Tag: COVID-19

A second-grade student works behind a protection shield at a socially distanced desk at Wesley Elementary School.

Michigan education group presents priorities for $3.7 billion in federal funds via the American Rescue Plan

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic that has now killed over 1 million Americans, the federal government has allocated billions of dollars in funding for schools. Known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), the funds were distributed in three separate tranches: ESSER I – On March 27, 2020, Congress set aside approximately $13.2 billion of […]

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It’s Time to Blame the Unvaxxed

It’s Time to Blame the Unvaxxed

Years ago, I placed the blame for uncertified, unqualified edutourists who spent a year or two working in mostly urban schools before heading off to law school or cushy gigs at ed policy think tanks on the despicable persons heading up Teach for America–the Michelle Rhees and Wendy Kopps of the world–and not the fresh-faced, hyper ambitious noobs who applied […]

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If you want people to go back to work, child care IS infrastructure, especially during a global pandemic

If you want people to go back to work, child care IS infrastructure, especially during a global pandemic

The following essay was written by my good friend Caitlin Muciek-Balkus, a young mother from the mid-Michigan area. In it, she describes the difficult position parents are in right now as things open up after a year-long shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While I appreciate the strong desire of so many to get people back to work, I think […]

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An elementary student waits for her bus to leave school after dismissal.

The American Rescue Plan is a chance for a new beginning in education and teaching children, especially those with special needs

The following essay was written by Trina Tocco. She is a resident of Royal Oak and has two amazing children who attend Ferndale Public Schools. When the pandemic hit, I had to make a choice – either one of my children wouldn’t be able to participate in virtual school because of mental illness or I would have to put my […]

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You can’t wash the stench of “Unlock Michigan” off Michigan Republican Mike Shirkey

You can’t wash the stench of “Unlock Michigan” off Michigan Republican Mike Shirkey

Yesterday, I wrote about the one year anniversary of the first diagnosed COVID case in Michigan.  Today, I want to spend some time talking about the coordinated attacks Governor Whitmer has faced as she has tried to save the lives of Michiganders.  I have shared my previous thoughts on Senator Mike Shirkey. But those were merely his words and actions […]

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Remembering life before COVID-19 — And looking ahead

Remembering life before COVID-19 — And looking ahead

We knew that March 10, 2020 would be a historic day as it was the Presidential Primary Election in Michigan and voters exercised their vote to select their party’s nominee for the Presidency. I spent Election Day, as I always do, fielding calls and questions from local clerks, ensuring that polls were open, tabulators working, and issues dealt with.  One […]

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A classroom window at Baton Rouge Magnet High School.

How Can We Reopen Schools If We Can’t Even Open Windows?

I’m seeing a lot of well-intentioned rhetoric lately about the importance of good ventilation in schools to mitigate the spread of Covid in school classrooms, with the best advice being to “just open a window,” and “use a simple box fan to circulate exhaled air.” The example shown was of a “real classroom” with an entire wall of windows, a […]

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In the Hunger Games for COVID-19 vaccines, White Republicans work to keep Black Michiganders on the losing side

In the Hunger Games for COVID-19 vaccines, White Republicans work to keep Black Michiganders on the losing side

In Washtenaw County where I live, the COVID-19 infection rate of Black residents is 13%, about the same as the percentage of Black residents int the county (12.3%). However, of the people who are hospitalized, 27% are Black and Black residents are 23% of those who die from virus. Worse yet, statewide, less than 5% of the people who have […]

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Parents & school administrators agree: Michigan Republicans are holding children hostage for political power

Parents & school administrators agree: Michigan Republicans are holding children hostage for political power

Nearly two months ago, the federal government made billions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds available to the states. Michigan is in line for over $5 billion in relief funding, including $2.1 billion to re-open schools in our state. However, so far, none of that money has been allocated and, if its not used by the end of March, we […]

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I’m a Teacher, and I’m Losing My Patience, Too

I’m a Teacher, and I’m Losing My Patience, Too

In spite of most of the US public being supportive of public education, our schools, and our children’s teachers, a small but vocal minority has been growing increasingly rambunctious about reopening schools. Recently, Dr. Ben Linas, a physician in Brookline, MA, added his apparently cranky voice to this debate, penning a piece for Vox titled, “I’m an epidemiologist and a […]

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Republicans willing to risk the lives and health of Michiganders to spit in the face of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Republicans willing to risk the lives and health of Michiganders to spit in the face of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan Republicans have a long history of being on the wrong side of many of the issues the citizens of Michigan care most about. From education to privatizing essential government services like prisons and schools, they have invariably sided with the corporatists who stand to benefit most from shifting tax dollars to corporate bank accounts. I thought I had seen […]

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