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Lost Creek Guide
When It Comes Time To Reopen Colorado Classrooms, This New State Working Group Hopes To Help It Go Smoothly
Colorado Public Radio by Vignesh Ramachandran 11/25/2020 Gov. Jared Polis announced Wednesday that a state working group will create plans for students’ return to classrooms in January. As COVID-19 cases have risen this month across Colorado, some of the state’s largest districts, including Denver Public Schools, Jeffco Public Schools and the Douglas County School District, are sending all grades back home for remote learning after the Thanksgiving holiday. While school officials are hopeful for an eventual return, the state says 1 in 41 Coloradans are currently contagious with the virus and the demand for hospital ICU beds could exceed capacity in January. Remote learning creates its own set of challenges for some families grappling with balancing jobs, disengaged students and internet reliability. The governor’s task force — which includes teachers, superintendents, health officials School buses parked in Fruita, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. and parents — is supposed Hart Van Denburg/CPR News to provide feedback to help the state and public health leaders develop ideas for safe school reopenings. “We know that for many kids and frankly also for many teachers, the classroom is one of the safest places,” Polis said Wednesday. “And we want to make sure that we can do all we can do in that controlled environment to really make sure that we don’t have an additional semester as chaotic as this one is.” In recent days, superintendents have pushed back on pressure to reopen schools, saying state rules push schools towards closures. Schools have faced chaos trying to maintain staffing levels and safe classrooms while complying with quarantine rules. The task force, which will meet at least once a week, plans to talk about measures that both have and haven’t worked across the state in 2020 to decide on best practices. “I think our school leaders will share that they have never worked more closely with their local health departments — and that is a positive thing,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association and a member of the task force. “So that is something that we would obviously want to continue going forward.” More stories about Colorado schools during the pandemic: With Limited State Guidance, Colorado Schools Take Many Different Approaches To Learning In The Pandemic Denver Public School Parents Protest Return To Remote Learning Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases Even As Cases Spike, The Question Of Kids In School Has Different Answers In Denver, Adams Counties Polis also said there has been a “strong, collaborative relationship with teachers and with paraprofessionals” for districts that have successfully returned to in-person learning. “We need, of course, the support of community members, parents, teachers, schools, districts and others, to really help make sure that we have ... the right protocols in the right place at the right time, to keep students and teachers safe, and make sure that our kids’ future is not yet another casualty of this awful pandemic,” he explained. The Colorado Department of Education said last week it is allocating $15 million in grants to help cover the cost of school reopenings, including air ventilation improvements, personal protective equipment and plexiglass. The state has also updated its tools to help school officials determine who needs to quarantine after COVID-19 exposure. As of Tuesday evening, Colorado has more than 206,439 documented COVID-19 cases and the virus has killed at least 2,466 people in the state.
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December 2, 2020
Supreme Court Rules Against Cuomo’s Coronavirus limits -with Barrett Playing Key Role
Chief Justice Roberts sided with the court’s liberals in the dissenting opinion
By David Aaro | Fox News The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday night blocked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from reimposing strict attendance caps at worship services in areas hit hard by the novel coronavirus. The court ruled 5-4 to bar Cuomo from enforcing his Oct. 6 “Cluster Initiative” against houses of worship that sued to challenge the restrictions. The order was also the first in which Justice Amy Coney Barrett played a decisive role. Barrett, who was President Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee, joined the court Oct. 27, after winning Senate confirmation following the Sept. 18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Meanwhile, Then-Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is seen Oct. 21, Chief Justice John 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Associated Press) Roberts joined the court’s liberal wing in the dissenting opinion, which stated the court had acted rashly. Cuomo’s initiative had created color-coded limits on mass gatherings and business operations, in an effort to stem the outbreak in New York City areas that were experiencing a surge in cases, according to Bloomberg News. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the daily media briefing at the Office of the Governor of the State of New York on July 23, 2020 in New York City. (Getty Images) It was aimed at worship services at some synagogues and Roman Catholic churches in parts of Brooklyn and Queens, Bloomberg reported. In the hardest-hit areas, which were designated red zones, the state limited attendance in houses of worship to 25% of their capacity or 10 people, whichever is fewer. The majority said his limits violated the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion. Justice Neil Gorsuch, in the concurring opinion, said Cuomo had treated religious activities less favorably than nonreligious ones, according to the New York Times. “It is time — past time — to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues, and mosques,” wrote Gorsuch, who was also named to the court by Trump. “So, at least according to the Governor, it may be unsafe to go to church, but it is always fine to pick up another bottle of wine, shop for a new bike, or spend the afternoon exploring your distal points and meridians,” he continued, according to a tweet from The Economist correspondent Steven Mazie. “Who knew public health would so perfectly align with secular convenience?” The ruling was seen as a reversal from earlier actions taken during the pandemic this year by the high court in response to state restrictions on organized religion, reports said. The justices previously refused to lift restrictions on churches in California and Nevada. In the dissenting opinion, Roberts explained why the court’s liberals opposed the decision. “Numerical capacity limits of 10 and 25 people, depending on the applicable zone, do seem unduly restrictive,” Roberts wrote, according to the Times. “It is not necessary, however, for us to rule on that serious and difficult question at this time.” “The governor might reinstate the restrictions,” he continued. “But he also might not. And it is a significant matter to override determinations made by public health officials concerning what is necessary for public safety in the midst of a deadly pandemic. If the governor does reinstate the numerical restrictions the applicants can return to this court, and we could act quickly on their renewed applications.” “HAPPY THANKSGIVING,” Trump wrote, sharing the Supreme Court’s ruling. Trump has repeatedly pushed back against shutdown measures to curb the spread of the virus. The American Civil Liberties Union condemned the decision and warned it could “undermine New York’s efforts to curb the pandemic.” “The freedom to worship is one of our most cherished fundamental rights, but it does not include a license to harm others or endanger public health,” said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program of Freedom of Religion and Belief. New York City, once the global epicenter of the virus, has reported a steady rise in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, prompting Mayor Bill de Blasio to close public schools for the second time. The city has reported more than 305,000 cases and 24,230 deaths related to COVID-19. “New York’s temporary restrictions on indoor gatherings do not discriminate against houses of worship, and, in fact, treat them better than comparable non-religious gatherings,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “The Supreme Court’s decision will unfortunately undermine New York’s efforts to curb the pandemic.” David Aaro is a Reporter at Fox News Digital based in New York City.
