Tennessee Department of Education, Governor Bill Lee, and State Legislators, we Momma Bears are worried. Your letters and actions are not reassuring. What are you waiting for?
TDOE, in your letter dated March 13, 2020 you stated:
TDOE, in your letter dated March 13, 2020 you stated:
Encourage personal protective measures (handwashing, social distancing). Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces multiple times per day. Ensure hand hygiene supplies are readily available and in adequate supply for students and staff.
How on earth is social distancing going to happen in a classroom with 25 or 35 students? Our classrooms are overcrowded as it is.
How is social distancing going to happen in a school with 500 kids, 1000 kids, or 2500 kids like some of our high schools? You are asking for people to not gather in groups of more than 250, but yet are not concerned that our schools have many more than that.
Your definition of social distancing is:
How is social distancing going to happen in a school with 500 kids, 1000 kids, or 2500 kids like some of our high schools? You are asking for people to not gather in groups of more than 250, but yet are not concerned that our schools have many more than that.
Your definition of social distancing is:
Social distancing, or avoiding close contact with others, is recommended. Public health professionals recommend a distance of 3-6 feet be maintained between individuals, where possible, and recommend forgoing personal contact like handshakes.
Have you ever been in a school? Walked down a hallway between classes? Eaten in a cafeteria?
If your school does not have a lab-confirmed case or suspected case of COVID-19 · School operations should continue as normal
At this point, there are not enough Corona virus test kits in our state to know for sure who has it. People with symptoms have been denied testing because they don’t meet the qualifications for the test -- being out of the country or in the presence of someone with Covid 19.
If your school has a suspected case of COVID-19 that has not yet been lab-confirmed · School operations should continue as normal. · The ill individual should be isolated at home. If COVID-19 symptoms are present (e.g. difficulty breathing, fever, cough) the individual should call their health care provider to determine next steps and whether testing may be needed.
We are too late. The experts say to "flatten the curve" to lessen the impact and give the healthcare system the time to care for those affected. However, continuing school will work to heighten the curve and put our communities and hospitals at risk.
What about our children, teachers, and staff who are immunosuppressed? Those with cancer, immune deficiencies, or other things? Yes, they could just stay home, but what about their siblings or children or spouses who will still be at the school hoping not to bring this virus home? We are doing a disservice to our school families by keeping our schools open. What about the grandparents who might have to take care of kids or live in a common house? What if this virus is brought home because we didn’t “flatten the curve?”
Even more to consider is the issue of cleaning the school facilities. Our school budgets are stretched so thin that our custodial staffs are already overwhelmed. The level of cleaning required to disinfect everything (with additional cleaning products that are in scarce supply right now) would require more manpower than our districts currently have.
What about our children, teachers, and staff who are immunosuppressed? Those with cancer, immune deficiencies, or other things? Yes, they could just stay home, but what about their siblings or children or spouses who will still be at the school hoping not to bring this virus home? We are doing a disservice to our school families by keeping our schools open. What about the grandparents who might have to take care of kids or live in a common house? What if this virus is brought home because we didn’t “flatten the curve?”
Even more to consider is the issue of cleaning the school facilities. Our school budgets are stretched so thin that our custodial staffs are already overwhelmed. The level of cleaning required to disinfect everything (with additional cleaning products that are in scarce supply right now) would require more manpower than our districts currently have.
Governor Lee, you closed the state TN Capitol legislative sessions to the public to keep yourself and the 132 legislators safe, but you won't do the same for the children and vulnerable of our state? (By the way, it is a violation of the Sunshine Law to meet without the public's view, so perhaps suspending/postponing this year's legislative session would be in order after passing a temporary budget?)
Rural areas are especially at risk based on their lack of hospital access and ventilators. For example, a Momma Bear doctor in rural Tennessee told us that Carroll County has only six ventilators and 2000 beds for 25,000 people. Benton County only has a couple ventilators for their population of 25,000 people. Many rural areas of Tennessee are not equipped for a viral respiratory outbreak of this magnitude. For more in depth data about U.S. statistics on critical care resources, you can click on this link to learn more.
This 18 seconds is probably the best single piece of advice I’ve heard about the #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/buDs1fhdwL
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) March 13, 2020
"Most people have a fear of acquiring the virus. I think a good way of doing it is to imagine that you do have the virus, and change your behaviour so that you're not transmitting it."
"Don't think about changing your behaviour so you won't get it, think about changing your behaviour so you don't give it to somebody else."
"Don't think about changing your behaviour so you won't get it, think about changing your behaviour so you don't give it to somebody else."
While we are at it, just cancel all standardized testing for the school year. Our children are certainly NOT READY for TNReady. They are stressed with how this virus has impacted their lives, and many in TN are stressed after the devastating storms and tornadoes that impacted their neighborhoods, homes, and schools. Let’s not stress our teachers, our families, and our students any more with any standardized tests.
Think of our kids first and not the almighty test. The Federal Government has said it will allow states to ask for testing exemptions this year. Tennessee needs an exemption. #2020NoTestYear.
This is a GLOBAL PANDEMIC, we can surely stop testing for it. Let’s not wait until our schools are a cess pool of infection and we have put our hospitals, our communities, and our lives at risk.
FLATTEN THE CURVE. CLOSE TENNESSEE SCHOOLS UNTIL MARCH 31 with a re-evaluation of the risk at that time. CANCEL TNREADY testing this year. These steps are the safest, wisest things to do.
Think of our kids first and not the almighty test. The Federal Government has said it will allow states to ask for testing exemptions this year. Tennessee needs an exemption. #2020NoTestYear.
This is a GLOBAL PANDEMIC, we can surely stop testing for it. Let’s not wait until our schools are a cess pool of infection and we have put our hospitals, our communities, and our lives at risk.
FLATTEN THE CURVE. CLOSE TENNESSEE SCHOOLS UNTIL MARCH 31 with a re-evaluation of the risk at that time. CANCEL TNREADY testing this year. These steps are the safest, wisest things to do.
Momma & Poppa Bears, click HERE to find out how to contact your legislator about these issues. They need to hear from you.
