Thread by @ashtonpittman

NEW: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is asking the Legislature to cut funds for schools that don't offer in-class instruction.

The proposal comes after the worst week for COVID-19 in schools so far, with over 1,546 positive cases and 16,705 quarantined.
mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

Gov. Tate Reeves' request for the Legislature to strip funds from all-virtual schools came after more than 65 schools moved to all-virtual amid large outbreaks.

MSDH reported 70 school outbreaks last week—up from 24 the week before. mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

Reeves’ proposed budget does not include a plan to raise pay for teachers—despite 2019 campaign promises of a substantial teacher pay raise. Instead, he wants $3 million for "Patriotic Education."

The news comes after yet another teacher died of COVID-19. mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

While stripping funds for virtual-only schools, Gov. Reeves says he wants $3 million for a "Patriotic Education Fund" to “combat” a “far-left socialist teachings" he says are "poisoning a generation." (Very few Mississippi teachers are "far left"). mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

The @ParentsCampaign responds to Gov. Reeves' proposals: “Public school teachers will remember the emails from then-candidate Tate Reeves that landed in their school inboxes shortly before last November’s election, promising teacher pay raises..."

"Not a penny more for our teachers. Instead, Reeves used his budget recommendation...to accuse teachers of ‘poisoning a generation,’ saying that in our public schools ‘young children have suffered from indoctrination in far-left socialist teachings.'" mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

While Gov. Tate Reeves pushes to cut funds for virtual-only schools, Mississippi's top health officials are pushing more schools to go virtual.

Dr. Dobbs: “I think it’s a great time for schools if they’re having outbreaks to look at virtual for a while." mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs: “A virtual break is a great idea (for schools). ... I also think it’s a good idea to think about backing off athletics for a while. I recommend nobody go and be a spectator at a sporting event for a while.”mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs: “I also think it’s a good idea to think about backing off athletics for a while. I would recommend that nobody go and be a spectator at a sporting event for a while.” mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

Dr. Thomas Dobbs: “Our hierarchy of prioritization is extremely stupid. We’re prioritizing youth sports not only over academics, (but also) over community health...Please, everybody do a little soul searching & understand we are all connected.” mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

Midsouth Association of Independent Schools, a private school org, is defending its schools' refusal to comply with lawful orders to report data on classroom COVID-19 cases among "customers" (meaning students) to the Mississippi State Department of Health. mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

MAIS on private school refusal to report COVID data: “(Private schools) aren't agents of the state. They are small businesses that happen to be in the business of teaching children. The best they can do is report what customers report to them.”
mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

MAIS, founded as the Mississippi Private School Association in 1968, has a long history of resistance to government orders. It began as an accrediting agency for newly formed segregation academies as white parents avoided court-ordered racial integration. mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs: “We are seeing a lot of private and independent schools not reporting their numbers. They need to do it, and it is a public-health order, and they are going against the legal mandate to report." mississippifreepress.org/7085/gov-reeve…

Meanwhile, at a MAIS school tonight...

https://twitter.com/TylerCleveland/status/1329588399800524800?s=20

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