Teacher-led rally Tuesday: return to schools only when it’s safe

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Florida sets record for daily coronavirus cases in US
Florida sets record for daily coronavirus infections. Via Florida Department of Health dashboard.

Here is a link to many coronavirus resources

Florida shattered the record for the most new cases of coronavirus in one day with more than 15,200 recorded Sunday. That’s more than any other state, including New York during the peak of the outbreak there. On Monday, the state added another 12,000 cases from the previous 24 hours.

Despite that, in-person schools will open across most of Florida next month.

coronavirus schools reopening
Pinellas teacher Dr. Christy Foust. Courtesy Bryan Edward Creative. 14 July 2020.

Our guest on WMNF’s MidPoint to talk about re-opening schools to in-person instruction was Pinellas school teacher, Dr. Christy Foust. She’s helping to organize a rally Tuesday at the Pinellas Schools office in Largo. The Pinellas Rally for a Safe Return to Campus. is from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00. It’s going on at the same time as the School Board meeting.

The rally is hosted by the Tampa Bay for a Safe Return to Campus Facebook group.

The groups encourage physical distancing and the wearing of face coverings. An American Sign Language interpreter will be there and the rally will be live-streamed.

Listen to the full show here; this interview is in the second half of the show.

At least three other demonstrations are scheduled for Tuesday:

School Must Be Online because Lives Are On the Line at 2:00 p.m. at Sarasota County Schools in Sarasota.

School Must Be Online because Lives are On the Line at 4:35 p.m. at Manatee County School Board.

PEA Car Parade- A Social Distance Rally @ School Board Meeting / Polk at 5:00 p.m. in Lakeland.

Hillsborough County is opening a new coronavirus test site in Town N Country with evening and weekend hours. Residents must make an appointment at (888) 513-6321.

The county has also put out an advertisement that it is hiring full-time contact tracers for now through December.

Beginning next week, the City of St. Petersburg will resume assigning late fees and even shutting off utilities for non-payment. In March, the city suspended fees and shut-offs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s reversing that now, even as the number of cases is skyrocketing. According to a press release, St. Pete “will resume the normal policies for termination of utility services due to non-payment and subsequent late fees and termination notice fees, as utilities across the country have done.”

A local law firm has an offer for teachers:

 

Listen to the 8:30 a.m. WMNF News headlines for 13 July 2020:

Listen to the 7:30 a.m. WMNF News headlines for 13 July 2020:

Listen to the 6:30 a.m. WMNF News headlines for 13 July 2020:

 

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