August 27, 2021

Ward 3 Update: A Safe Return to School

Dear Neighbors,

This afternoon, it was announced that DC Public Schools (DCPS) is shifting
to an opt-out consent model for coronavirus testing in schools.
Essentially, this means that instead of requiring families to proactively
submit consent forms for preventative testing, they must request that their
child not be included in the randomized testing program. This is a
significant gain for those of us who have been advocating for the 'opt-out'
model, because it avoids creating a disparity among schools in the
percentage of children tested each week. As randomized saliva testing will
be one of the leading outbreak preventative efforts within each DCPS
school, moving forward with an opt-out model enables all schools to meet
the same testing standard. It is also my hope that this shift will lead to
a [1]higher percentage of students tested each week.

While today's announcement is a welcome change, there are still critical
steps that DCPS should take to ensure the greatest degree of safety for
students, families, and school staff:

 1. Move Lunch Outside - Although principals have some discretion in
how to configure their spaces, there should be a directive that all
lunches/meals be eaten outside (or at least to the greatest extent
possible). Otherwise, students, many of whom cannot yet be vaccinated, will
be removing their masks and sitting at minimal distances from each other
while indoors. The Executive has noted that not every school will have the
capacity to facilitate outdoor meals, but it should nevertheless be a
priority as meal times will be the most vulnerable time of the day for
unmasked students.

 2. Require Vaccinations for All Staff - I joined several of my
Council colleagues in sending a [2]letter to the Mayor calling for a
requirement that all DCPS employees and childcare facility workers be
vaccinated against COVID-19. Currently, unvaccinated staff will be subject
to weekly testing requirements, but we are asking for a higher vaccination
standard that would mirror similar public health mandates in other
jurisdictions.

 3. Require FDA-Approved Vaccines for Students - Just as students are
already required to get other vaccines (and in light of the [3]recent FDA
approval of the Pfizer vaccine), eligible students should also be required
to get FDA-approved coronavirus vaccines. On the Executive-Council
conference call today, the representative from DC Health said that they are
looking into this change.

 4. Address Social Distancing Limitations - Distances between students
must be in the 3-6 foot range as recommended by the CDC, but some schools
are reporting that they are not able to meet this standard and in-classroom
distances may be under 3 feet. These space limitations must be addressed
for each school that experiences more crowded classrooms and could possibly
be done by providing individual schools with more robust support for
outdoor classrooms.

 5. Provide a Virtual Option - Finally, a more expansive virtual
learning option should be provided. There is no doubt that an in-person
education provides the highest standard of learning and social/emotional
growth, but there are also many DCPS families who attend schools in areas
with low vaccination rates and growing case rates. There are also many
immunocompromised residents and multi-generational families/caregivers who
live in the same household as DCPS students. With these considerations, the
level of risk faced by each family is just simply not the same. To date,
over 1,300 people have signed a petition asking DCPS for a virtual learning
option. At a minimum, the medical permission for virtual learning should
include a doctor saying not just that virtual learning is medically
required, but allow the medical exemption if the doctor says that virtual
learning is medically recommended.

The above list is the result of my touring all of our Ward 3 schools,
recommendations from our State Board of Education representative Ruth
Wattenberg, and receiving input from school leadership and DCPS families. I
shared this list with Mayor Bowser and her Executive team on Wednesday, and
have since been joined by my colleagues Charles Allen, Robert White, and
Janeese Lewis George in calling for a virtual option.

As I shared in my [4]previous newsletter, I believe that our schools are
generally in good shape to reopen for in-person learning, and I largely
attribute that to our school leaders, teachers, and maintenance staff. But,
that should not stop us from pushing for the highest safety operations
standard as we emerge from the pandemic. And of course I wish students,
teachers, and staff a very successful opening next week.

Regards,

Mary

Please see [5]coronavirus.dc.gov for the latest District updates &
resources on COVID-19

Get vaccinated TODAY at any of the District's [6]walk-up vaccination sites

Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is
closed during the public health emergency, she and her staff are
teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to reach us via phone through our main line at (202)
724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent services
requests.

[7]Facebook [8]Twitter

FOLLOW MARY

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Mary Cheh
Mary Cheh Ward 3
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NWSuite 108
Washington, DC 20004
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