Ms. Feeley, Flushing: "My students need some basic PPE that can be used to keep the students safe while they are in school, and we can focus on learning, instead of worrying about safety." 2/
Mrs. Snyder, Jamaica: "It is important to teach our young students how to be safe. Pre-Kindergarten students tend to touch everything in sight. These supplies will help them stay healthy, safe, and COVID free." 3/
Ms. Lockhart, New York: "The daily use of these air purifiers in our classrooms will reassure my students and their families...My students will have clean air to breathe while they are wearing masks." 4/ donorschoose.org/project/breath…
Ms. Diaz, Bronx: "The HEPA filter, face masks, wipes and hand sanitizers will help keep students safe...my students need to wear their coats, gloves and hats while in the classroom because our only source of ventilation is having the windows open." 5/
Mr. Lopez, Far Rock.: "Most students are from low income households...we provide them with basic supplies such as... pencils.when they work from home. Others..felt that they would learn more if they spend time in school, creating a need for PPE." 6/ donorschoose.org/project/basic-…
Ms. Bellamy, Bronx: "Due to Covid, our classrooms must keep the windows open for ventilation...These coats, hats, and boots will ensure that our students will stay safe, warm, and healthy throughout the winter season." /end
Educators: Here are some useful mental health resources from @CrisisTextLine, where I volunteer as a crisis text counselor. 1/
@CrisisTextLine is available 24/7; for kids (& everyone), it's a way to get help in situations they experience as crisis. Crisis can range from anything from an argument with a parent or friend to suicidal ideation. 2/
Schools can partner directly with Crisis Text Line as well; here is a school COVID toolkit.
Mrs. Kopp, FL: "The face masks will be used as a backup for students who come to school without face masks or whose face masks get lost or damaged, which happens quite often." 2/ donorschoose.org/project/safety…
Mrs. Minor, MS: "Sometimes face masks get wet or dirty during the day and need to be replaced...When face masks are clean and fit properly, students are more comfortable and able to focus and learn." 3/
Mrs. Fields, MI: "These air purifiers will help keep the air clear, especially during those times when masks cannot be worn. [eating] Please help keep the air clean for my Pre-k students, so they can breathe again!" 4/
NYCDOE staff Covid data: Soundcheck on examples of individual schools with cumulative % staff Covid👇.
Examples drawn from schools with 200%+ increase in staff cases btw 1/11-1/25; 44 of the 54 are elementaries.
Thx in advance for any insights. 1/
Important: Both on & off site staff cases are being reported as onsite, as HS have >0 new staff cases reported in Jan. No offsite student or staff cases (total for year=0). Implication is I'll use total staff as denominator, not onsite staff. @SarahCohodes, thoughts?
2/
On the sound & fury of the school reopening debate: A thread in which I argue we are asking the wrong questions, and lay out the questions I wish we were asking. 1/
All parties deserve some empathy after this monstrous year. Parents are exhausted by uncertainty & the stops & starts of closing/re-opening. Women are carrying an impossible load, with long-term impacts for their careers & well-being. 2/
Kids are separated from teachers, peers, & services they need. Many have lost family members, or seen the toll Covid takes on those who do survive. And remote learning works better for kids who already have more resources (devices, connectivity, space). 3/
Why are positivity rates in/outside of NYC schools so different? My conclusion: though multi-causal, main driver is that in-school tests are less sensitive, which produces divergence in + rates over & above differences in pop sampled. We are missing a lot of + cases. 1/
Let’s start with an example we know all too well: standardized reading and math tests. Decisions about what counts as “proficient” are arbitrary, and can lead to widespread confusion when tests use wildly different thresholds for passing. (Think NAEP/state; pre- and post-CC.) 2/
We face a similar challenge in interpreting Covid test results. Currently administered tests vary dramatically in their ability to identify positive cases. The tests used in NYC schools miss more cases because both the type & quality of tests differ. 3/