FYI from BSF, 1.14.22
Safety in Numbers
Safety is a feeling, not a fact.
Different perceptions of school safety (and local conditions) are resulting in different reactions and decisions right now.
Schools should be open because they are safe, even if parents are subs. No, schools should be going remote if needed. Or, just keep the kids at home.
Mask mandates should continue, but are the masks good enough?
Close schools because it is too cold. Crack classroom windows to help ventilation, but not too much because it is cold.
More tests. No, less tests.
A sick student or teacher used to be out for 10 days. Now it’s 5?
No sports. OK, you can have sports again.
There are no clear answers, and Americans are clearly split on their feelings of safety in schools. In the din of public health experts (and self-appointed public health experts), it is hard to hear solutions that could garner widespread agreement. Except one.
Vaccination.
Sort of.
Vaccines work. There are a lot of them now. And, so far, they have kept a really bad situation (lots more cases) from becoming catastrophic (lots more deaths). Even Trump said they work.
With one of the highest vaccination rates on the planet, Massachusetts smart phones were pinging last year with pictures of smiling elected officials, family, and friends getting their shots. Even those worried or holding out largely came along, following statewide initiatives and successful grassroots campaigns like the one in Chelsea.
We have not done this for kids.
This, in spite of educators’ and families’ demands for school safety, in spite of being the consistent, top priority from public health experts.
This has real consequences for kids and their families, and their school communities. Even though children are at lower risk, they are not immune. In the best case, this could create constant disruptions for families, classrooms, and schools; in the worst case, it can create real risk. There were over 1,800 reported COVID-19 cases in Boston over the past two weeks.
Where is the urgency? Why are there only 11 clinics advertised for kids in Boston and all of them are during school hours? Why isn’t there a mass vaccination clinic for kids with Jayson Tatum? The adults got Wally.
It is possible this is because a significant number of parents and caregivers are hesitant around vaccination.
Our leaders have a choice. Go along and get along. Or persuade, and perhaps alienate, a large swath of their constituents. Many are choosing Door #1.
We need real plans, goals, and resources to increase child vaccination, and do so equitably. Without this crucial step, reinfections and future outbreaks are all but certain, placing educators, families, and kids on a constant rollercoaster of disruption. One shudders to think how much worse this outbreak could have been without the large number of teenagers who were vaccinated in Boston.
We have asked a lot of our leaders in the last two years. But it should not be too much to ask for them to exercise leadership that is certain to make kids and schools safer.
Reopening Boston, MA and Beyond
Boston School Committee met on Wednesday. Among other things, there was a lengthy presentation on COVID safety. You can find very detailed, transparent data here. Interesting note: reported staff COVID-19 cases for BPS have decreased the longer schools have been open.
Other materials here, including a significantly less detailed, less transparent release of $400M in federal dollars to the school district. The Committee welcomed a new member, Dr. Stephen Alkins. There is still an open seat.
There are rumblings of student walkouts in response to school safety concerns.
Across Massachusetts, student case numbers are up, staff case numbers are down.
Continued safety concerns have stifled attempts to innovate. Remote learning could be really different. So could teachers’ jobs.
Other Matters
Busy week in higher education. Across the country, college enrollment is down 1M students. Closer to home, higher education Commissioner Santiago is stepping down at the end of the school-year.
A poignant profile of a student at Northern Essex Community Collegeleaves out a critical detail - the school’s graduation rate for its Black students is 4%. Individual efforts will not be sufficient to address the massive market and policy issues confirming Massachusetts colleges.
Cartel is a provocative word. But, as an economic term, it seems apt if it is proven that selective colleges colluded to avoid paying out financial aid.