Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Delays Release Of Documents On Reopening Schools
NPR: CDC School Guidance Won't Be Released This Week
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not release a set of documents this week aimed at giving schools advice on how to reopen to students after coronavirus shutdowns, NPR has learned. Instead, the full set will be published before the end of the month, a CDC spokesperson says. "These science and evidence-based resources and tools will provide additional information for administrators, teachers and staff, parents, caregivers and guardians, as together we work towards the public health-oriented goal of safely opening schools this fall," the spokesperson said. (Ordonez, 7/16)
CNN: CDC Delaying Release Of Additional Documents On Reopening Schools
The CDC said last week it was releasing new documents on how to safely reopen schools this fall after President Donald Trump complained that the agency's current guidance was "very tough" and "expensive." Vice President Mike Pence described the additional information as a "new set of tools," five different documents that would clarify the existing guidelines. (Erdman, 7/16)
Reuters: Despite Trump's Pressure, Most Americans Think It Is Unsafe To Reopen Schools: Reuters/Ipsos Poll
Only one in four Americans think it is safe for public schools to reopen this fall as U.S. coronavirus cases climb, and four in 10 parents said they would likely keep their children home if classes resume, a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll shows. The July 14-15 national online poll was conducted as the country’s 13,000 school districts grapple with how to safely resume instruction after closing in the spring as infections spread. The results suggest President Donald Trump’s demand to fully reopen schools is at odds with how most Americans feel. (Kahn, 7/16)
In news from Washington, D.C.; Oregon; California; Hawaii; and other states —
The Washington Post: After Last-Minute Change, D.C. Says It Wants Students Back But Will Wait And Watch Virus
All week, parents and teachers in the nation’s capital expected the city to make its long-awaited announcement, revealing what school would look like in the fall. Many younger students would return to in-person learning twice a week, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) would announce, and older students could go back once a week. It wasn’t normal school, but it was more class time than many other districts were offering. That was the plan as late as Wednesday evening, when city officials laid out in interviews how it would work. But an hour before Thursday’s scheduled news conference, officials said plans had changed. And when the city finally made its announcement, it added a big caveat — and a lot of uncertainty: The health department will now announce on July 31 whether schools will even be allowed to reopen in the fall, or if schools will need to go all virtual. (Stein, 7/16)
AP: COVID Case Record In OR, Brown Says School Won't Be 'Normal'
The Oregon Health Authority on Thursday reported 437 new confirmed COVID-19 cases – the highest daily count in the state since the beginning of the outbreak – as Gov. Kate Brown said children will not have a “normal year” when school resumes. Authorities also reported two more deaths, bringing the overall coronavirus fatalities in Oregon to at least 437. More than 13,500 confirmed cases have been reported in the state. (7/16)
Los Angeles Times: Latino And Black Students Hit By Online Learning Disparities
More than 50,000 Black and Latino middle and high school students in Los Angeles did not regularly participate in the school system’s main platform for virtual classrooms after campuses closed in March, a reflection of the deep disparities faced by students of color amid the COVID-19 pandemic and of the difficulties ahead as L.A. Unified prepares for continued online learning. The numbers, reflected in a first-of-its-kind report by Los Angeles Unified School District analysts examining student engagement during campus closures, paint a stark picture of students in the nation’s second largest school district struggling under the new pressures of online learning. (Esquivel and Blume, 7/16)
The New York Times: In The Same Towns, Private Schools Are Reopening While Public Schools Are Not
In Honolulu, nearly all public schools are planning to allow students to return for just part of the week. But at Punahou, a private school for grades kindergarten through 12, school will open full time for everyone. The school has an epidemiologist on staff and is installing thermal scanners in the hallways to take people’s temperatures as they walk by. It has a new commons area and design lab as well as an 80-acre campus that students can use to spread out. There were already two teachers for 25 children, so it will be easy to cut classes in half to meet public health requirements for small, consistent groups. (Miller, 7/16)
