Maryland county closes schools over COVID but opens 'Equity Hubs' where kids can meet in person to learn virtually
As four schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, have temporarily closed in response to surging COVID-19 cases, the school district is offering "Equity Hubs" where students can meet together in person to learn virtually.
Montgomery County Public Schools announced last week that Loiederman Middle School, Harmony Hills, Pine Crest, and Wheaton Woods elementary schools, and the autism program at Westover Elementary School will revert to virtual learning for 10 days beginning Monday. The schools are expected to reopen Feb. 10, the district said.
While the schools are closed, MCPS is providing spaces where students in kindergarten through grade 5 can gather in person for "a safe place to learn while their parents work." According to the district, not every student has access to virtual learning at home, and some live in a situation where at-home learning is difficult. These so-called Equity Hubs are a solution designed to provide a "more structured learning environment" for poor kids whose home lives make virtual learning a struggle.
MCPS is working with the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence and the Children’s Opportunity Fund, two certified child care providers, to establish these Equity Hubs, which first opened in fall 2020 at the height of school closures during the coronavirus pandemic. Students who qualify can meet in person Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. til 5 p.m. at schools located throughout Montgomery County. Child care providers at these Equity Hubs follow "strict health and safety guidelines," provide meals and exercise/play for the kids, and assign two staff members for each group of 13 students.
According to the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Children's Opportunity Fund raised over $4.6 million in 2020 to enroll 1,500 students across 70 sites. In January 2021, MCPS and Montgomery County Council provided another $3.6 million to support the Equity Hubs through March 2021, when schools reopened.
There are 165,267 students enrolled in Montgomery County's 209 schools, 25.4% of whom are economically disadvantaged, according to U.S. News & World Report. Only a tiny fraction of them are served by the Equity Hubs.
Critics questioned why the schools are safe enough to open for these Equity Hubs but not safe enough to resume normal in-person learning.
They're doing it again.\n\nSchools safe enough for daycare but not for learning.\n\nThe additional cost is $300 per student per week\n\nMontgomery County Public Schools already spend about $17,000 per student per year\n\nGive that money directly to families so they can find alternatives.https://twitter.com/MCPS/status/1486724665510825991\u00a0\u2026— Corey A. DeAngelis (@Corey A. DeAngelis) 1643338583
Montgomery County going virtual and then having the same students bring their laptops to a school without teachers and calling them Equity Hubs is beyond ridicule. These people shouldn\u2019t run a bake sale.https://twitter.com/MCPS/status/1486724665510825991\u00a0\u2026— Rory Cooper (@Rory Cooper) 1643377203
Like a work of absurdist art. An "Equity Hub" is school. It's just in-person school, which the county is admitting it CAN offer to offset the disastrous harm caused by its refusal to offer... in-person school.https://twitter.com/MCPS/status/1486724665510825991\u00a0\u2026— Mary Katharine Ham (@Mary Katharine Ham) 1643377812
What is MCPS doing with these school closures???\n\nThe literature is quite clear that closures INCREASE transmission.\n\nThe wave is long past peaked in Maryland.\n\nAre they trying to prop it back up? Or just this dumb?\n\nCongrats to the kids who qualify for "Equity Hubs" though!https://twitter.com/MCPS/status/1486724665510825991\u00a0\u2026— Phil Kerpen (@Phil Kerpen) 1643378468
The decision to close Montgomery County schools again was made after "a review of multiple key factors and input from a multi-stakeholder group." MCPS said the switch to virtual learning was made "in the interest of the overall school community's health and safety," but did not specify what those factors were or who those stakeholders are.
WTOP-TV reported last week that COVID-19 cases in the county are declining "precipitously," but health officials warn case rate numbers are "still at the highest they’ve been during the pandemic."
County Executive Marc Elrich said last Wednesday that cases in the county have fallen 51% since the week before, at 579.81 cases per 100,000.
“We can’t celebrate just yet, and we have to pivot our focus on what’s next," Elrich said.
He reported that the county has seen 120 COVID-19 deaths in January, more than the previous four months combined.
“More people in the state of Maryland have died from COVID this month than any other month in the pandemic,” he said.
Elrich and other county health officials strongly encouraged residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 with booster shots to avoid serious illness or death from COVID-19 infection.
Michigan State University allows nearly 15,000 basketball fans at sold-out games but shuts down in-person learning in January
Michigan State University won't allow for in-person learning until the final day of January, but at the same time had no problem opening up the school's arena for nearly 15,000 screaming fans to attend every Spartans' home basketball game this month.
On Dec. 31, Michigan State University president Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced in a letter that the school's spring 2022 semester would commence on Jan. 10 virtually and continue to be remote-learning until Jan. 31.
Stanley notes that Michigan suffered a spike of COVID-19 cases in December – which at the time was an all-time high of more than 11,000 cases.
"Given this intense surge in cases, we now feel the best decision for our campus is to start classes primarily remotely on Jan. 10 and for at least the first three weeks of the semester," writes Stanley – who uses the preferred pronouns of "he" and "him" in the letter.
Stanley admits, "I realize that students prefer to be in person, and so do I. But it is important that we do so in a safe manner."
"Starting the semester remotely and de-densifying campus in the coming weeks can be a solution to slowing the spread of the virus," the letter to MSU students reads. "During the first three weeks, my leadership team and I will be reviewing case numbers and other COVID-19 trends regularly to determine what additional protective measures will be enacted."
Michigan State University will be remote learning for nearly all of January requires all faculty, staff, and students to wear face coverings indoors. The university also mandates that all faculty, staff, and students be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as "receive their booster if and when they are eligible."
While in-state students are paying tuition of more than $25,000 and out-of-state students are doling out more than $51,000, they won't receive in-person learning until Jan. 31. Meanwhile, Michigan State's basketball arena has been running at 100% capacity for all home games this month.
"Attendance at all of Michigan State University's home basketball games in the month of January at the Breslin Center was at 100% capacity with 14,797 fans in attendance," Fox News reports.
The Spartans' men's basketball team will play four home games at the Breslin Center this month.
Michigan State University requires attendees of indoor sporting events on campus to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a negative COVID-19 test, plus has instituted a mask mandate.
The sold-out stadium has been full of basketball fans despite record numbers of COVID-19 cases in Michigan.
Since Jan. 1, there have been more than 13,000 COVID-19 cases each day. Michigan hit a pandemic high of 23,460 COVID-19 cases on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, according to Worldometer.
"The fact that students can fill the (Breslin Center) packed shoulder to shoulder for hours before the game, for the entirety of the game and be together for, you know, probably three hours at night with no social distancing, not even including all the outsiders being brought in to campus for the game, it's wildly hypocritical" MSU student Blake Maday told Fox News.
Dan Olsen – the deputy spokesperson for Michigan State University – issued a statement to Fox News regarding the situation.
"Athletics events are optional events that students or the pubic [sic] can attend, unlike classes which are required for our students to progress toward their degree and graduate," Olsen said. "Our decision to start the first three weeks remotely was difficult and was influenced by two key factors. One factor was the uncertainty at the time of Omicron and having some time to understand it and its impact better."
"The other factor was recognizing we would have a significant increase in cases that would result in hundreds of students and employees needing to be out of the classroom quarantining or isolating, we wanted to ensure consistency in the first weeks of our spring semester so everyone had an equal opportunity to learn with as less of a disruption to their education as possible," Olsen stated.
Viral video shows suspended professor's profane rant: 'You people are just vectors of disease to me' — so 'keep your f***ing distance'
A tenured history professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, has been suspended after he issued profane remarks to students via a video conferencing session, Inside Higher Ed reports.
What are the details?
Professor Barry Mehler, age 74 — wearing space helmet-styled getup covering a face mask — was seen during a semester introduction video saying that he wouldn't kowtow to a "c**k sucker of an administrator" trying to tell him how to teach his classes.
"I'm a f***ing tenured professor," he said. "So if you want to go complain to your dean, f*** you. Go ahead. I'm retiring at the end of this year, and I couldn't give a flying f*** any longer."
After he took the face coverings off, he jokingly introduced himself as an alien visiting earth and noting that the "intergalactic internet is all abuzz about this planet," where suffering is said to be "through the roof."
"I don't know whether you people have noticed, but it's dangerous to breathe air," he said. "Many of your experts are advising wearing masks because there's a deadly virus spreading around the planet. Your civilization is collapsing and life on your planet is going extinct."
Following his introduction, Mehler added that students could work as hard as they wanted in his class or not, since he randomly chose their grades.
“None of you ... are good enough to earn an A in my class,” Mehler said in the video. “So I randomly assign grades before the first day of class. I don’t want to know [anything] about you. I don’t even want to know your name. I just look at the number and I assign a grade. That is how predestination works."
Mehler pointed out that he will at some point have no choice but to return to the classroom in order to teach but implored students not to join him due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, assuring them that they'd be able to fully participate in class via Zoom.
"You people are just vectors of disease to me, and I don’t want to be anywhere near you. So keep your f***ing distance. If you want to talk to me, come to my Zoom," he said. "When I look out at a classroom filled with 50 students, I see 50 selfish kids who don’t give a s**t whether Grandpa lives or dies, and if you don’t expose your grandpa to a possible infection with COVID, then stay the f*** away from me. If you don’t give a s**t about whether Grandpa lives or dies, by all means, come to class.”
He added that there's just "no benefit whatsoever" to attending in-person classes.
“I will not take questions in class, because I’m wearing this f***ing helmet in order to stay alive," he added. "So please come. Enjoy the show. I’ll be there regularly, because I have no choice. You, on the other hand, have a choice. Thank you very much.”
Mehler's union, according to the report, now says the history professor's suspension is an attack on academic freedom.
(Content warning: Rough language):
Week I Gen Intro 010922www.youtube.com
What else is there to know about this?
According to a report from the Washington Post, Mehler's video has been viewed more than 200,000 times since he posted it on Sunday.
Administrators at Ferris State University placed Mehler on leave while they carry out an investigation into his remarks.
Charles Bacon, president of Ferris State’s faculty union, said that the union considers Mehler’s suspension to be an “attack on academic freedom and a part of the continued attempt nationally to enforce uniformity on faculty and intimidate higher education faculty by suppressing intellectual discourse.”
“I assure you, Barry did not have a breakdown," Bacon said. "In fact, his style, which he developed over the last decade, is to be controversial in order to challenge students’ inherent mental models and biases. It is something that we all strive to do.”
He added that Mehler's classes are always "extremely popular" in particular because he "challenges students' assumptions and makes the class extremely interesting."
"In fact, we have had administrators visit his class and come away with statements like, ‘I wish I’d had a professor like you when I was in college,'" Bacon added.
University President David Eisler told the outlet that he was "shocked and appalled" by Mehler's conduct in the video.
“It is profane, offensive and disturbing and in no way reflects our University or its values,” he said through a school spokesperson.
The outlet reported that Mehler did not respond to the outlet's request for comment in time for publication.
Ferris State University professor put on leave after profane video to students circulates onlinewww.youtube.com
Illinois students will soon be able to take up to 5 days off from school no questions asked in order to to tend to their mental health
Illinois children will be able to take up to five mental health or behavioral days away from school beginning in January 2022.
The absences, according to NPR, will be excused.
What are the details?
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the bill into law in late August, stating that any students who choose to take a "mental health" day will not be required to provide professional documentation from a medical doctor or other physician.
Illinois State Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D), co-sponsor of the bill, said that the importance of children being able to take days off to tend to their mental and emotional health is of utmost importance — especially amid an ongoing pandemic.
"Having this now for all students across the state will be really beneficial, especially with what's going on with COVID," Hernandez told the Journal-Courier in a Wednesday statement. "Many students feel stressed, and have developed anxiety and depression because they're not able to see teachers and friends, and may have lower grades due to remote learning."
NPR cites data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states that between March 2020 and May 2020, hospitals across the country saw a 24% increase in the number of mental health emergencies suffered by children 5 to 11 years old. The increase was 31% in the 12-17 age group.
Hernandez added that she's "really excited for this."
"I think it will help students, parents, and teachers, and can help them understand what's going on in their students' lives," she added.
What else?
NPR notes that Illinois is the latest state, which includes Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Virginia, to have implemented similar bills to benefit students' mental health in the classroom.
"Many students are going through a lot mentally and emotionally and they need the support," Hernandez insisted. "Another important thing is that they don't need to provide a doctor's note, so parents don't have to take their child in to a medical provider. Parents can just call the school and let them know their student is taking a mental health day."
Hernandez added that when a student request a second consecutive mental health day, a guidance counselor will discuss with the family an approach to get the student professional help if necessary.
A recent report from The New York Times reveals that adolescents across the country are faced with higher than ever stress levels amid the pandemic.
"Late last year the advocacy group Mental Health America surveyed teenagers about the top three things that would be most helpful to their mental health," the outlet reported. "More than half of the respondents cited the ability to take a mental health break or absence from either school or work. And in a Harris Poll of more than 1,500 teenagers conducted in May of last year, 78 percent of those surveyed said schools should support mental health days to allow students to prioritize their health."
California will require K-12 students to wear face masks in the classrooms this fall
As the new school year approaches, the state of California plans to bar K-12 students who refuse to wear face masks from participating in on-campus learning.
While face masks will be optional outdoors, they will be mandatory indoors, according to California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
"K-12 students are required to mask indoors, with exemptions per CDPH face mask guidance. Adults in K-12 school settings are required to mask when sharing indoor spaces with students," according to the department. "Persons exempted from wearing a face covering due to a medical condition, must wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it.
"In order to comply with this guidance, schools must exclude students from campus if they are not exempt from wearing a face covering under CDPH guidelines and refuse to wear one provided by the school," according to the department.
The state's guidance says that schools must provide alternative learning opportunities for students who are blocked from campus because they will not sport a face covering.
"CDPH will continue to assess conditions on an ongoing basis, and will determine no later than November 1, 2021, whether to update mask requirements or recommendations," the department noted.
The approaching school year comes amid ongoing coronavirus concerns in the U.S. and abroad.
So far, 48% of the total U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 55.5% of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For the U.S. population demographic consisting of those 12 and older, 56.2% of people within that age bracket have been fully vaccinated while 64.9% have received at least a single dose, the CDC reports.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines each require two shots, while Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine only involves one shot. Currently in the U.S., the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may be administered to people ages 12 and older, while the other vaccines may be utilized to inoculate those 18 and older.
The U.S. has seen more than 33 million COVID-19 cases so far and more than 607,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
San Francisco concocts plan to send HS seniors to school for one day to obtain millions in state funds: 'Blatant money grab'
The San Francisco Unified School District is being accused of a "blatant money grab" after concocting a plan to have high school students briefly return to in-person school in order to nab millions in state reopening funds.
What are the details?
The San Francisco teachers' union recently announced that high school seniors would get to return to in-person school starting this Friday.
The union described the development as "exciting news," and union President Susan Solomon told the San Francisco Chronicle the return would allow seniors to spend time with friends and teachers before graduation.
"UESF brought the initial proposal to SFUSD so that our current graduating seniors would have the opportunity to spend some time in-person on campus with teachers and their peers during their last few weeks of high school as they say goodbye to classmates and prepare for graduation and the next chapter of their lives," Solomon said.
But what the teachers' union did not say is that the return would be for one day only — and students would not even be in the classroom with their teachers.
According to Chronicle, the city school district and teachers' union agreed to a deal that would bring the class of 2021 to school "for at least one day before the end of the school year" so that "the city's public schools can qualify for $12 million in state reopening funds."
To obtain the reopening funds, California law required school districts to reopen in-person instruction for elementary students and at least one entire middle or high school grade. The deadline to qualify for the funds is May 15, one day after the SFUSD and San Francisco teachers' union suddenly agreed on an in-person return for seniors.
As part of the deal, seniors will be allowed to attend in-person at "one of two school sites," and instead of instruction from their teachers, they will receive "in-person supervision."
More from the Chronicle:
Each cohort of students would have two teachers or staff supervising them on campus. Activities might include "end of high school conversations," or "college and career exploration," district officials said, who were still working out the cohort size. Only two high school sites would be made available to seniors, meaning most who do return won't be at their own school. As of Monday, it was unclear how many students would accept the offer, with the district polling families to see how many of the 4,000 12th graders want to return.
What was the reaction?
Decreasing the Distance, a San Francisco group advocating in-person learning, slammed the decision.
"What message does this give our kids about what they are worth and how adults take care of our vulnerable populations, including kids? Does this show them that they matter, or just that the money matters?" the group told the Chronicle. "One senior told us she wants to return, but not like this. Her reaction: 'It's too little too late. School's over.'"
Meanwhile, California state Rep. Phil Ting (D) said San Francisco might not qualify for the funds because the deal is violating the spirit of the incentive, which was to promote a permanent return to in-person learning.
"It definitely doesn't meet the spirit of the law," Ting said. "Kids were supposed to come back in person. Kids were supposed to come back to learn."
How is COVID in SF schools?
Despite being one of the last school districts in the country to return to some in-person learning — elementary students and some middle and high school students returned last month — in-person transmission of COVID-19 has been virtually nonexistent.
In fact, since 20,000 students and staff returned last month, there have been only 20 positive COVID cases inside San Francisco schools.
Of those, zero originated from within school buildings.
"In other words, zero cases were related to in-school transmission at SFUSD," the city Department of Public Health said.
Berkeley teachers' union president caught dropping off kid at in-person private school despite fighting against reopening schools
Matt Meyer is the president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, the union that represents public educators in the notoriously liberal city, and has staunchly fought against reopening schools until all teachers have received the coronavirus vaccine.
But that has not stopped Meyer from taking his own daughter to a private school operating in person.
What happened?
Berkeley parents angry over their children being stuck in distance learning — despite guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say schools can safely reopen without every teacher having received the COVID vaccine — followed Meyer, camera in hand, to catch the union president in stunning hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy: Matt Meyer Berkeley Federation of Teachers President www.youtube.com
The parents caught Meyer dropping off his 2-year-old daughter at a private preschool that is operating with in-person instruction, KQED-TV reported.
Dr. Shelene Stine — who has one child that attends the same private preschool as Meyer's daughter and an older child in the Berkeley Unified School District — blasted Meyer for taking his daughter to a private, in-person school despite supporting the continued closure of public schools.
"I am a physician. It is definitively the scientific agreement that it is possible to deliver safe in-person education," Stine told KQED. "It's infuriating to know Matt Meyer says kids can't wear masks when kids in his preschool wear them all day long."
Jonathan Zachreson, the founder of Reopen California Schools, told KQED Meyer's action were clear hypocrisy.
"It's completely opposite of what he's pushing," Zachreson said. "So why is that safe for him and those people who work there [at the preschool], but not for all of the kids in Berkeley Unified and the teachers? The answer is: It is safe."
How did Meyer respond?
The union president responded to critics by citing his "personal choice" to send his daughter to the school of his choice.
"I have my two-year-old in preschool. Unfortunately, there are not public schools for kids her age," Meyer told KQED on Sunday.
Meyer also claimed that preschools like the one his daughter attends are "completely different universe from an elementary school in terms of size, services provided, outside space, and public health guidelines. I don't have elementary school-aged children."
When will Berkeley schools reopen?
Berkeley public schools have been shut down for in-person learning since the pandemic began last spring.
That will finally change this month after the Berkeley teachers' union reached an agreement with the Berkeley Unified School District.
"Students in preschool through second grade would return to class on March 29, according to the agreement. Those in grades 3 through 9 would return on April 12. High schoolers in grades 10 through 12 would return on April 19," Berkeleyside reported.
Part of the reopening plan includes mass vaccinations for Berkeley Unified School District employees.
Ironically, Meyer, before being caught taking his daughter to an in-person school, called the plan the "gold standard" and the "safest" option for students.
"This plan is the Gold Standard," Meyer said. "Social distancing, mask-wearing, and vaccinations for adults will create the safest environment for in-person education for the end of this year."
Horowitz: DC allows illegal alien students preference in returning to in-person classes over most Americans
Liberal city mayors have finally discovered that it was a mistake to close schools and that this virus is not dangerous to children. Well … not all children … only illegal aliens. Most American students will have to remain at home in the nation's capital, while illegal alien children get to attend in-person classes.
So, whose country is this anyway?
On Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee announced that beginning Nov. 9, some elementary and preschool students in the district will return to in-person schooling. Isn't it funny how they can already sense that the danger of the virus will dissipate during the first week after the election?
However, there is a wrinkle. According to the Washington Post, only those who are homeless, have special educational needs, or are learning English as a second language get to return to in-person schooling! In other words, for the overwhelming majority of American citizen students, they will continue with Zoom classes indefinitely. However, if they are learning English as a second language, they get to return to normal schooling.
"Learning from home is not working for every student," Ferebee said at Monday's news conference. "And we particularly know that it has been challenging for our youngest learners."
No kidding! It doesn't work well for all students. So, if there is no longer a danger for those with special needs, then why can't it work for everyone?
Moreover, why should immigrant children get priority over those from citizen families? Yes, the classification of an LEP, or "Limited English proficient," student can apply to some legal immigrant families, but given the demographics of D.C. there are likely many illegal alien children who will benefit from this arrangement while American children stay home.
According to the D.C. government, there are over 6,000 students enrolled in LEP programs, roughly 12.5% of the total K-12 population.
The D.C. area has been flooded with unaccompanied alien children in recent years, many of whom have been vulnerable to MS-13 recruitment. According to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, 1,435 unaccompanied alien children have been resettled in the nation's capital since FY 2015.
According to the Post, the school system spent more money on "hazard pay, a full-time nurse assigned to every school, upgraded air filters and other safeguards in buildings." Citizens of D.C. who pay a fortune in taxes can take heart in knowing that they are now paying for students of other countries while their children will remain at home.
Those who speak English as a first language are now second-class citizens in our nation's own capital city.
Report: Los Angeles County Health Director Says Schools to Reopen ‘After Election’
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