Just an idea here, hear me out..
Of all the requirements we seek when having people in positions of power, either elected or selected, we would all do much better if we placed even a modicum of compassion on that requirement list. I'm really tired of the pull yourself up by the bootstrap argument and the celebrated cruelty that comes with it.
Within weeks, we will have thousands of people in this country losing their homes and starving.
1/
Yet, the Senate goes on recess and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin: "We're not going to use taxpayer money to pay people more to stay home."
HELLOOOOOOOO!!! The 'people' were ALL taxpayers before being forced to stay home in an effort to save lives and slow down the pandemic!
2/2
@ChippySuave
Yes, and people here, people I know, people who PAY TAXES and work hard, are literally facing this decision: Either my child goes to school in person, or I have to quit my job to home/remote school them.
That's what we've gotten to in this pandemic. Job vs. health. One or the other.
And no, there's no reopening schools "safely". Haha. Please. There's no money to help with that, either -- in terms of
protective supplies, buildings, or salaries.
@janallmac Under the CARES Act, our school district, Virginia Beach was given $10.1M.
Seems like a lot!
But according the the American Federation of Teachers' analysis, the average school will need an additional $1.2 million, or $2,300 per student, to open its doors.
In Virginia Beach, we have 82 public schools and 5 secondary/post-secondary specialty centers. That comes to $116,211 per building, or using the statistic 66,820 students in the 2018-2019 year, that comes to $151 per student.
Hm. Obviously not enough, but maybe that would help with improving the remote learning curriculum (?) and providing some laptops.
Still doesn't solve the job-vs-school problem, which is the big problem here, IMO.
And everyone knows if we open schools, Covid cases and deaths will increase, and the attitude seems to be shrug, oh well! Some (like my pediatrician) even admit that.
Crazy.
@janallmac I am privileged to live in a well to do school district.
Every child K-12 in public schools has been given a chromebook. Steps have been taken/are being implemented to insure each child has access to internet. And during the pandemic, free bagged meals have been made available to every student for every day, regardless of status, at 33 different sites.
I know other places are not nearly as lucky.
@ChippySuave
My school district is learning & improving.
We got blindsided by covid in the spring, and our remote learning system was not really meant for long-term use. The teachers really had to scramble!
But they've improved the system over the summer -- they've been working hard, I'm impressed. Chrome books have been provided for those who need them.
Still, there are parents with young kids who are faced with some incredibly tough decisions if they can't WFH.
@ChippySuave
Oh gosh, look at you, with numbers and everything! I should know the numbers for my district; I don't, unfortunately.
I do know the physical buildings are too crowded to socially distance, and unless they're building new ones (and they're not) and hiring more teachers (and they're not) then there's no way we can socially distance properly.
And that doesn't even take into account masking and hand washing and testing.