Dr. David Samadi, Director of Men’s Health and Urologic Oncology at St. Francis Hospital in New York says, “We made everybody do something we call social distancing. The WHO (World Health Organization) is now announcing that asymptomatic transfer of Covid19 is rare. This is a complete turnaround from their initial information.” So, the masks are unnecessary without symptoms. The social distancing was unnecessary without symptoms. Samadi goes on to say asymptomatic cases are not infectious comes from reports of studies out of places like Singapore where government agencies have done contract tracing, “If you are not symptomatic with fever, shortness of breath or the primary symptoms talked about, the risk of passing it on to other people is very rare.” The panic and hysteria are out the door and we can interact with people without fear.

Enter Oregon’s school guidelines for the fall, “Ready Schools, Safe Learners.” Governor Brown announced the same “mother may I” approach for schools as used for counties. School districts can tailor their own blueprints for how they plan on following the guidelines and submit them to the state by August 15. Districts are given three options for what classes will look like during the 2020-21 school year. They can opt for returning students to the school buildings for all their lessons, continue distance learning, or combine the two approaches. Which model will depend on the school facility and space for distancing.

Schools must navigate through the guiding principles and submit a plan that includes eight essential elements: public health protocols, equity, instruction, and family and community engagement. These requirements to reopen verifies the struggle between government and the realities of families trying to survive in a depressed economy. While school districts are focused on countless bureaucratic elements and how to reopen on or off campus, families are struggling with going back to work and the added expense of possible remote learning plans.

Then families face explaining to young children about screening for symptoms before they enter the school building or hop on the bus, whichever comes first. If any student or school employee shows symptoms of COVID-19, including a fever, dry cough or shortness of breath, they’re to be immediately isolated and sent

home. On-site requirements for educators will be focused on distancing making sure they are masked when a student comes within six feet rather than directing that focus to their fundamental role: to educate students.

Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod (R-Stayton) issued the following statement:

“The bureaucratic regulations in the education guidance will make it extraordinarily challenging for teachers to focus on their critical job to educate our students. I am worried about the quality of the education Oregon students will receive, if they make it to the classroom, with so many distractions.”

The authority for the Guidelines is stated as Governor Brown’s Executive Order 20-20. That same order is being challenged in the lawsuit, Red Rock Cowboy Church vs Governor Katherine Brown, for overstepping her authority in locking down the state. The judge declared the order terminated after 28 days, but currently it is being appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court pending a hearing.

What is playing out is that states that didn’t lock down have no more and some fewer cases and deaths than states that locked down. The states with the worst records also had questionable policies that increased their numbers – putting Covid-19 cases in long-term care facilities, which quickly spread to vulnerable seniors. According to the CDC, school age kids are less likely to get infected or spread the infection if infected with only 1.7% out of 149,082 cases examined.

Going back to the new finding that asymptomatic transfer of Covid19 is rare, what justification is there for the Governor and the Department of Education to take control away from school districts with a one-size-fits-all mandate. President Trump gave state governors the responsibility to do their constitutional job and handle the Covid-19 virus in their state while he provided leadership and suggestions. Governor Brown needs to follow suit and let school districts control their own operations as they were established to do. Let school districts with the parents in each district be creative and implement a plan that fits their comfort level in distancing and what they can afford.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2020-06-11 08:58:42

Last Update: 2020-06-11 08:58:51