Tuesday, March 01, 2022

CoViD-19: CDC Data Defend Vax Effectiveness on Kids | Biden Delivers Inspiring SOTU | Gas Companies Exploitation Never Stops | San Diego Approves Vendor Ordinance | SDUSD Explains Continued Mask Requirement |

 

Papa Mandrill at San Diego Zoo (Taken 3.1.22)

On Monday I was up all shiny and early and by the afternoon, hit a wall, and then took too long of a nap, which cycled into me just staying up all night. Not to waste the day, after doing some work and stuff around the house, Darren and I called in takeout sandwiches from Big Front Door and took our little picnic to the San Diego Zoo. 

Now you know I'm not usually there in the middle of the day and today was reminded why. Not only is it far too crowded for my personal comfort, but the animals are not super active. Or they eat and then they go straight back to sleep. Maybe I'm adopting their lifestyle. Who could say? There are also the dozens of field trips and apparently the Kelly Clarkson Show was doing some kind of shoot or something, too. Regardless, we ate our amazing sandwiches in the treehouse and walked around for a couple hours before we had to head home, expecting the plumber to fix the now broken fill valve. That has now been postponed until Thursday so we have to trigger the valve manually. But at least it meant I finally went to sleep and that's where I'm back with you now, to catch up on the day's work and all that. 

I won't get into the SOTU, since they're all kinda the same 'America is great, Americans are strong, we'll defend democracy, we'll help the American people, fight companies that exploit people, blah-blah, rah-rah!' but it just brings me joy in my heart that THIS is our president and I don't feel like I'm going to vomit or punch a wall like with TFG. One thing he did say is that starting next week, even if you already ordered your free COVID tests, you'll be able to order another batch. 

On Wednesday, Nova has her first lacrosse game which is awesome, but unfortunately I don't think it will count because they haven't filled their roster. I don't know how you can't get 13 girls in a school of over 2,000 students, but so it is. Darren has an interview with San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which is amazing. He has kept his search pretty local, places he can bike or walk or take public transit, but he's taking this one on a whim and it would be an amazing opportunity for him, even if the commute is harsh. Fingers tightly crossed. If anyone is hiring, he's looking for steady work, outdoor work is ideal, like San Diego Canyonlands, Park & Rec type stuff, San Diego River Foundation, but he's also worked decades in hospitality, transportation, security, and customer facing jobs. 

I'm gonna get back to watching the SOTU, full text is linked below. I don't know when I'll get listings up but I'll try to get them as early as possible. Even though it's 3am, I'm back-posting this because I need it to reflect March 1st information and data. 

Stay safe out there. 


(Sent 2.28.22)

Dear San Diego Unified Families and Colleagues;

Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced masks will no longer be required – but will be strongly recommended – in schools after March 11. The Governor further noted districts may continue to exercise local control by continuing to require masks when local conditions warrant precaution.

San Diego County remains in the High COVID-19 Community Level, as defined by the latest CDC tool. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to recommend indoor masking for schools in areas where the COVID-19 community level is high. Therefore, San Diego Unified will exercise its local control to maintain the indoor mask mandate at this time.

Following the release of the CDC guidelines, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said, “Moving forward, districts should continue to work with local health experts, parents, and educators to identify what works best for their communities and consider the appropriate mitigation strategies needed to keep students and staff safe.”

The District will conduct an assessment, including the recommendations of public health agencies and UC San Diego experts, to decide the metrics and thresholds that will be used to determine indoor masking after San Diego County exits the High COVID-19 Community Level. The District will announce this data-driven and science-based ‘off-ramp’ strategy before March 11.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, our District has looked to the guidance of federal, state, and local health agencies, as well as to the advice of trusted medical professionals in making science-based decisions for the policies we put in place to keep our students, our staff, and their families safe.

A recent Harvard study found it is “too soon to lift mask mandates for most elementary schools” advising that, “before lifting mask mandates in elementary schools in the U.S., local COVID-19 case rates should be far below current rates to avoid the risk of increased transmission among students, staff, and families.” Although the study specifically referenced elementary schools, secondary schools face the same issues regarding low vaccination rates and high case rates in the surrounding communities.

It is important to note that the public health situation is fluid, and San Diego Unified’s goal is to remain flexible. If the situation changes, the District policy on use of masks may change as well.

We also want to remind families and staff that our District has a multi-pronged approach for keeping our schools safe, and other mitigation strategies remain in place – including enhanced ventilation and a robust testing program.

Finally, we continue to urge everyone to follow the California SMARTER strategy that emphasizes vaccination as the best way to defeat the virus. All staff are fully vaccinated or accommodated, and all students age 5 and older are encouraged to get vaccinated.

At the most recent Board of Education meeting, the district again committed to requiring vaccinations for all students ages 16 and older at the start of the next semester.

For more on how to get vaccinated and keep you and your family safe, please visit our COVID-19 Information page. There, you will also be able to stay up to date on policy changes. Visit the online dashboard to monitor weekly testing and positive case rates in our schools.

Sincerely,

San Diego Unified School District

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