Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Blame Game Heats Up As Chicago Public Schools Remain Closed
Politico: Lightfoot Says Teachers Union 'Abandoned Their Posts,' Remains 'Hopeful' Deal Can Be Reached
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot continued her bruising attacks against the city's teachers union, but said she remains "hopeful" a deal can be reached on Sunday to get children back into their classrooms. The teachers union for the nation's third-largest school district voted last week to shutter classes in a Covid-related labor dispute. (Wolan, 1/9)
Bloomberg: New York City School Operations Crumble Under Omicron’s Weight
New York City school officials fought to keep schools open through a record-breaking surge of Omicron cases. Now, students, parents and teachers are grappling with the consequences. Some 300,000 students missed class on average this week in the nation’s largest school district, which serves 1 million. For others, going to class in-person consisted of little actual learning as students were herded into auditoriums with teachers in short supply. Students stuck at home had no virtual option, and parents had to decide whether to send their children in or risk them falling further behind after years of disrupted, pandemic education. (Querolo, 1/8)
The Guardian: Staff Shortages, Fear And Confusion: Los Angeles Schools Grapple With Covid Chaos
For Los Angeles Unified – the second largest public school system in the US – classes are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, and educators, students, and parents alike are bracing for another winter of anxious uncertainty. Schools here are grappling with coronavirus conundrums that institutions across the country are facing – but on a huge scale. Vaccination rates continue to lag among children, and tests are in short supply. And all this comes as rates of Covid surge in the surrounding community, with about one in every five coronavirus tests in Los Angeles coming back positive. (Singh, 1/10)
Axios: Georgia Eases Some COVID Guidelines For School Districts
The state Department of Public Health has relaxed some guidelines for Georgia school districts in their efforts to fight COVID-19 in the classroom. A letter sent Thursday by Gov. Brian Kemp and DPH Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey says educators and school staff who are exposed to COVID-19 can return to work, regardless of their vaccination status or when they were exposed “if their employer deems it necessary to ensure adequate staffing.” (Dixon, 1/10)
The Washington Post: Montgomery County To Keep 11 Schools Virtual This Week; Will Give All Students KN95 Masks
Montgomery County Public Schools announced Sunday that 11 schools with a spike in coronavirus cases will remain virtual this week and return to in-person classes Jan. 18. They also say they will give all students in the county KN95 masks in an effort to limit coronavirus transmission in schools. (Klein and St. George, 1/9)
The Baltimore Sun: More Than A Third Of Baltimore City Schools Shift To Online Monday Amid Spread Of COVID-19
In a sign of the growing difficulty of keeping schools open, more than a third of Baltimore City schools will switch to online learning Monday after test results that came in over the weekend showing thousands of students and staff may have COVID-19. The school system listed 57 schools transitioning temporarily to online learning on its website Sunday evening. Two other schools were closed for what was described as facilities challenges. The city has 155 schools. (Bowie, 1/9)
Bangor Daily News: Maine Schools Expect Rise In COVID Cases To Continue
Bangor-area schools have begun to see a rise in COVID-19 cases in the week since students returned from their winter break. And school leaders and state officials expect numbers over the next week to keep increasing as the return of regular virus testing picks up new cases. The Maine Department of Education on Thursday reported that schools had detected 4,946 COVID-19 cases among staff and students over the past 30 days. That represented a 20 percent decline from the department’s last report, on Dec. 23, of cases reported over the past 30 days. But the decline was a reflection of the fact that schools were closed over Christmas and New Year’s and didn’t report new cases in that time, said Kelli Deveaux, a Department of Education spokesperson. (Russell, 1/9)
In other news about covid mandates —
Dallas Morning News: Masking On Planes Now Pits Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants Against Noncompliant Pilots
The union representing Southwest Airlines flight attendants says the company is refusing to enforce mask mandates with pilots, on and off airplanes. Transport Workers Union Local 556, which represents 15,400 flight attendants, said Friday that many of the carrier’s pilots are not only going maskless in the cockpit as allowed by Federal Aviation Administration rules but they’ve also dropped face coverings during on-ground training. The union said its members are still required to wear masks and are reprimanded if they don’t. (Arnold, 1/7)
