News and Notes
SR Leader Files Amicus Brief with Supreme Court in Support of Universal Masking
We are so proud of one of our leadership team members, attorney and special education advocate Wendy Pizer. On Monday, (January 24, 2022), she filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in support of the parents who sued Governor Youngkin in Castillo v. Youngkin. This case challenges Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order that requires schools to...
PRESS RELEASE: We Support APS Keeping Masks for All, in Defiance of the Governor’s Anti-Science Proclamation
We support Superintendent Duran, and the Arlington County School Board, in announcing that under their constitutionally invested authority they will continue to mandate universal masking in our schools. This is an effective health measure that ensures all children have access to in-person education, and in a recent survey of more than 70 studies,...
APS’ Ionizers Got Lab Tested: The Results Weren’t Great
We have received the results from the Illinois Institute of Technology lab that is evaluating the efficacy of electronic air cleaners. They tested the Blueair 211 units (which APS bought). Results are disappointing to us. 📌 Project: https://t.co/ldULfLB2B1 📌 Report: https://t.co/kfEWZTIwKW There was some inaccurate information being put forth...
Recent Tweets and Facebook Posts
Hey guess what @CDCgov @POTUS @WHCOVIDResponse. You’re not “meeting the people where they are”. The people want COVID19 protections. It’s corporate America that doesn’t, for no rational reason. https://t.co/pDk4mk9rUp
Aug 6-9 Fox News poll
https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/08/Topline.pdf
Infections cut in half in Boston schools that kept mask mandates compared to schools that did not. Even though the schools that kept masks were higher risk than the comparison group. Lifting mask mandantes led to 28,690 additional missed school days. https://t.co/mbVAJJAILH
It’s amazing the things that some school districts are wasting their time on, that hurt education and undermine our schools; especially when there are so many problems that are real and need fixing.
Confirmed by teacher friends in Sarasota County Florida:
Recently teachers in Sarasota Co. were told:
*No purchases or donations of any kind of books or reading materials
*No Scholastic book orders for teachers
*No book fairs
FYI, @DEI_APS — Have you thought about how COVID is impacting our community so disproportionately? Are we living our values? Or are they just words?
Want an approach to implementing new CDC schools guidance aligned with evidence, equity, & inclusion?
➡️ http://EquityPolicyPlan.org
In support of living & learning as well as possible in the continuing pandemic
Sign to support the Equity Policy Plan here: http://tinyurl.com/EquityPolicyPlan
We are signing this! Thank you to @JuliaRaifman and the other public health experts who are showing leadership. We can absolutely do better than we are doing, and improve our community’s health this school year!
Want an approach to implementing new CDC schools guidance aligned with evidence, equity, & inclusion?
➡️ http://EquityPolicyPlan.org
In support of living & learning as well as possible in the continuing pandemic
Sign to support the Equity Policy Plan here: http://tinyurl.com/EquityPolicyPlan
Well, that didn’t take too long.
"Monkeypox may be here to stay"
H/T @Jul101Vie
https://politi.co/3zSOZYs
The new CDC guidance, both in process and content, reflects the culmination of several policymaking tendencies that have increasingly characterized the US COVID response as well as public narrative on public health. 🧵
FDA found
On 1st day of PCR Positive
60% also Pos on Rapid Ag test
but when tested 2 days later
93% were Pos on rapid test!
So, in just 2 days, Sens of rapid Ag test went
from 60% --> 93%
Sensitivity DEPENDS ON VIRUS LOAD!!
...(Shouldn't have taken 2+ yrs)
there's more!
10/
With the latest CDC guidance, you better believe our lives will be terribly disrupted.
Prepare for school and work absences and closures, for child care turbulence, for cancelled plans--along with poor health for many.
Less prevention does not translate into less disruption. ...https://t.co/LKACh3LSia
The revised guidance looks to minimize COVID-19's disruption of daily life while conceding that the pandemic isn't over.
If you have, use, or work at a business, service or organization that provides covid safe conditions add it to the directory on https://t.co/yGrZKEWohF so that others can benefit from it. There are almost 100 posted already.
In one week's time we learned more about #LongCovid that we had in months, including evidence for a potential biomarker. Yet we're still way behind where we need to be to help millions of people who are affected.
https://t.co/IEMD9R3LtU
I want to make sure I'm following all the people who think the updated @CDCgov @CDCDirector guidelines on #Covid19 are absolute ableist rubbish.
Retweet and/or comment so @MarkedByCovid and I can follow YOU!
#CleanTheAir
The writing is already on the wall about this — if America's ignorant approach is to not do anything of the easy things that greatly reduce cases.
To get less than 1% infection risk w/o masks, in recent study they needed an air cleaner in room with 26 ACH.
There is no reason any public health agency should be settling for the status quo when there are achievable and affordable targets for cleaner air. https://twitter.com/RanuDhillon/status/1558516814736330753
Last evening, we discussed the new @CDCgov guidelines, purportedly a shift to "protect the vulnerable," but fail to do so on many counts https://t.co/lJeFXASFjs
New #CDC guidelines "double down on flawed, not evidence based" recommendations, says Dr @EricTopol, #Covid advice on schools, isolation, transmission etc are lacking, plus: "Our vaccine rates are abysmal - both primary vaccine and booster numbers are pitifully low."
1/ Diving into the CDC guidance on schools, many of my thoughts on the specific details are aligned with @pwhickey who has done us all a service with a section by section breakdown. I'll just add a few of my broad thoughts and some principles. https://t.co/rnpOquHeJB
My thoughts on updated CDC guidelines for COVID, section by section:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-childcare-guidance.html