Arizona Governor Commits To Continue Learning In Person
The director of the American Federation for Children, Corey DeAngelis, explains the importance of school choice for families in ‘The Faulkner Approach.’
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced Tuesday a new program that will give qualified families struggling with unexpected school closings up to 7,7,000 for children’s educational needs.
The funds would go toward childcare, transportation, tutoring and school tuition needs approved by the Arizona Department of Economic Security, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
“All states should follow Arizona’s lead,” Corey DeAngelis, national director of research for School Choice Now, told Fox News. “If a Safeway doesn’t reopen, families can take their money elsewhere. If a school doesn’t reopen, families should be able to take their children’s education dollars elsewhere. In fact, families should be able to taking their children’s education dollars elsewhere, regardless of what they do. Education funding is intended for children’s education, not for the protection of a particular institution. “
He added that funding “students, not systems … is the only way out of this mess.” Arizona Governor Doug Ducey speaks at a press conference in Phoenix. (AP Photo / Ross D. Franklin, Pool, File)
“Funding students directly and empowering families to find alternatives gives schools an incentive to address their needs,” he continued. “This kind of bottom-up accountability, which allows families to vote with their feet, is the strongest form of accountability there is. This measure is a step in the right direction to free families from clutches of the teachers’ unions once and for all.
The Open Learning Recovery Benefits Program will allow students to “access the instruction that best meets their needs” if they meet certain income requirements.
“In Arizona, we are going to ensure continued access to in-person learning,” Ducey said in a statement Tuesday. “Everyone agrees that schools should stay open and children should be in the classroom. With this announcement, we are making sure that parents and families have options if a school closes its doors. Parents are best suited to make decisions about their children’s education. “
He added that “in-person learning is vital to the development, well-being and educational needs of K-12 students,” and city leaders will work with school leaders to ensure that children “can remain in the classroom. and parents have a choice, always. ” Duecy introduced a plan to reopen Arizona schools in March 2021. President Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, as well as health experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics, are pushing for in-person learning after the break. But more than 3,200 schools are closed this week, according to a public school opening tracker from community events website Burbio. Some teacher unions are pushing for a return to distance learning, citing a lack of testing and personal protective equipment. The students, some in protective masks, arrive for the first day of school at Sessums Elementary School in Riverview, Florida. (AP Photo / Chris O’Meara, File) (AP)
As cases have skyrocketed, deaths from the disease have more than halved. Jan. On December 13, 2021, there was the highest number of COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began, with nearly 4,050 deaths reported that day. The seven-day average was around 3,400 deaths per day. But as of December. On September 29, the last time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its trend data, the national average was reported at just under 1,100 deaths per day.
A January 2021 report by CDC researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) noted that as schools reopened for in-person instruction, “COVID-19 cases related to schools, but there has been little evidence that schools have contributed significantly to increased transmission in the community. ”
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