re “narrowly tailored,” the judge said Friday…
Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper’s decision followed a four-day trial, which was held online as the state struggles to contain the spread of Covid-19…
School districts have the right to set policies, like mask mandates, as long as they have “compelling state interest” and have a “narrowly tailored” plan of action, according to Cooper…
The judge made clear that he was not ruling against Gov. Ron DeSantis, but taking action to bar state agencies from enforcing the governor’s blanket order against local mask mandates, which tramples on Florida’s separation of powers statutes…
“The actions of the defendants (DeSantis) do not pass constitutional muster,” Cooper said… “They seek to deprive the school boards in advance.”
Still, Friday’s ruling was a blow to the Republican governor and his education commissioner, who have threatened to withhold funding from school districts that went against the ban…
Jared Ochs, director of communications for the state’s Department of Education, said the administration is “immensely disappointed” by Cooper’s ruling.
“This decision conflicts with basic and established rights of parents to make private health care and education decisions for children,” he said in a statement.
Ochs added: “We will continue to fight to make sure every child has access to education. We are committed to the fundamental rights of parents and will push forward on appeal to ensure that this foundation of democracy is upheld.”
In July, DeSantis barred local school districts from requiring students to wear masks even as the nation, and especially the state of Florida, fights a resurgence of coronavirus.
Opponents have said DeSantis’ actions endanger children by not letting local officials follow guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that children be masked at school.
CDC recommends all students wear masks when return to school
The governor’s team argued that parents should have the final say on masks and that there’s no clear evidence masks prevent Covid-19 spread.
In his ruling against the sweeping state policy, Cooper said public schools regularly enforce mandates much more intrusive than just face masks.
The judge recalled how he couldn’t immediately enter Florida State University in 1968 because he hadn’t yet been vaccinated against small pox.
He even remembered the name of the doctor who administered the shot and where the inoculation happened, which allowed him to attend college.
“Schools can adopt policy dealing with health and education,” Cooper said. “And to the extent they may affect a parent’s right to control their children’s education or health, then it’s incumbent on the school board, if challenged in that policy, to demonstrate its reasonableness.”
The judge asked both sides to craft a proposed order by Monday, based on his findings, that he’d use to issue a final ruling…
We now have Hope for our Children and Schools….
Let’s now move forward…
Continue…
#goodtrouble
#DemandBetterFL
#DeSantisDestroysFL!!!
May Hope Prevail!!!
For our precious children…💕🙏🏼🌈🇺🇸🍎
Never before have I been so concerned and extremely frustrated with a school year…than the present…
Having had such hope with President Biden funding our schools though the American Rescue Plan….
However, because our Country is so divided… Republican controlled states are causing such chaos between state and local school districts… over the safety of our children due to the new delta variant…
This new variant is causing children to be hospitalized and even dying…
And we here in Florida have our Governor Ron DeSantis, who does not care!!!
His hashtag being known as… #DeathSantis…
Because… He is making reckless decisions based solely on his political aspirations, appealing solely to his base rather than the safety of our children…and the people of Florida…
Especially…prohibiting the mandate of wearing a mask…And refusing to mandate those older than 12 to get vaccinated… these necessary, safety protocols….
#DeathSantis does not want school districts to provide the necessary safety protocols!!!
And will even go to great lengths to withhold funds…
Many of our districts are rebelling…They know wearing a mask is essential to protect our children hospitalizations and deaths…And DeSantis is not allowing a true count of how many are really affected!!!
There are those citizens here in Florida litigating his authoritarian mandates…And if there was a remote possibility, even recalling him would definitely be an option…
Our only real option is to continue with #goodtrouble…As the late Representative John Lewis had said…And pass John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act… Before it is too late…
I do have my concerns with this newest change in lowering the distance among children to three feet…
In order for children, teachers and essential staff to be able to adhere, and rely on all levels of safety protocols… the extra funding from President Biden’s Covid Relief Bill, and vaccination will definitely help…
However, now allowing a three feet distance among our children… How safe will the classroom be? Is this a change do to the fact, it would be easier to implement in a smaller, older classrooms, which many older schools still have?
We were so close…Germs everywhere..It was extremely difficult to separate, and sanitize…Our custodial staff…on call…and understaffed…
Now with a pandemic!
And in fact, presently it is reported because children have been isolated for so long, there is an uptick of colds among children when they have returned to social situations, and they can carry the coronavirus and other viruses as well…
The data reflects…
Children and COVID-19:
State Data Report
A joint report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association
Summary of publicly reported data from 49 states, NYC, DC, PR, and GU… Version: 3/11/21
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MYF8uxFho-u3cPisOKGau08F8HwZUrI2/view?usp=drivesdk
As of March 11, over 3.28 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Nearly 53,000 new child COVID-19 cases were reported last week. This marks the 8th consecutive week with a decline in new cases.
The age distribution of reported COVID-19 cases was provided on the health department websites of 49 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Children represented 13.2% of total cumulated cases in states reporting cases by age.
A smaller subset of states reported on hospitalizations and mortality by age; the available data indicated that COVID-19-associated hospitalization and death is uncommon in children.
At this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is rare among children. However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.
Schools can allow social distancing of three feet, rather than six currently, between students in classrooms, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday in what is expected to be a boost to reopening of schools nationwide…
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement that the agency is committed to leading with science and updating guidance as new evidence emerges.
“Safe in-person instruction gives our kids access to critical social and mental health services that prepare them for the future, in addition to the education they need to succeed,” Walensky said. “These updated recommendations provide the evidence-based road map to help schools reopen safely, and remain open, for in-person instruction…
Elementary school children can be at least three feet apart in classrooms, the CDC said. The same guidance applies to middle and high school students unless they’re in areas of high community transmission. Levels of community transmission are defined as the total new Covid cases per 100,000 persons in the past 7 days — low being up to nine, and high being 100 cases or more. Schools are encouraged to adjust classroom layouts to maximize distance between students, and desks should face the same direction when possible.
However, the CDC continues to recommend at least six feet of distance for other situations. For example, children must keep six feet apart in circumstances when wearing a mask is not possible, such as when eating. Activities that involve increased exhalation, such as singing, band, or sports should also adhere to the six-foot rule, and take place outdoors when possible.
Teachers and staff are expected to maintain six feet between one other and between students, as research shows that adult-to-adult transmission is most common in schools than transmission between students or between students and teachers… The recommendations on testing allow for safe participation in sports. Schools may consider testing student-athletes, coaches, parents, or other adults who support extracurricular activities.
During a press briefing Friday Walensky responded to a question on why the CDC’s new research on schools did not address underfunded urban schools.
There is growing evidence from many different school settings that did not control for ventilation to demonstrate that it’s safe in classrooms where masks are worn and students are at least three feet apart, Walensky said. “We are following the science and we’ve done the science, and we’ve seen the science to ensure that this is safe for those schools,” she said.
Teacher unions across the country have opposed reopening schools out of safety concerns. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told the New York Times this week she was concerned about the possibility of new guidelines, and suggested the CDC might have been pressured to shift its guidance.
In response to a question, Walensky said she had spoken to representatives of the unions.
“They know that we need to follow the science and to make our guidance based on that science, and they were very respectful of that,” Walensky said.
The Biden administration Wednesday said it would provide states billion of dollars for Covid-19 testing to help reopen schools safely. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is allocating $10 billion to help schools screen teachers, staff and students.
Another $2.25 billion will support scaled-up testing in underserved populations and the development of new guidance on screening in schools, workplaces and congregate settings.Three studies, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Friday, said evidence shows that physical distancing of at least three feet between students can safely be adopted in classroom settings.
I do hope these changes do not affect a positive outcome…
Our children, teachers and essential staff, deserve to be safe…
A week to rest and recharge… My Children need that time for a break too!
I do have concerns with many of my children… They have a week off to be in very unstructured lives… Many do not eat well, nor sleep well… I do try to instill and empower them with the desire to make safe choices, I try to provide reading and math work to do over this break….But of course they are little ones, and I do worry…
As a teacher of young children, I do find some of my students come to school hungry…They have a hard time concentrating and have even shared with me…they are hungry!…
Our school is prepared to handle this challenge…
We have a federal program called SNAP; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, in place providing the necessary funds that enable us to provide all our children a free breakfast; For those who qualify, a free lunch; And for those who may not qualify for free lunch, the necessary steps in place, that if for any child is without lunch money, our school will let it go for a while, reaching out to the home, and provide a mini meal; sandwich with milk…
We never want our children hungry for any reason…
In addition, our school, has a “Backpack Food Program” filled with food items from donations, from a caring church in our community… Those children who are in such need, take home their backpacks weekly to share with their families…In addition to all this support, it is not unusual for me, as well as many other teachers to do our part with food drives for our children…
I also provide a nutritional daily snack; in addition, keeping food items in our classroom …just in case…
Food is essential for our children to be able to learn….No child can be motivated and eager when they are deprived of food…
Janis Sexton...Teacher...Advocate 