Dear Colleagues,
Please review below and attached three important announcements: one from ED (about next week’s Best Practices Clearinghouse webinar), one from the CDC (a communications update from the School Staff Vaccination Program), and one from FEMA (about the Hand Sanitizer Donation Offer). We appreciate you sharing this information with your colleagues and others, as appropriate.
Best,
National Engagement Team
Announcement #1 – Invitation to the initial Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse “Lessons from the Field” webinar (Wednesday, March 31, from 3 to 4 PM Eastern Time)
Save-The-Date
Lessons from the Field: Safely Reopening and Sustaining In-Person Instruction
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
Attention: State and District Leaders, Faculty, Staff, Educators, Parents and Education Stakeholders
On January 21, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order (E.O.) 14000 directing the U.S. Department of Education to create the Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse will be a place to highlight lessons from the field in support of students, teachers, faculty, and staff, as schools and campuses continue to reopen following closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Clearinghouse will include a collection of lessons learned and best practices submitted by teachers, faculty, staff, schools, districts, institutions of higher education, early childhood education providers, other places of educational instruction, and States describing approaches to operating during the COVID-19 pandemic that the submitters believe to have worked well in their contexts.
As part of The Clearinghouse, the U.S. Department of Education has launched a new webinar series entitled “Lessons from the Field” which will run bi-weekly through June and will discuss the following topics across early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary education:
- Safe and Healthy Environments
- Providing Supports to Students
- Teacher, Faculty, and Staff Well-Being, Professional Development, and Supports
On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) invites you to join Lessons from the Field: Safely Reopening and Sustaining In-Person Instruction:
Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2021 Time: 3:00-4:00 pm EST
After a welcome from Christian Rhodes, Chief of Staff for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, this session will include a brief overview with the latest on how to implement mitigation strategies to safely return to in-person instruction and feature a panel of practitioners from a variety of school districts. The panel will share lessons learned on preparing for and returning to in-person instruction. Information on how they overcame complications once they returned will also be shared.
Speakers
- Christian Rhodes, Chief of Staff, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education U.S. Department of Education
- Sarah Lee, Ph.D., Deputy, Community Interventions and Critical Populations Task Force, CDC COVID-19 Emergency Response
- School District Leaders (TBA)
Related Documents
This event will reference the following resources, which we encourage you to download in advance of the webinar to inform participation.
- Pathways to Safe In-Person Operations of K-12 Schools (February 17 webinar)
- CDC Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Mitigation
- Operational Strategy Summary Fact Sheet (PDF)
- CDC Science Brief: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in K-12 Schools
For your reference, slides for this presentation will be posted on the event webpage on the day of the event.
Registration
You must register to participate in this presentation.
Please contact NCSSLE if you have any questions. We look forward to sharing this information with you and hearing from you about the important work you are doing in your schools, communities, and states to meet the needs of your students and staff as they return to in-person instruction.
Announcement #2 – School Staff Vaccination Program communications update
March is School and Childcare Staff COVID-19 Vaccination Month. Below are resources you can use to help communicate about nationwide efforts to vaccinate teachers, school staff, and childcare providers against COVID-19.
Please use and share these resources
- Updated web page with the latest information for teachers, school staff, and childcare providers on how to get vaccinated. It includes an updated list of childcare workers who can get vaccinated under this directive. This list was clarified and includes:
- those working at Part C Early Intervention programs
- home visitors
- Communication toolkit with posters, fact sheets, newsletter articles, social media graphics, and “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” stickers.
- Plain language materials in multiple languages:
Get social!
Join us in sharing messages that focus on a different theme each week. This week, we began featuring video testimonials from teachers and childcare providers. Weekly themes planned for March are:
- March 22–28: Why I got vaccinated
- March 29–31: How it feels to have protection
Here are sample messages you can adapt and use:
Theme: Why I got vaccinated
- I want to be here for my students, so I got my #COVID19 shot. Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/specific-groups/teachers-childcare.html.
- I got a #COVID19 vaccine as an example to my biology students. It adds one more layer of protection against this potentially deadly virus. Visit https://vaccinefinder.org to find out where you can get vaccinated.
- You always put your students first and take care of them. Now it’s time to take care of yourself. Visit https://vaccinefinder.org to find a #COVID19 vaccination location near you.
- As a teacher, I know that vaccination is a key tool to help us end this pandemic. Join me and #SleeveUpforSchools. Get your #COVID19 vaccination as soon as you can.
John Arthur, 2021 Utah Teacher of the Year and National Teacher of the Year finalist
- Facebook: https://fb.watch/4slHMJhzrk/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMzzBybMuaQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Maureen Stover, 2021 North Carolina Teacher of the Year and National Teacher of the Year finalist
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CDCgov/status/1374806723794325505?s=20
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/N3WaJHMonM4
Tonia McMillian, a family childcare provider from Bellflower, California
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/5SG5IVjgYrY
Consider attaching a video or image to increase engagement. You can use these images and more from CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit for School Settings and Childcare Programs.
We encourage you to use any of these hashtags. We may include one of your posts on our new #SleeveUpforSchools Social Wall, which is coming soon:
- #SleeveUpforSchools
- #SleeveUpforChildcare and #SleeveUp4Childcare
- #SleeveUpforHeadStart
Follow, retweet, and like our social media posts on:
- @CDCgov | Twitter
- CDC | Facebook
- @CDCgov | Instagram
- Pinterest | Adolescent and School Health | CDC
- CDC | Pinterest
Thank you for using and sharing these resources. Together, we can move closer to the goal of getting every teacher, school staff member, and childcare provider vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of March.
Announcement #3 – Hand Sanitizer Donation Offer
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Donations Office received a large quantity of hand sanitizer for distribution. The U.S. Department of Education is assisting FEMA with communicating this opportunity to schools across the country.
Description of product:
- Plastic bottles – 3 oz, 8 oz, 12 oz, 30 oz, 34 oz and 50 ml sizes.
- Full truckloads [26 pallets] of each size available. Must order by truckload/size bottle:
- 50ML (1.7oz) – 269,568 units per truckload.
- 3 oz – 144,144
- 8 oz – 59,904
- 12 oz – 112,320
- 30 oz – 17,160
- 34 oz – 18,720
- Moisturizing formula, 62% alcohol, expiration date 09/2022, Safety Data Sheet attached
- See link Equate Hand Sanitizers for product information
Logistical Information:
- Transportation will be provided by donor.
- If the size you request is out, donor may substitute with a different size.
- Immediately available for shipping – supply will not last long.
- Each truck load will be shipped to one location, then it can be further distributed by recipient, including international.
- A Hold Harmless Agreement must be completed and returned when placing order.
- Recipient location must be able to off-load 53’ semi-trailer – loading dock, forklift/pallet jack required – and safely store delivered supply.
Instructions:
- Complete the attached forms:
- WM Hold Harmless Agreement
- WM Request Template
- Send completed forms to FEMA-Donations-Mgt@fema.dhs.gov with subject line: Hand Sanitizer Donation.
Disclaimers:
The U.S. Department of Education is providing assistance to FEMA. The Department’s assistance to FEMA should not be viewed or construed as an endorsement of any particular product or brand of hand sanitizer, nor any particular product or brand donor(s). Any questions should be directed to FEMA-Donations-Mgt@fema.dhs.gov.
3 Attachments:
3 WM Hand Sanitizer Safety Data Sheet
