AP PA Headlines 7/28/20
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s existing reopening guidance for schools is too vague, and superintendents and school boards need more specifics from the state Department of Health about how to do it safely, a superintendents group said Monday following a call with Wolf administration officials. The superintendents asked for more concrete recommendations from the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf as they make decisions on how, and whether, to welcome students back to the classroom this fall, including what to do if a teacher or student tests positive for the coronavirus.
“No tools have been given to school districts. Guidelines are best practices and suggestions and ideas. They are not specific recommendations,” said Mark DiRocco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. Many school boards across the state plan to vote on their reopening plans in the next week or two, and public meetings held to discuss the details have shown the public to be deeply divided on how to proceed.
DiRocco said superintendents and school board members are being asked to make public health decisions for which they have no training or expertise. “We’re going to do the best we can to keep our kids and our staff members safe, but if something happens down the line, we learn a month from now we should’ve been doing ‘X’ instead of ‘Y,’ we want it to be known that you put that decision in the hands of your local superintendent and your local school board members to make those calls, and they’re not public health experts,” said DiRocco, adding that local school leaders are worried about legal liability and are seeking protections.
DiRocco spoke after a call with state officials, including the health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, and the education secretary, Pedro Rivera. Superintendents have expressed concern about how to respond to a sick student or staff member — whether to close down classrooms or entire schools — but Health Department officials reassured school leaders on Monday that they will help guide districts’ responses as virus cases arise. But other questions remained.
For example, state guidelines call for 6 feet (1.8 meters) of separation among students and staff “to the maximum extent feasible,” but don’t explain what that means or whether there’s a minimum. “Is it six, is it three, is it four, five? What’s the number? And the medical people need to be clear about that,” said Jim Scanlon, superintendent of West Chester Area School District in southeastern Pennsylvania, who also took part in Monday’s call. West Chester is among the state’s largest districts with about 12,000 students in 16 school buildings.
Levine told the superintendents they should strive for 6 feet, but noted that some schools may not be able to follow the recommendation, Health Department spokesperson Nate Wardle said. Levine also addressed fall sports, the need for social distancing, and the role of case investigation and contact tracing, Wardle said. The superintendents also asked for a statewide metric for closing down schools, but state officials say they prefer to remain flexible.
With Pennsylvania schools set to reopen in a matter of weeks, the Wolf administration has largely shunned a one-size-fits-all approach in a sprawling state where the coronavirus has wreaked havoc in some heavily populated counties while barely touching others. Instead, the state’s 500 school districts have been given permission to restart in-person instruction with a plan that’s approved by the local school board, made public and provided to the state.
“We believe the guidance allows schools to make decisions that will assist them, as they plan around the specifics for their buildings and their school districts,” Wardle said. School officials say the considerations are endless. Take transportation. The state guidelines recommend one child per seat or every other row. But with buses and drivers in limited supply, what about two kids per seat if they’re both wearing masks? Is that OK?
“Those are the kinds of operational, granular questions that need to be answered by someone other than a superintendent sitting down with a school board saying, ‘What do you think?’ DiRocco said. DiRocco said his members will “rise to the occasion,” but worry they’ll make a decision that inadvertently jeopardizes the health of a student or staff member. And he said districts only have about three more weeks to firm up their plans. “The clock’s running out on us,” DiRocco said. “There just are a lot of unresolved questions out there that need to be answered before schools can open.”
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is reporting more than 800 new confirmed coronavirus cases as fresh concerns about it spreading prompted the cancellation of Monday night’s Major League Baseball game in Philadelphia. The Department of Health on Monday also reported four new deaths. The virus has infected more than 108,000 people in Pennsylvania since the beginning of the pandemic.
More than 7,100 have died, most of them in nursing homes. In July, Pennsylvania’s 14-day rate of new cases per 100,000 residents has risen by more than 70%, while the seven-day positivity rate has gradually increased. Deaths have declined from June to July, although hospitalizations are on the rise in July, according to state data.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s governor says a bill that requires state government agencies to continue to process public records requests during disasters is flawed, but he’s letting it become law without his signature. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said late Sunday he will neither sign nor veto the bill, which passed the Legislature unanimously. The bill says agencies may only deny records requests during fires, floods or other disasters, under the provisions that are laid out in the state Right-to-Know Law. The bill also says governors can’t simply tell agencies to ignore requests during disaster emergencies.
BELLMAWR, N.J. (AP) — The owners of a New Jersey gym that has repeatedly defied the governor’s order to remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic have been arrested on contempt charges. Ian Smith, of Delanco Township, and Frank Trumbetti, of Williamstown, were also charged Monday with obstruction and violating the Disaster Control Act. They operate the Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, a suburb of Philadelphia. The two men were processed at police headquarters and released later Monday morning. They and their attorney could not immediately be reached for comment. A state judge had ruled Friday that New Jersey authorities could shut down a gym.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A historical panel has advanced plans to remove a 144-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus from south Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted 10-2 Friday in favor of moving the now-boarded-up statue from Marconi Plaza. The vote clears the way for the city’s art commission to decide its fate at a scheduled Aug. 12 meeting. City crews earlier built a wooden box around the statue following clashes between protesters and residents and the city later announced plans to seek its removal, something some south Philadelphia residents have sued to block.
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Features
WASHINGTON (CBS) — The NFL has big plans for their new social-justice helmets for next season. Players will be able to wear the names of police-brutality victims on the lower back of their helmets. The league released a bunch of mock-ups that include the names of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery – which is way more ‘in your face’ than the tiny stickers the NFL had first considered. They’re also adding the new inclusive catchphrase ‘It Takes All of Us’ that’ll be painted on the back of the end zones.
WASHINGTON (CBS) — If you’re planning a trip to Disney this summer, you’ll need to bring a face-covering…and not just anyone will do. Disney has just banned masks that have valves or holes in them. They’ve also outlawed those open-chin triangle bandanas (that make you look like a wild-west bandit) and any face covering that’s made of just mesh. Disney says masks have to be at least two-ply, something that completely covers your nose and mouth, and can stay on your face ‘hands-free’.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The University of Notre Dame has become the second university to withdraw as the host of one of this fall’s three scheduled presidential debates amid the coronavirus pandemic. The university was set to host the inaugural face-off between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on Sept. 29. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday that the first debate will now be hosted by Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. In a release, Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins says, “The necessary health precautions would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the most famous gardens in America is getting a face-lift. Melania Trump on Monday announced details of a plan already underway to spruce up the White House Rose Garden, the iconic outdoor space famous for its proximity to the Oval Office. The most visually striking change will be the addition of a limestone walking path bordering the central lawn. Other improvements will make the garden more accessible to people with disabilities. There also will be a host of technical and horticultural upgrades, like better lighting and improved drainage. The project is expected to be completed in about three weeks.
SEATTLE (AP) — Protesters have sued the Trump administration to rein in what they describe as an out-of-control response by federal agents to demonstrations in Portland. The nonprofit Protect Democracy filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., on behalf of several individual protesters as well as the anti-racist organization Don’t Shoot Portland and Wall of Moms.
The Moms are a group of mothers who have sought to place themselves between protesters and police. The complaint argues that while federal law allows federal officials to protect federal property, the heavily militarized agents who have responded in Portland have gone far beyond simply protecting property. Federal authorities say the agents have been responding to criminal attacks.
MIAMI (AP) — More than a dozen Miami Marlins players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak that stranded the team in Philadelphia, disrupting Major League Baseball’s schedule on the fifth day of the pandemic-delayed season. Miami’s home opener against Baltimore was postponed as was Tuesday’s finale of the two-game series at Marlins Park. Also postponed was the Yankees’ series opener Monday at Philadelphia, where New York would have been in the same clubhouse the Marlins used last weekend.
MICHIGAN (CBS) – Ford is leasing two robot dogs to help get a better look inside an aging factory in Michigan. Spot and Fluffy come with high-definition cameras and have the ability to get into hard to reach places. Ford’s hoping the robots can collect data faster and at less cost. As one engineer put it, facilities get updated, but rarely is it documented well. The robot dogs will help them get a digital model of what Ford’s Van Dyke Transmission Plant currently looks like.
MIAMI (AP) – A news outlet reports that a pet dog that jumped out of a car window on a South Carolina highway has been found two weeks later nearly 600 miles away. Tim Whitfield, whose 90-year-old mother owns the dog named Belle, says the pet escaped from a moving car near Charleston on July 15. Whitfield put out a call for help on Facebook and said that he bought his mother the puppy after her dog of 16 years recently died. WCIV-TV reported Sunday that Whitfield learned over the weekend that a car of Florida residents grabbed Belle out of traffic after spotting the animal while traveling to Miami..
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