Thanks to Federal support, Teachers age 50 and older will soon get access to COVID-19 vaccine in Florida 

Demand for vaccinations has outpaced supply, so the federal CDC  outlined a three-phase vaccine rollout plan. The first phase, issued in early December, recommended vaccinating health care workers and long-term care residents. The second phase, issued three weeks later, recommended vaccinating people ages 75 and older and non-health care frontline “essential” workers, including teachers, police officers and grocery store employees. The CDC included vaccinating people ages 65 to 74 in a third phase, along with younger people who have underlying medical conditions.

DeSantis, though, ignored the second round of recommendations and issued an executive order in December directing that vaccine doses be given to staff members and residents of long-term care centers, people ages 65 and older and people who hospitals deemed were high risk. 

Condolences to out to the family of Donna Blatche, M-DCPS school bus driver, who died of COVID-19. Between students who refuse to wear their masks and a breakdown in communication on whether any students sent home to quarantine were also on their routes, bus drivers’ concerns are growing.

Bradshaw said her mom often expressed concern that she was not being notified when kids who had been on her bus route were sent home to quarantine.

She believes this is crucial information so bus drivers can make life-critical decisions like whether to quarantine themselves or get tested.

“I know she inquired about the protocols and why kids were missing over a certain period of time,” Bradshaw said, adding that with other family members working as bus drivers, she feels like her mom’s legacy will be fighting for them to be safe and respected, fighting for their dignity.

Pandemic looms over education priorities for Florida Legislature Some Democrats have charged the Republican majority has given early priority to partisan measures that do little to address the troubles created by the health crisis. For instance, legislators have advanced ideas that would expand vouchers and create education savings accounts, mandate moments of silence in public schools, add new requirements to participate in teacher unions, and exclude future teachers from a traditional pension plan.

“My hope, genuinely, is that my Republican colleagues would see that their priorities right now are not going to help our children or our teachers,” said Senate Education Vice Chairman Shevrin Jones, a West Park Democrat.

Jones is urging senators to emphasize policy that would help students who are struggling academically or proposals to encourage teachers to tutor after school.

“Put the power back into the teachers. They are really doing a lot, so give them more resources to be able to continue doing it,” Jones said.

On this Day:  – W. E. B. Du Bois, one of the most important activist scholars of the 20th century, was born on Feb. 23, 1868. Du Bois, a sociologist, historian, Pan-Africanist, author, and editor, was one of the co-founders of the NAACP in 1909, leader of the Niagara Movement, and editor of the NAACP’s journal The Crisis.
See more at Feb. 23, 1868: W. E. B. Du Bois Born - Zinn Education Project (zinnedproject.org)