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.

Schools close indefinitely in Flint, Michigan, students moved to virtual learning contrary to CDC guidance



Schoolchildren in Flint, Michigan will be moved to remote learning indefinitely after the school district decided it will not be resuming classes on Jan. 24.

In a notice to parents, district Superintendent Kevelin Jones said the decision was made to shift to "distance learning" in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

"While this decision was not made easily, it is necessary for the greater health of our community," Jones said in a statement posted Wednesday. "We know this is not an easy time for many across our district and we want you to know that you are not alone."

Flint, Michigan schools closed indefinitely. This district's minority enrollment is 90%. 80% of students are in living in poverty. You want to talk about economic inequality, talk to your union bosses keeping these kids and families locked out.https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2022/01/flint-schools-extends-virtual-learning-period-indefinitely.html\u00a0\u2026
— Rory Cooper (@Rory Cooper) 1642691173

Flint Community Schools were scheduled to reopen after winter break on Jan. 24, but this more recent decision means students will attempt to learn remotely at home until further notice.

The announcement cited state data that shows the COVID-19 testing positivity rate in Genesee County is 38.4%. The county reported 1,232 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 weekly.

Michigan is experiencing a statewide surge in COVID cases caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant. Over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, the state reported a seven-day average of 17,595 new cases, breaking a record.

The seven-day average number of new reported deaths is 107, up from 95 a week ago, according to Michigan Live.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines state that places with a positive rate exceeding 10% are areas at risk of "high transmission." The CDC recommends that people in areas of high transmission wear face masks in public, indoor settings.

"To lower the transmission number, and to keep it low, we must actively continue distance learning until further notice," Jones said.

However, the decision to close schools for in-person instruction goes against the recommendations of the CDC, which the agency says are based in scientific study.

"Evidence suggests that many K–12 schools that have strictly implemented prevention strategies have been able to safely open for in-person instruction and remain open," the CDC says. The federal government has provided recommendations for schools that wish to stay open on how to do so safely, including the widespread use of face masks and social distancing.

Even in areas of high COVID transmission, the CDC says K-12 schools should be the last settings to close after all other prevention measures in the community have been employed and the first to reopen when they can do so safely. In the absence of a city-wide pandemic lockdown, the CDC says schools should be open if businesses and other public places are open too.

The CDC in recent months has prioritized keeping schools open, embracing "test-to-stay" policies in December to keep kids in classrooms. These policies let students exposed to someone with COVID-19 stay in school as long as they test negative for the virus.

Remote learning is widely acknowledged to be harmful for students, which is why reopening schools has been a priority for public health officials. Studies have shown virtual school resulted in "significant" academic learning loss throughout school closures during the pandemic. A study published by the CDC last March found that the mental health and wellness of children and their parents suffered without in-person interactions with teachers and peers in the classroom.

Jones acknowledged that virtual learning has left many students behind during a Board of Education meeting last week, but said remote learning was necessary for the safety of students and teachers.

“We want to get scholars back into the buildings, but it is just not safe,” Jones said. “... We are going to be catching up, educationally, for a while anyway. Most people do not understand that ... We are going to have to catch up, but the world has not ended. We are going to keep going and keep educating.”

WaPo fact-checks whether GOP Sen. Tim Scott actually went from 'cotton to Congress' — gets rightfully torched by critics



The Washington Post on Friday decided to publish an extensive probe of Republican Sen. Tim Scott's history to fact-check if the South Carolina lawmaker's family actually went from "cotton to Congress," prompting critics harsh criticism from commentators on the left and right.

What are the details?

"Tim Scott often talks about his grandfather and cotton. There's more to that tale," wrote Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler in the Friday morning hit piece on Scott, who was recently tapped to deliver the Republican Party's response to President Joe Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress next Wednesday.

Scott often touts his family's journey from cotton to Congress in one lifetime as proof of the opportunity America affords to enterprising individuals who work hard to get ahead, regardless of their skin color. But that message runs counter to modern progressive ideology, which teaches that America is inherently racist and restrictive to minority classes.

With that in mind, the Post set out to investigate the authenticity of Scott's claim, digging through the annals of history to decipher whether his grandfather, Artis Ware, was in fact forced out of elementary school to help on the farm and pick cotton.

In the exhaustive 1,800-word article, Kessler enlists the help of historians and draws from numerous census and property records to ultimately suggest on admittedly flimsy data that Scott, while speaking truthfully, may not be providing the entire context of his family's situation.

"Scott's "cotton to Congress" line is missing some nuance, but we are not going to rate his statements," Kessler declared, opting not to award Scott any Pinocchios.

"Scott tells a tidy story packaged for political consumption, but a close look shows how some of his family's early and improbable success gets flattened and written out of his biography," he continued. "Against heavy odds, Scott's ancestors amassed relatively large areas of farmland, a mark of distinction in the Black community at the time. Scott, moreover, does not mention that his grandfather worked on his father's farm — a farm that was expanded through land acquisitions even during the Great Depression, when many other Black farmers were forced out of business."

What else?

The post immediately drew backlash from commentators on social media.

"Who thought this was a good idea?" tweeted CNN commentator and former Democratic South Carolina state lawmaker, Bakari Sellers.

Who thought this was a good idea? https://t.co/019Sxf9V9l
— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari Sellers)1619193526.0

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley added, "What WaPo did to @SenatorTimScott is shameful. When minorities refuse to be victims, disagree with liberal talking points, and think for ourselves, the media shames us and questions our credibility. It's why we must fight harder for conservative values that lift us all up."

What WaPo did to @SenatorTimScott is shameful. When minorities refuse to be victims, disagree with liberal talkin… https://t.co/asN5phSDA9
— Nikki Haley (@Nikki Haley)1619190227.0

"Senator Scott deserves an apology for this," political strategist Rory Cooper wrote. "It's everything wrong with the fact checking industry. The targeting. The lack of good faith. The personal side of it. It's bad."

Senator Scott deserves an apology for this. It's everything wrong with the fact checking industry. The targeting. T… https://t.co/DmDJIxMRw6
— Rory Cooper (@Rory Cooper)1619184427.0

"If you find yourself telling the grandson of a Depression-era Black man who spent his youth picking cotton to check his privilege, please for the love of all that is holy log off, WaPo," Washington Examiner executive editor Seth Mandel tweeted.

If you find yourself telling the grandson of a Depression-era black man who spent his youth picking cotton to check… https://t.co/zeSwxPO5UV
— Seth Mandel (@Seth Mandel)1619187992.0

Daily Wire reporter Cabot Phillips summarized the story this way: "A white man telling a black man his ancestors weren't ***actually*** that poor or oppressed ... If this story were about a Democrat, half the Washington Post editorial board would have been forced to resign by now.

A white man telling a black man his ancestors weren't ***actually*** that poor or oppressedIf this story were abo… https://t.co/OLI0HDyOHx
— Cabot Phillips (@Cabot Phillips)1619187303.0

Republican strategist Matt Whitlock noted that many readers will only see the headline in front of the Washington Post's paywall and assume that Scott is lying despite the fact that the outlet ended up admitting the senator's statement is true.

It’s quite a choice to publish this when A) your conclusion is that everything he said.. is true B) you’re argu… https://t.co/n655KK3g0g
— Matt Whitlock (@Matt Whitlock)1619188763.0

One self-described independent wrote, I "really don't think this is necessary or appropriate...Bad look by @washingtonpost."

Virginia's Fairfax County teachers union demands schools remain closed until August 2021, possibly longer



The teachers union of Fairfax County in Virginia wants schoolchildren to learn from home for the rest of the school year until August 2021.

"Science and Health Safety data support and require that no one should return to in person instruction until there is a widely available scientifically proven vaccine or highly effective treatment" for COVID-19, the Fairfax Education Association wrote in a letter-campaign addressed to the Fairfax County school board and superintendent.

"The metric for Safe Reopening should be 14 days of zero community spread," the letter stated.

The Fairfax County teacher’s union wants all public schools closed at least until August 2021. @FCPSSupt https://t.co/CuLCXRCGOV
— Rory Cooper (@Rory Cooper)1603197655.0

In addition to closing schools through the 2020-21 school year, the teachers union demanded that limited reopening be attempted only if "all buildings" are equipped with "HVAC Merv-13 filters," if all staff is provided with "Medical Grade PPE" including N95 masks, goggles, face shields, and more, and if COVID-19 testing is available for staff.

"Since none of the requirements for safe return are likely to be met in the foreseeable future of the 2020-21 school year we reiterate: Keep Fairfax County Public Schools Virtual for the 2020-21 school year," the letter concluded.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand last week published an update for parents explaining when and how in-person learning in schools will resume. The plan is to begin in-person instruction for small groups of students who are having the most difficulty with distance learning.

"We will follow strict safety and health protocols to minimize health risks for students and staff," the school said.

On Monday, classroom learning began for preschoolers with autism, students in "early childhood classes, and students in specialized high school career preparatory programs." The district plans to phase in other students returning to school in different groups over the next several weeks. They have put in place several policies to limit the spread of COVID-19 as students and teachers return to class.

The union's demands come as mounting evidence suggests there is no clear link between schools reopening and coronavirus infection rates surging. Additionally, there are growing concerns that so-called "distance learning," with children staring at computer screens for most of the day, is failing children and parents who can't handle it.

In New York City, an epicenter of the pandemic where reopening is limited and conditional on targeted random virus testing efforts, the New York Times reports expected outbreaks among the city's 1,800 public schools have not materialized in the three-weeks since in-person learning resumed.

Yet, the Free Beacon notes, a Brown University study showed that districts with strong teachers unions, like Fairfax County, were more likely to recommend schools remain closed. In a statement to the Free Beacon, the Fairfax County Public Schools district said school officials maintain returning to the classroom is best for students.

"We firmly believe that while virtual environments are necessary at the current time, students learn best in-person," a district spokeswoman said.

School reopening in the United States varies by state and individual school district. So far, only Arizona, Iowa, Florida, and Texas have ordered schools to open.