FYI from BSF, 08.13.21

Summer School

The contours of school reopening shifted pretty dramatically over the past week.

Last Friday, both the CDC Director Rochelle Wallensky and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona used an appearance in Boston to urge universal mask mandates in schools.

Vaccine mandates quickly followed. By Sunday, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was calling for vaccine mandates for teachers, which was followed by Boston local president Jessica Tang calling for them by Monday. Other local unions, like in Philadelphia, followed suit. By Tuesday, Dr. Fauci had joined the chorus. Yesterday morning, the National Education Association, parent union of the local Massachusetts Teachers Association, publicly supported mandates. Later that afternoon, Acting Mayor Janey made it official for Boston.

Where is this momentum coming from? Two potential answers: data and politics.

For data, it’s easy: masks and vaccines work. A study of over 1 million children in North Carolina is persuasive (if not wholly scientific).

For politics, it’s more complicated. Perhaps that is why, in some extreme cases, major cities in Texas and Florida are instituting mask mandates despite legal and political threats. Mask mandates are picking up steam in Massachusetts, with almost 30 communities already approving them.

While masking continues to play the role of political football, the American people have slowly, but clearly, developed a wide political consensus that vaccines should be mandated for the return to school. From OSF public research:

At over 76%, Massachusetts (page 19) had the highest support for school vaccine mandates of any state. If one extrapolates from the demographic data, it would be safe to assume that support in Boston may be well over 80%. Political justification wasn’t needed in Denver: despite Colorado polling lower on this issue, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has already mandated vaccines for all city employees, including educators. California issued the first state-wide educator mandate this week.

What about vaccines and vaccine mandates for children? Little public discussion of that yet, but it is worth noting the lower vaccine rates of eligible Boston 12-15 year-old children - about 12,000 out of about 22,000 eligible kids. Is there hesitancy among parents?

So, what happens when these safety measures are not in place in schools, or safety measures are not trusted by families?

Simple: kids don’t go to school.

It has been well-documented how much remote schooling, despite best efforts, limited children’s academic and social development. It is also clear now that remote schooling affects children’s enrollment in schools.

Enrollment dropped in schools across since the pandemic began, mostly in kindergarten. More so cities and where remote instruction was being offered.

With the rise of the Delta variant, now 20% of school districts in the country have reopened virtual options, with a greater percentage in districts where students of the color are the majority.

Without more safety measures and increased vaccinations of educators and students, there will likely be many families that will feel it is unsafe to return to school.  Extensive polling and research indicates that those families are more likely to be families of color.  The hypercontagious nature of the Delta variant could mean classrooms are shut down more often, resulting in unvaccinated students missing school at a higher rate.

What does this mean for Boston?  It’s no longer theoretical - one of our partner schools, Brooke, started back this week.

Like other major cities across the country, the Boston has an immense amount of planning left and open questions.  And like other major cities across the country, Boston saw an immense drop in enrollment, not just in kindergarten, but in other early grades and 9th grade.  And like almost every other district or school in Massachusetts (per state guidance), Boston will not offer an alternative remote option for families.

On September 10th, children not in school buildings in Boston would no longer be “remote.”  They would just be...absent.  

And no one can debate what that could mean for children’s learning and development.

Education 2021

Last week, all five mayoral candidates encouraged Superintendent Cassellius to complete her licensure. Cassellius reported signing up to take the required test (MTEL) tomorrow, but until that test is passed, the state has warned she may not have legal authority for her position. Results are expected around Septmeber 10th, the first day of school.

Other Matters

Former Boston School Committee student member Khymani James is profiled.

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Education Equity Project released extensive resources for pandemic recovery.

A complicated turn in school diversity: an Atlanta school is being sued by a Black family for creating classrooms with only Black students.

As school buses begin to roll out in the coming weeks, could insourcing transportation be cheaper and better (not just in service, but adding jobs and electrifying fleets)? Brockton is trying.

Have an opinion about Boston schools? Join several hundred respondents and take 6 or so minutes to complete this survey for the All Children Thrive (ACT) Boston.