Pirate's Cove

Schools in many states, mostly Republican run ones, are open and have been open, and there have been no reports of COVID incidents. You can bet the ranch that if there had been a big spread it would be top-line news. I’m guessing the gov is responding more to the teacher’s unions than the citizens

Gov. Cooper vetoes school reopening bill; Legislature could override veto

Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has vetoed a bill aimed at forcing K-12 public schools to offer the option of in-person learning saying it “threatens public health.”

Senate Bill 37 had been sitting on Cooper’s desk since it was passed by the House on Feb. 17 by a 77-42 vote.

Cooper has said he takes issue with the bill allowing school districts to choose whether to follow the state’s minimal or moderate social distancing plans as they reopen.

“Students learn best in the classroom and I have strongly urged all schools to open safely to in-person instruction and the vast majority of local school systems have done just that. However, Senate Bill 37 falls short in two critical areas. First, it allows students in middle and high school to go back into the classroom in violation of NC Department of Health and Human Services and CDC health guidelines. Second, it hinders local and state officials from protecting students and teachers during an emergency,” Cooper said.

Other schools are able to open, why not ours? Some businesses have been open the whole time. Many businesses have reopened. Lots and lots of teachers want the schools opened. Their unions get in the way.

The bill passed with enough support from Democrats that the legislature could override Cooper’s veto.

Sen. Deanna Ballard (R-Watauga), who was a primary sponsor of SB 37, said there is no legitimate excuse for the veto with teacher vaccinations in full swing.

“At the same time the Governor boasts of teacher vaccinations after giving them a higher priority than cancer patients, he vetoes this school reopening bill because it offers school districts the flexibility to operate under the plan that best suits their on-the-ground needs.

“The far-left NCAE owns the Governor’s mansion. Thankfully, Senate Bill 37 passed with enough bipartisan support to override Gov. Cooper’s veto, and we expect to bring it up for an override vote,” Ballard said.

Cooper literally just relaxed the rules, especially on bars and events. People can now go to sporting events like the Carolina Hurricanes at 15% capacity, more people can be in bars and stay their a bit later. Social gatherings can now be up to 25 people inside. So, sure seems like schools could be open.

Meanwhile

As schools reopen, are teachers prepared to meet the emotional needs of all their students?

As debates around reopening schools heat up, parents and teachers can’t afford to ignore the social and emotional crisis threatening to overwhelm America’s children.

A recent report from Mental Health America tells a saddening story: the proportion of kids aged 11-17 who accessed depression and anxiety screenings in 2020 rose 9% over the year before. And that’s just the ones who asked for help: it doesn’t account for kids with underlying emotional and developmental disabilities exacerbated by the pandemic, nor does it wholly capture the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on students of color and those in under-resourced communities.

These are the schools that mostly Democrat leaders and teacher’s unions have kept closed despite the science showing they should be open. And despite the vast amount of money allocated to schools to make them safe to reopen provided in previous COVID bills.

These issues will come to a head when students return to physical classrooms. Unfortunately, educators — exhausted and overwhelmed themselves — have struggled to make room for the social and emotional learning (SEL) programs that can address students’ psychological wellbeing and combat narcissism. Back in July, a survey showed just 7% of educators were prepared to meet the SEL needs of students during COVID-19.

You know, a goodly chunk of us have been working the whole time. Outlets like the USA Today don’t seem to care about that. Anyhow, open the schools and the kids will be back to their normal, anxiety ridden, crazy selves. They’ll put the pandemic mostly behind themselves.