WEBVTT - The Cost of Keeping Schools Safe

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day one and

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<v Speaker 1>fifty two since coronavirus was declared a global pandemic. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>main story as schools confront the question of how and

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<v Speaker 1>whether to reopen for the fall. US education leaders have

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<v Speaker 1>cited major budget challenges in making school safe from the virus.

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<v Speaker 1>But first, here's what happened in virus news today. In

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<v Speaker 1>the US, there has been a spike in coronavirus infections

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<v Speaker 1>in children in the last half of July. Cases among

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<v Speaker 1>kids grew for according to a report from the American

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<v Speaker 1>Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association, that brings

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<v Speaker 1>the total number of child infections to around nine per

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<v Speaker 1>cent of all US cases, but deaths from COVID nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>total only six that's point zero six percent of total

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<v Speaker 1>fatalities in the country. The report aggregates data from forty

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<v Speaker 1>nine states. While the surge of infections may inflame the

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<v Speaker 1>heated debate about schools reopening in the fall, the data

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<v Speaker 1>also show that child infections make up a disproportionately small

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<v Speaker 1>share of the overall outbreak in the US. California, Florida,

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<v Speaker 1>and Arizona had the highest number of total child cases,

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<v Speaker 1>with more than twenty thousand each. In New York, the

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<v Speaker 1>number of coronavirus patients hospitalized and occupying intensive care beds

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<v Speaker 1>has reached a new low. Governor Andrew Cuomo said today

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<v Speaker 1>that there were five hundred and thirty five people hospitalized

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<v Speaker 1>and one hundred and twenty seven in the U statewide

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<v Speaker 1>on Sunday, the lower since the pandemic began. In March.

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<v Speaker 1>There were two virus related fatalities. Finally, the World Health

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<v Speaker 1>Organization is planning an extensive mission to investigate the viruses origins,

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<v Speaker 1>starting in Wuhan, China, where the first cases were identified.

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<v Speaker 1>The w h O will deeply study individuals exposures and

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<v Speaker 1>activities like travel, occupation, and daily life before they developed symptoms,

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<v Speaker 1>all to get to the bottom of how the first

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<v Speaker 1>cases were transmitted from animals to humans. Mike Ryan, head

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<v Speaker 1>of the who's Emergencies Program, said the first case of

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<v Speaker 1>an illness to be identified is not always in the

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<v Speaker 1>location of the first cluster. He noted that it took

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<v Speaker 1>years to determine the animal origins for the Mirror's outbreak,

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<v Speaker 1>and he said that the genesis of the two thousand

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<v Speaker 1>two two thousand three stars outbreak has never been fully established.

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<v Speaker 1>And now for today's main story. Arnie Duncan, the former

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<v Speaker 1>U S Secretary of Education, recently warned a House panel

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<v Speaker 1>against opening schools prematurely. He's one of a growing chorus

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<v Speaker 1>of voices sounding the alarm about opening schools without properly

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<v Speaker 1>funding safety measures. The schools, they say, simply don't have

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<v Speaker 1>the money they need to make their buildings safe for

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<v Speaker 1>students and teachers. At the same House panel, witnesses said

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<v Speaker 1>public schools would need two hundred billion dollars in federal

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<v Speaker 1>aid to open safely with the virus continuing to circulate.

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<v Speaker 1>I talked to Skylar Woodhouse, who reports on costs and

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<v Speaker 1>challenges of creating safe classrooms, walk us through some of

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<v Speaker 1>these logistical hurdles schools are facing when they're considering reopening

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<v Speaker 1>for the fall. There's a lot that schools are having

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<v Speaker 1>to take into consideration this upcoming fall. Abiding by all

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<v Speaker 1>those social distancing guidelines, making sure that their mask group

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<v Speaker 1>being worn, making sure that there's enough um like protective

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<v Speaker 1>equipment available for students and staff, the cleaning of schools,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm boiling all of these things down. Educators At

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<v Speaker 1>this hearing that took place on Thursday with the Selective

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<v Speaker 1>Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis, these educators came in saying

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<v Speaker 1>that they need two hundred billion dollars in federal aid

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<v Speaker 1>to help support these schools all across the country that

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<v Speaker 1>are going to have students coming into the halls. At

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<v Speaker 1>the hearing, we heard from leaders of the country and

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<v Speaker 1>in local you know, teachers and administrators who are like

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<v Speaker 1>on the front lines currently preparing for the reopening of schools.

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<v Speaker 1>And during the hearing, in this discussion of funds, was

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<v Speaker 1>there any mention of how this funding would be distributed

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<v Speaker 1>amongst you know, the thousands of schools in the United States.

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<v Speaker 1>So the funding is being asked to be sent to

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<v Speaker 1>K through twelve schools that are going to see an

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<v Speaker 1>influx of students going back to going back to campus.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know, this money it's not just to you know,

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that masks are available. This money is to

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that cleaning can be properly done, that school

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<v Speaker 1>buses are properly cleaned, to make sure that all of

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<v Speaker 1>the working parts within the school system are being treated

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<v Speaker 1>to prevent any type of possible spread of the coronavirus.

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<v Speaker 1>So there was no specific plan as to this is

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<v Speaker 1>where it's going to be, just like distributed, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of which areas would receive more than others.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sure that's a whole another conversation. But the number

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<v Speaker 1>was brought up because of the stimulus talks and Congress

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<v Speaker 1>trying to come up with an agreement to pass the

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<v Speaker 1>next round of stimulus so that money can start to

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<v Speaker 1>be distributed across the country. You know, we're seeing negotiations

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<v Speaker 1>right now between the House and the Senate, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Republicans have proposed seventy billion for primary and secondary education,

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<v Speaker 1>and ten percent of that seventy billion would go to

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<v Speaker 1>private and religious schools. So the number from Republicans, the

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<v Speaker 1>seventy billion, that was just cathered twelve, but they actually

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<v Speaker 1>presented one hundred and five billion, and that would also,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, go to higher education in different education sectors

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<v Speaker 1>around the country. And the one hundred and five billion

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<v Speaker 1>for education that the Republicans presented is a few billion

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<v Speaker 1>higher than um what Democrats presented. And the Democrats had

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<v Speaker 1>stated that when they were trying to get their piece

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<v Speaker 1>of legislation out, they recognized that their number was lower

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<v Speaker 1>once you know, the Republican number came out, but they

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<v Speaker 1>just saw the urgency to get a piece of legislation passed.

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<v Speaker 1>And among these administrators teachers who are actually facing a reopening,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean in their local schools, what is their preparation plan.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's say someone comes down with a case of COVID nineteen,

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<v Speaker 1>what what would happen? What is their feeling about that

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<v Speaker 1>kind of threat in their schools. Well, one of the

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<v Speaker 1>witnesses at the hearing, Angela Skillings. She was teaching summer

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<v Speaker 1>school this past summer and one of her teachers that

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<v Speaker 1>she was working with throughout this summer during summer school

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<v Speaker 1>passed away from the coronavirus, and she was very vocal

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<v Speaker 1>that schools should not be rushing to reopen at the

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<v Speaker 1>right that they are and recognize that as much as

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<v Speaker 1>you can do to prepare to prevent the spread of

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<v Speaker 1>the virus. She really just touched on how hard it

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<v Speaker 1>is and that's just something that's not controllable right now

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<v Speaker 1>at this very moment. And then Robert Runcie on the superintendent,

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<v Speaker 1>he expressed his concern for the fear that is going

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<v Speaker 1>to come to his students and staff and parents, of

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<v Speaker 1>students and just really the community when you learn that

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<v Speaker 1>one kid or one faculty member has tested positive for

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<v Speaker 1>the virus, and it creates this type of fear when

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<v Speaker 1>you have to start notifying families around the school, you

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<v Speaker 1>know that they have to begin quarantining because to try

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<v Speaker 1>and prevent a potential outbreak within a school, Why are

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<v Speaker 1>we reopening just to reclose knowing that students and faculty

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<v Speaker 1>will test positive and knowing and seeing the numbers that

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<v Speaker 1>are continuing to increase, And that was a concern among

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<v Speaker 1>um the witnesses at the hearing. Was there any discussion

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<v Speaker 1>about whether the funds would be exclusively for in class

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<v Speaker 1>instruction or is there an ability to use these funds

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<v Speaker 1>potentially for online or digital education if the schools can't

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<v Speaker 1>be reopened. Well, part of the problem with the funding

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<v Speaker 1>and part of the reason why this hearing was called

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<v Speaker 1>was Secretary of Education Betsy du Bois. She said that

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<v Speaker 1>schools that do not reopen, you know, will will be

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<v Speaker 1>will be defunded. And the hearing was called to to

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<v Speaker 1>let her know that that's not the case and that

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<v Speaker 1>he doesn't have the legal authority. And with that, part

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<v Speaker 1>of that came from President Trump. Saying that schools that

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<v Speaker 1>do not reopen will be defunded, and that is a

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<v Speaker 1>worry for some schools because they feel that if we

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<v Speaker 1>don't reopen, then we're going to miss out on that

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<v Speaker 1>funding that they desk really need due to the impact

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<v Speaker 1>of the coronavirus. So I really just think it presents

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<v Speaker 1>a question that we've all been trying to figure out

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<v Speaker 1>throughout this pandemic, is what's going to happen and what

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<v Speaker 1>will kind of be like the final verdict in the

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<v Speaker 1>in the final decision that was skylar Woodhouse. And that's

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<v Speaker 1>it for our show today. For coverage of the outbreak

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<v Speaker 1>from one and twenty bureaus around the world, visit Bloomberg

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<v Speaker 1>dot com slash coronavirus and if you like the show,

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<v Speaker 1>please leave us a review and a rating on Apple

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<v Speaker 1>Podcasts or Spotify. It's the best way to help more

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<v Speaker 1>listeners find our global reporting. The Prognosis Daily edition is

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<v Speaker 1>produced by topor Foreheads, Jordan's Gas Pure, Magnus Hendrickson, and

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<v Speaker 1>me Laura Carlson. Today's main story was reported by skylar Woodhouse.

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<v Speaker 1>Original music by Leo Sedgrin. Our editors are Rick Shine

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<v Speaker 1>and Francesca Levi. Francesco Levi is Bloomberg's head of podcasts.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening. H