Catching Up With The Truth

Changing Our Narrative

By: Dave Devereaux

I thought once the election was over and the inauguration had taken place that television would get back to the business of entertaining, news would be less bleak, and a more healing tone would prevail. Truth is, I was naive and wishful. We are now locked into the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, and daily COVID-19 updates that mirror the previous day highlight major deficiencies in the supply and distribution of the vaccines. While the COVID-19 discussion is important, it becomes increasingly mundane when we hear of all the mistakes and ineptitudes being made as a result of false truths and poor management by the Trump administration. 

As the impeachment proceedings got underway on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, we saw the videos of the rioters storming the Capitol building again. Over time, it makes you feel angry, but at the same time, somewhat vindicated after so much negative reaction followed peaceful Black Lives Matter protests, where nobody threatened government officials, or for that fact, even the police who were the real culprits in that fight. 

No one died as a result of Black Lives Matter protests. The insurrectionists not only threatened government officials but killed a police officer and are responsible for multiple other crimes, which led to law enforcement needing serious medical attention and even some officers committing suicide as a result. 

Their behavior that day was appalling, frightening and barbaric. Many of us know that Trump will not be convicted because the right is so afraid of him, it’s borderline bizarre. I’ll never understand what kind of a hold he has on these politicians and individuals but have surmised that we have not seen the last of him. He will return and next time, seek some type of revenge against all who went against him during this second impeachment process. Unless they do something to limit his access, a narcissist will always seek to remind you of who they are. 

Most Americans knew that there were aspects of the vaccine rollout that we were being lied about by the Trump administration. Now those false truths are being laid bare. The fact that minority communities are still disproportionately underserved is a familiar story that we have come to hear surrounding this virus as with many other crises in the past. Lest we never forget, Tuskegee. 

Also, how Trump had no real plan for vaccine distribution including the mismanagement of the amount needed to provide protection quickly. All of this caused a severe slowdown in our ability to reopen America and more importantly, schools when President Biden took office. 

Everyone had hopes that once a vaccine rolled out, we would see a sharp decrease in the numbers of positive test results, but it appears the opposite has occurred. After the holidays the uptick in numbers was alarming. The administration of President Biden has jumped on the issues and appears to have more of a plan than we have seen in the last year under a failing Trump administration. 

He immediately declared the worst part of all this has been the inability of kids to attend school safely. He is feverishly working to address deficiencies and come up with a return plan so that school districts can address their individual needs and get back to the business of learning. He is cleaning out the trash left by the previous administration and firing personnel who could pose a threat to a swift and positive return to some level of normalcy. 

The key here is the safety of teachers and students within those buildings along with a plan for how to address social distancing in the classroom. It is inevitable that school districts will have to offer a hybrid daily plan for the safe return of students and staff to the classroom. They may have to present a half-day model to accommodate the distancing issue within the classroom as well. In any event, until we kill this virus or increase herd immunity, attending school will not look like it once did. We have been affected for almost a year and will have to return slowly. Other issues involve the need for constant hand washing and yet many schools do not have hot water available in restrooms or classrooms, let alone soap. Nor is there a discussion of hand sanitizing stations being made available as a backup. 

What many parents seem to miss is that you have no idea what a child attending school daily may have been exposed to as they return home. While no one wants to be responsible for spreading the virus, there have been cases where this has happened. And some of them have been fatal. Maybe not to the child, but to a family member that may yet to be vaccinated, or have some underlying health condition that makes them even more vulnerable. This is a critical thought process that seems to be left out of discussions when talking about returning to normalcy and schools.

For Your Consideration: https://www.reelurbannews.com/operational-quandaries-vs-the-reopening-dilemma/

That sense of urgency is stronger now that this has gone on for almost a year. You keep hearing that students are falling behind. However, all students are experiencing this same issue and it would better be described as some students are able to more easily access distance learning than others, and those that are not are the ones falling behind.

From speaking to my friends and colleagues in education, many students go missing on their rosters daily because they just don’t want to participate. It would seem that since this is now the norm, most all students would know they must learn in this manner until it is safer for them to go back to school. The excuse that kids miss their friends falls on deaf ears when you are talking about a deadly virus. Socialization would not be important until it is safe for them to do so safely. I know I sound harsh, but as a retired Principal, there is nothing more important in my forethought than staff and student safety. Until the powers that be complete their plans of how to distribute a vaccine to school staff, in-service school would not be my focus. Staying alive and healthy should be the goal. 

None of this will happen until we have comprehensive numbers that reflect the amount of vaccine needed per dose. Since the two first released vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer require two doses, a formula must be developed to address the completion of a round of vaccines over time more precisely. The supply must be able to meet the demand. The latest and third option by Johnson & Johnson, which has recently been submitted for approval from the FDA, requires one dose. It is said to be less effective, yet effective enough and perhaps may best work on young people. Johnson & Johnson has stated that making a batch of their COVID-19 vaccine from start to finish takes anywhere from 60 to 70 days. This is the issue with any vaccine, as the process of development does not take place overnight. Pfizer’s vaccine takes from 60 to 110 days depending on lab results. 

Each one is different, yet engineered to provide the same result. This speaks to research methods as well as company locations. Pfizer is regulated out of the UK. Moderna is in the US. Though the scientific methods are the same universally, research criteria drives technique and result levels. Since most people are just now getting their second dose from the early vaccines, it will be some time before we know for sure how effective each of them is and what percentage of protection they provide. But at least we have a response to the problem. Let’s just pray this is the answer that will allow us to return to some level of normalcy in the world. In the meantime, please wear a mask, double mask if you can for greater protection, and respect people’s space. I tell my family, protect you, that’s all we can do at this point and avoid confrontational moments where we feel the need to remind some stranger of what they are not doing. That moment is not worth your life. Move away from those not wanting to observe mask rules because in the long run, you want to be here tomorrow. Leave them to gamble with their health. Too many people have lost their lives as a result of COVID-19 and the poor decisions of a failed Trump administration.