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THREAD: Remember that train wreck @CMSboard meeting on July 15? Aside from the tech failures, I and others were left wondering why @MeckCounty Health Director Gibbie Harris didn't give a recommendation for @CharMeckSchools re-opening. What would she have recommended? #Defenders
Here's a refresher. Gibbie Harris didn't discourage in-person learning and did share the recommendation of the @CDCgov director to return to schools, but the top health official in @MeckCounty stopped short of giving her personal opinion on the matter. #Defenders #CMS #Clt
In the days after, I kept thinking she had to have shared her opinion somewhere, so I requested emails from @MeckCounty with the words "school,""CMS," "Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools" and "Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools" from July 12, 2020 through July 27, 2020. #Defenders #CMS
Turns out Gibbie Harris did share her opinion on re-opening schools. She emailed fellow health directors on July 14, the day before she spoke at the @CMSboard meeting and said "even with high numbers" she supported "some level of children in the school setting" #Defenders #CMS
Emails show Durham County's public health director also did not share a recommendation, but behind the scenes supported a return to school, with an emphasis on erring on the side of "extreme caution." #Defenders
Interestingly enough, Cabarrus Health Alliance's health director had a different stance on re-opening schools for in-person learning. She requested input from other health directors about how they were handling school reopening questions. Here's what she wrote. #Defenders
I mentioned I wasn't the only one wondering, for better or worse, why Health Director Gibbie Harris didn't share a recommendation with @CMSboard about re-opening schools. @leighaltman shared her frustration with @OnTheFrogSide that Harris didn't make the "tough call." #Defenders
. @leighaltman wanted to hear from the top health official in @MeckCounty last month, hoping @CharMeckSchools would find a way to safely open in-person learning for elementary kids, but told me that was before she learned many teachers were afraid to return to school #Defenders
Would it have made a difference if the health director shared publicly what she shared privately? Would the @CMSboard have supported in-person learning based on her expert opinion? @Strain4BOE said the majority of the board already made up its mind, much to his disappointment.
On July 15 @Strain4BOE believed @CharMeckSchools should move to in-person learning and today said the case is even stronger to do so. He's pushing for Pre-K through 5th grade to return to safe learning in schools by mid-September. #Defenders
. @Strain4BOE analyzed @MeckCounty #COVID19 data. Despite no formal recommendation on July 15, it was clear to him Gibbie Harris thought kids should be in school. "All that's happened since then is the prevalence of our known confirmed cases has gone from 2.4 to 1.0 cases/1000."
Has Gibbie Harris' stance on re-opening schools changed since July 15? I asked @MeckCounty that question yesterday. Waiting on an answer. Harris recently said if there's a positivity rate of 5% or less kids could safely return p/t assuming there's parental and teacher support.
