✨School Leaders & Clean Air Advocates✨

US Sec of Ed, @SecCardona, issued a letter recently (3/22/24) to all school leaders to address the chronic absenteeism crisis.

YES!! He addresses the need to improve indoor air quality to improve attendance.

🧵www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/gui… The letter says, "I'm writing today to ask each State to commit to three key actions that can help more students attend and engage in school each day."

Finally!! Journalism that is highlighting the role of illness in the chronic absenteeism crisis.

Here are two articles (1 published yesterday; 1 published fall of 2021 that discuss how classrooms are too-often the source of illness spreading to classmates & teachers.
🧵 First, from yesterday!

This article shares the perspective of teachers & parents ... the folks with the closest view of what is happening with illness in classrooms.
The closing quote from my dear friend @mslisa2u sums it up so well.
thecut.com/article/school…

📢📢PARENTS, TEACHERS, & SCHOOLS 📢📢

I figured it out!!

@CAPublicHealth's new guidance allowing Covid+ students in school (fever-free, 😷recommended) can NOT be adopted by California schools.

Here's why: stick with me (& please share)
🧵 Here's the original guidance, first posted by @CAPublicHealth on Jan 9, 2024.

We've all been up in arms by #1 that says Covid+ folks only need to stay home for 24 hrs post fever.

We all know this will lead to ⬆️ infection & ⬆️ long covid.



#3 is our 🛟 cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/D…

I know I've been fairly quiet on @CAPublicHealth's new policy allowing Covid+ students and staff be at school (without a fever, requesting they mask).

It's knocked the wind out my sails. I don't know what it means for my family but, for now, I'm still fighting.

An email:
🧵 (I feel like I've gone back in time to where all my focus was on my own kids' school. I'm begging them to not adopt this new guidance. We haven't received word yet. 🙏
This is the email I sent to my kids' principal this morning ...)

This week @PressSec rolled their eyes at public health leadership & @CDCDirector is nowhere to be found. #WhereIsMandy

In the absence of leadership we are left to stand up, speak up, and act as citizen advocates for ourselves and others. Here are 🔟 things I did this week:
🧵 I'm sharing because it can feel lonely to be one of the few still paying attention and taking precautions.

I'm sharing because I want us to see there are many ways to help.

I'm sharing because I want you to know change is happening.

(In chronological order) ...

👋 Hi, to all my new followers. Let me introduce myself.
I am Liesl (rhymes with diesel).

My most important job is parenting my 3 children.

I started teaching in the 90s. Although I had dreamed of being a teacher since I was a child, it was a rough awakening. Out of survival I thrust myself into learning about learning - how does it work, when does it work, why does it work, under what conditions does it work, etc.

My fascination with how the brain learns led to me co-authoring this best-seller: Brain-Based Learning.

Yesterday my 8yo had a meeting with his teacher to discuss the teacher’s unjust & inappropriate classroom management tools.

I accompanied him to this meeting to support him.

I’m so proud of him for speaking up & advocating for a more just learning space.

Here’s how it went:🧵 Background:
I can be an intimidating presence with my kids’ teachers because of my profession. I work hard to keep my mom hat on and be the most supportive parent I can be.

So when my son came home and shared about the reward jar and fuzzy pom poms that get added/removed…

Schools were a disaster this past week. Sick kids and teachers across the US (and beyond).

STOP accepting this as inevitable this time of year. Here are things schools, teachers, and parents can do to make next week (and next month) much different.

Cuz it's gonna get worse.
🧵 🏫SCHOOLS🏫: Improve your ventilation NOW.

- Turn HVAC systems to ON (instead of AUTO) so air is constantly moving.
- Adjust your system to bring in more fresh air.
- Crack windows/doors to the outside

AND FOR THE LOVE OF CHILDREN ...
Put #corsirosenthalbox es in classrooms.

📢UPDATE ON AIR QUALITY EFFORTS IN DISTRICT📢

It just keeps getter better, folks.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPD) & the County of San Diego were looking for a school to host a training for ALL San Diego school leaders & facilities staff on #IAQ in schools.
🧵 The invitation came across my district leader's desk around the time we were having another meeting about how we can improve indoor air quality in our schools.

They jumped at the opportunity and will be hosting the event next week.

Why is this so exciting?

#NCTMDC23 I’m on my way!
I’ll be live tweeting throughout the weekend about the air quality in our shared spaces.

Why?

Cuz I care about your health and educating people about respiratory virus transmission. Here is your tutorial:

This is a CO2 monitor. We exhale CO2.
🧵 CO2 levels indicate how much of everyone’s exhaled breath is trapped in our shared spaces.

The higher the levels, the more backwash breath you are sucking in from other people.

I’m waiting to take off right now. This is not good.

Next-Gen #corsirosenthalbox is here!

💨 Quieter!!
💨 Faster to build
💨 Simpler to build
💨 Still low-cost
💨 Small floor space
💨 Longer cord
💨 Only one simple connection
💨 Still highly effective & efficient

Here's how I built a new version with modular PC fans: Here's everything I started with.
- Four 16x20 Merv-13 filters
- Two AC-Infinity Airplate S-9 Mount Fan/Wall Fan System (dimensions 17.2x6.1x1.3 in)

⛪️Clean Air is Coming to Church!!⛪️

I had the most hopeful meeting today with folks at Church HQ about getting cleaner air for the 17 million folks who are members of our global church.

They have3⃣recommendations they are moving forward on. All are beyond my wildest dreams.

🧵 How did we get here?

For the past 3 years we have been gathering data (CO2 readings) in our church buildings across the world. We collected hundreds of samples and gathered all the data in a massive spreadsheet.

@citlanx has been the brains and muscle behind this project.

🔥INCREDIBLE meeting with the superintendent 🔥
re: clean air in schools!

- My week-before email campaign to prepare them
- What we discussed in the meeting
- Their suggestions for next steps (they had great ideas!)

🧵 Before I share a new resource ...

I have under-appreciated (& under-shared) the value of working with compassionate leaders with high levels of moral integrity.

My kids' principal & superintendent are exceptional human beings. They are caring leaders. I respect them deeply.
1/

Guess who has a meeting scheduled with the superintendent to discuss the importance of clean indoor air in schools?

How did I finally capture their attention to where THEY asked ME for a meeting? The turning point was this board meeting:

I was the first to speak during public comment. I had a #corsirosenthalbox with me that I placed right in front of the board members. I had a 3 min speech prepared. At the last minute, I tossed it out.

Why?x.com/LieslMcconchie…

2 yrs ago today, I tried to send a CO2 monitor to school with my son for the first time. It didn't go well.

Here's what happened, how I responded, and how things are going now.

Persistence + Education = Successful advocacy
🧵 What happened?

My first attempt at getting CO2 levels from our #Aranet4 was a failure.

(Looking back, I should have done more educating first.)

x.com/LieslMcconchie…

My elderly mother just tested + for Cov!d. With 3 organ transplants (1 that's failing) she is highly immunocompromised.
Her only defense was her mask, which she stopped wearing a few months ago.
I'd like to take this moment to thank several people for their contributions:
🧵 1. Family members who feed her a steady stream of misinformation. My favorite was an article claiming masks cause Long Covid (no Covid infection necessary), that ultimately convinced her to stop masking.

Team #CovidIsAirborne:
I FINALLY DID IT!!

I've calculated the air changes per hour (ACH) for my kid's classroom.

Here's a lengthy 🧵on what I did and the results.

tl;dr:
It's horrible (<2ACH) if nothing is done.
It can easily be amazing (>11ACH) for <$150. DISCLAIMER: I'm not an HVAC engineer, aerosol scientist, virologist, or anything of the sort.

Professionally, I study how the brain learns & help schools align their practices to match that.

I'm a mom of 3 kids who go to an amazing school. I want them safe.

Experts - chime in!

We cannot preach that ALL students can learn math when we still teach in a way that makes learning math inaccessible to ALL.
(I mean, I guess we can. It's just not going to change anything.)

An incomplete collection of 🔟 upgrades we need in math education.

🧵1⃣-🔟 (In no particular order)
1⃣ Tend to students' emotional relationship with math. The prevalence of math anxiety is a barrier to learning. To begin, eliminate practices like timed math tests. Bring back JOY.

https://twitter.com/LieslMcconchie/status/1638289619551936514

We're missing the point about math anxiety and timed math tests.

Whether the relationship is causational or not is NOT what's significant.

The entanglement of these 2 concepts is blinding us to the dangers each brings to a student.

Lean in, folks. I'm fired up. 🧵
#MTBoS Any teaching practice that triggers an anxiety response in students should be avoided. Full Stop!

Feeling anxious (in general or within the context of math) triggers a response from the amygdala - the emotional control center of the brain.

Today, March 13, 2023 marks the 3 year anniversary of “Operation Don’t Get or Give Covid” for our family.

While many people have surrendered, our family is still in this fight.

Here are 5 things we did today to grieve and celebrate this milestone. 1. We sat down with our 3 young kids and shared all the good, bad, and ouchy things that have happened these past 3 years. They were 2, 4, & 5 yo when this all started.

We grieved the losses.
We expressed gratitude for the gains.

My moral rage reached new heights last week as we witnessed the Hunger Games (Covid edition) play out at @Davos.
Today, I wanna give a shout out to those struggling to fight for #DavosSafe level conditions from their non-District 1 position.
1/ 1. Shout out to the PARENTS who have been fighting to get some of the simplest mitigations in place at your child's school. It's the same cocktail of emotions every morning at dropoff. Your kids deserve #DavosSafe