I gathered the most common issues teachers had about EPISD reopening and Gustavo Reveles, Director of Community Engagement for EPISD, was able to answer those concerns.
Texas-Based Anti-Vaccine Group Got Federal Bailout Money
The pandemic hit the country hard in 2020 and the government tried to get money to businesses that needed it. Instead, we heard about major corporations getting the small business loans and Joel Osteen s megachurch getting millions of dollars. Now we re hearing about some anti-vaxxers groups getting a bunch of federal money during the pandemic.
At a minimum, it’s a mixed message from the government. Those individuals who are hesitant are going to be looking to various pieces of information to help them make this decision.and if one of the key pieces of information coming out is the government funding anti-vaccine groups, it could send a signal to these individuals that maybe they shouldn t be vaccinating.
Wisconsin
Yesterday it was confirmed that the highly contagious U.K. COVID-19 strain, known as the B117 variant, has been found in New Mexico. A Bernalillo County man has tested positive for the B117 strain of the coronavirus. The man, in his 60s, traveled to the U.K. in December and is currently at home recovering. His symptoms were said to have been mild and he did not require hospitalization, per KOAT News in New Mexico.
The B117 COVID variant is described as highly contagious and spreads more easily in communities, but doesn t seem to be more lethal than the other strains being seen across the world. The B117 strain has been attributed to the skyrocketing cases of COVID-19 in the country and officials have been considering tougher lockdowns in the country to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. The U.K. has seen positive cases in the country decline since the end of December, but hospitalizations and deaths have continued to climb due to the earlier surge of cases in that countr
EPISD Forcing Teachers Back to School Despite Increase in Numbers
A couple weeks ago we learned that EPISD was thinking about going back to face-to-face schooling. CLICK HERE for an article from back then.
In case you didn t know this, EPISD has forced teachers back to school. I m using the word forced because of how an email to EPISD teachers was worded. There s a Facebook group called Teachers and Students Safe at Home . CLICK HERE to check out the group, where they shared an email from EPISD that said:
This email serves as a follow-up to the status of your request for an accommodation. You previously submitted a request to telework as an accommodation, to enable you to perform the essential functions of your position.