Five Things to Watch: Raimondo's Major Schools Announcement Today at 1 PM
GoLocalProv News Team
Five Things to Watch: Raimondo's Major Schools Announcement Today at 1 PM
WATCH LIVE: See Video HERE When Press Conference Begins
The press conference will mark the first of five daily briefings this week on education, as officials prepare students and families for the fall return.
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"As I've said from the beginning, every decision we make about reopening our schools will be guided by science and data," said Raimondo last week. "For us to determine whether it’s safe for a district to open fully, we’re looking at the number of COVID-19 in that municipality proportionate to its population. Once districts reopen, however, we’ll be able to look at cases on a much more granular level – by school, and even by each stable pod."
"We know there will be positive cases in each district as the year goes on, just like we know there will be positive cases among adults," she added. "We can't completely eliminate the virus, but we can stop it from spreading by planning thoroughly for every possibility. This will allow us to be smart and targeted in how we manage those cases while preventing an outbreak and limiting the disruption in learning, just like we’ve done with child care."
Raimondo Education Briefing: Five Things to Watch - August 31, 2020
What Will Schools Look Like When They Start September 14?
On June 10, Raimondo had announced that Rhode Island public schools would return to the classroom on August 31.
On August 12, Raimondo then announced that she was delaying the school year by two weeks.
It does not appear that there are currently any indicators that would push back the September 14 open date.
Expect Raimondo on Monday to provide more insights into how schools -- that can open in person -- will operate.
Which School Districts Will Be Distance Learning?
While Rhode Island officials released five metrics for determining safety for “fully reopening” schools reopening, the big number to watch is which communities are above — or below — the metric set at 100 new cases per 100,000 residents per week.
Providence and Central Falls have consistently been above that number, and other communities have floated in and out as well, including Cranston and Pawtucket.
The state provides weekly data by community. Expect Raimondo however to say definitively on Monday who is back in person -- and who is not.
Providence is currently at 119 and Central Falls is at 196, putting them above the threshold.
Also look for Raimondo to discuss if those numbers fluctuate, when schools can go in-person -- or have to go back to remote.
More Details About Education Operations Center?
Last week, Raimondo and officials rolled out an overview for the state’s new "Education Operations Center" with the following:
The EdOC is activated as of today. By next week, every school district will have a designated point-of-contact, and we will ensure frequent lines of communication between districts and the EdOC.
The EdOC will ramp up over the next few weeks with recognition of several milestones, including the return of teachers on the 9th and the return of students on the 14th. Once schools are open, the leaders at the EdOC will be prepared to deploy assistance teams to any school – in any city or town – on a moment’s notice.
Look for more details about the EdOC on Monday.
What to Watch When Schools Reopen?
Expect Raimondo to provide more details about how often she will update the public as schools begin.
Will the state provide real-time updates about coronavirus cases in schools?
How much information will the public get about schools’ responses?
What will determine if metrics need to change if schools can stay open — or not?
Testing Capacity at Schools
The Raimondo administration drastically increased testing turn-around capacity in the state in August, with the addition of two new labs.
While the state struggled in the summer to meet adequate turn-around times on test results -- with the average taking as long as 5-10 days -- expect Raimondo to discuss how the state is prepared to meet the necessary 48-72 hour window needed for schools to safely reopen.
