Invisible Stories - #2 - "House Calls to Homeless People in Venice Beach"

"the intervention that counts is housing"

Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal) tweeted on Sun, Jul 11, 2021:

Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore. 

Link to the second of the series: https://youtu.be/8N2Ry_g15KA

Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar 

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020

Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.

MA News: the digital divide; help for MA arts organizations

"Tracking the digital divide - We can't close it without first documenting it "

"OVER THE PAST YEAR, schools, workplaces, health care providers, and other basic services have moved online. In doing so, the centrality of the internet to modern life became crystal clear to everyone in the country. But for people and families without broadband access, the pandemic has only exposed and exacerbated the digital divide—putting resources like telework, virtual learning, and telehealth out of reach for millions of people. 

Even before the pandemic, many people lacked access to high-speed broadband across Massachusetts. According to the ACLU of Massachusetts Data for Justice project, Census estimates show that more than 1 million Massachusetts residents—about 15 percent of the state’s population—do not have a fixed broadband internet connection. Our Census analysis also shows that internet and computer access correlate with income, such that lower income communities are disproportionately left unconnected."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/tracking-the-digital-divide/

"Tracking the digital divide - We can't close it without first documenting it "

 

"Long-awaited arts funding finally arriving"

"MASSACHUSETTS ARTS appear to be big beneficiaries of $16 billion in federal relief aid that is finally starting to be released after a delayed start and an arduous review process.

According to federal data on the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, 123 Massachusetts arts organizations have received more than $100 million so far, the seventh-highest amount of any state in the country."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/arts-and-culture/long-awaited-arts-funding-finally-arriving/

Pantherbook: Girl Up club leads “A Discussion on Gender Equality" ; FHS switches to 'in person' learning Apr 12

"On Thursday, March 25, students met through the Girl Up club for “A Discussion on Gender Equality.” The meeting was led by Girl Up Teen Advisor Angelina Perez.

The meeting drew local participants as well as Girl Up members from LA, the British Virgin Islands, Syracuse, and Washington D.C.

The discussion started with the simple question, “How have you been impacted by sexism or misogyny?”  

High Schoolers from Franklin and around the country met over Zoom to discuss gender equality. Photo used with permission from Angelina Perez

Quickly, the floodgates opened and girls shared deeply personal stories."

Continue reading the article online

https://franklinpanthers.us/news/2021/03/31/girl-ups-profound-discussion-on-gender-equality/ 

April 12th is the finalized date for when Franklin High will be having nearly eighty percent of their students back in school. The CDC recently approved that it is safe for students to now be three feet apart in classrooms.

When talking to Mr. Hanna he explains how there are many different safety measures put in at FHS for not only the students, but the staff as well. There will be a maximum of twenty four desks per classroom all measured to be at least 3 feet apart, there will also always be six feet between a teacher and a student.

Continue reading the article online

https://franklinpanthers.us/top-stories/2021/03/31/what-will-returning-back-to-fhs-look-like-now-three-feet-apart/

 

 

FHS switches to 'in person' learning Apr 12

What gets funded is a question of priorities, but who sets them? “Let’s face it, we don’t have ribbon cuttings when we replace a pipe"

A good interactive article at Washington Post on how we miss the boat in funding the basics.

"In the shadow of its exceptionalism, America fails to invest in the basics. 

Stunning advances in medicine and technology have come

alongside systemic breakdowns in infrastructure and health.

.... 

America can put a rover on Mars, but it can’t keep the lights on and water running in the city that birthed the modern space program. It can develop vaccines, in record time, to combat a world-altering illness, but suffers one of the developed world’s highest death rates due to lack of prevention and care. It spins out endless entertainment to keep millions preoccupied during lockdown — and keep tech shares riding high on Wall Street — but leaves kids disconnected from the access they need to do their schoolwork. "

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/america-growing-disparities/

Angelina Perez, co-emcee for International Women's Day event (video)

Angelina Perez, FHS Senior, and Teen Advisor for “Girl Up” a International program sponsored by the United Nations Foundation, was a Co-Emcee and a Panelist for #EqualEverywhere: Champions for Change - International Women’s day event.

Video link to #EqualEverywhere =  https://youtu.be/fGbrq5PHAmU 

Statement from Senate President Karen E. Spilka - Priority for teacher vaccination plan

"A top priority for everyone in government, whether at the local, state or federal level, should be getting our students and teachers and staff back into the classroom safely. Getting students back into the classroom, where they learn best, should be a local decision which will depend upon a variety of factors. If the Governor wants to mandate opening elementary schools across the Commonwealth to in-person learning by April 1^st, the Administration must have an equitable plan that gives communities the necessary support and resources to do that. Among those resources, we need a vaccine program for teachers and staff that is aggressive, and we need it this month. As more vaccine doses become available to the state, I am calling on the Governor to designate a percentage of those doses to be administered to teachers and staff in their communities."

Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland)

 

The Intercept: "Teachers Unions Aren’t the Obstacle to Reopening Schools"

Tracy O'Connell Novick (@TracyNovick) tweeted

"This piece from @onesarahjones gets at the heart of one of the things I have found most disheartening about the pandemic. It gave us a chance to refocus on the vast inequities in our society, and instead it's making them wider."

Sarah writes: (Bold my emphasis)

"Public opinion does not, of course, dictate scientific consensus. Even so, the science isn’t as settled as many claim. While it’s true that kids aren’t as likely to fall seriously ill with COVID and aren’t as likely to spread the virus, the risk isn’t zero. As The Intercept reported in January, three recent studies indicate that the risks posed by reopening schools vary depending on rates of community transmission. According to one of the studies, reopening schools in Florida did lead to higher incidences of COVID infection among school-age children. Teachers in a school building can also spread the virus to one another and to parents if mitigation strategies aren’t sound."

Follow the link to read the full article =  https://t.co/tTKdfw6Cgk

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/TracyNovick/status/1365815338366087169

Franklin Public Schools: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Via Denise Spencer:

"In June, School Committees across Massachusetts found themselves debating the anti-racism resolution outlined by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC). Among the many statements in the resolution are efforts to recruit a diverse workforce, examine policies for systemic racism, and incorporate works of diverse authors into the curriculum, as well as the history of racial oppression. 

Following these discussions, and approval of the Anti-Racism Resolution, in July I was happy to hear Dr. Ahern discuss her upcoming plans to form a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. 

Last week over 50 community stakeholders (students, faculty and staff, central office and school committee) met and began working together, taking a look at who we are and what we can do better as a school community to make sure our staff, students and families feel welcome.

Franklin Public Schools will be conducting an equity audit in the coming year. MASC members are asked to ensure that diversity and inclusion are made part of the everyday culture of schools. I am looking forward to the results of this audit and learning which areas we need to improve on."

Please click on the below link to find more information regarding the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-1byeie6g7-MG9-FwvFiOhI8Pbme4cEz/view?fbclid=IwAR1RplopkcOgi6m4XzVXBIdB5BvLoGjAt1KWdn1UuyWAWnLd4T_IYnc4-PY

Shared from Facebook: 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=469766124409443&id=113623673357025

Franklin Public Schools: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee