Hopkins County School District received three allotments of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds beginning in 2020 totaling around $23.3 million.

HCS CFO and Director of Finance Eydie Tate explained that the purpose of the money is to prevent, prepare for and respond to the Coronavirus.

“Everyone in the state received these funds based off the Title 1 allocations,” she said.

The school received the first allotment of ESSER money through the CARES Act in May 2020, and they have until September 2022 to use it all.

Tate said the district received a little over $1.3 million in ESSER funding and that has all been spent. She said 98% of the money was spent on technology for the schools.

“We bought 4,500 Chromebooks, document cameras for all of our teachers, and google licenses for all of our teachers, so they could go remote back in 2020,” said Tate.

The school district also bought outdoor wireless, so five schools in the district could work as hot spot locations for students who needed to download assignments.

Less than 1% of the money was used to rent the Ballard Convention Center and tables, so students could spread out to take the ACT.

“It was very small, but something we did for the kids,” said Tate.

About 2% of the ESSER money was spent on sanitation, so purchasing hand sanitizer, PPE, plastic guards for all of the school secretary’s desks, and temperature tablets.

“All of that was spent to prevent, prepare for and respond to Coronavirus directly,” said Tate.

The next second allotment of ESSER money was announced in January 2021 and needs to be used by September 2023. Tate said the school received $6,986,035 from that allotment, with 85% of the money required to be spent on direct services, which is student instructional support.

“There is a broad range of what they call direct services, and there is a whole charting guide that we have to go by to know if it is allowable or disallowable,” she said.

Of that 85%, 56% of that money was used to buy all new reading and math curricula for the elementary and middle schools. She said 32% of it went to salaries and benefits.

“What we have done with it is that Accelerate to Elevate was our summer learning loss program back in 2021,” said Tate.

They also provided two $500 COVID supplemental pay amounts for all the full-time employees in the district, and they are currently paying the staff to stay and work extra hours to make up for their lost planning periods.

“They are having to lose their planning periods to go cover classrooms for subs and those types of things,” said Tate.

About 12% of the 85% went to operating expenditures like security services, nursing services, testing materials, offering the ACT testing to sophomores, and purchasing more desks.

“These are expenditures we have all along, they are not new, but you can pick up some services that help all of these areas and support the prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID and reserve some general fund money,” said Tate. “We know these dollars are not going to be here forever. We are not getting a surplus of these ever again. We know we need to reserve some general fund dollars.”

Tate said there is still money left over in that 85% to offer a 2022 Summer Learning Loss Program or to help students in some other way.

“I do believe they are going to target and do some more specific instruction during summer school this year,” she said. “I think it will be a really good thing for our kids and target that learning loss.”

The other 15% of the second round of ESSER money went to non-direct services. She said 40% of that money went to the purchase of new air-conditioned buses.

“We haven’t paid for these yet, but we have budgeted for buses,” she said. “Those have been ordered. They have been board approved a while back.”

The school used 10% of that money to purchase the R-Zero Cleaning systems for each school, and 5% went to foodservice supplies.

“We have had to buy more carts, and we have had to buy more supplies like individually wrapped items instead of the buffet-style we used to have pre-COVID,” said Tate.

The school received notification of a third round of ESSER money in March 2021 through the American Rescue Plan, and they have until September 2024 to spend it.

Tate said that allotment was the most federal grand dollars the district has received at $15 million. She said 20% of it has to be spent on learning loss, and the other 80% can be used on other allowable expenditures.

“Currently, we have only spent $17,000, so we have barely even made a dent,” she said.

The majority of that $17,000 went to co-curricular programs like Gifted and Talented, academic team, band, chorus, and those types of programs.

“They don’t have a lot of fundraising monies, and they don’t have a lot of support,” said Tate.

The rest of the money can be spent on school facility repairs and improvements to reduce the risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, along with student health needs. It can be used on inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve indoor air quality in school facilities.

Other allowable expenditures include anything needed to maintain the operation of and continuity of services and continuing to employ existing staff.

Tate said there is a lot of misinformation about how the ESSER money can be spent and the guidelines schools need to follow to receive the money.

She said there is a myth on social media that says school districts will only get the ESSER money if they require masks.

“It is not true,” said Tate. “There have been school districts in Kentucky that have not worn masks and they are still receiving the money.”

As for how the money is spent, she said all the school districts, including Hopkins County, have to submit a project report to the Kentucky Department of Education, and they either approve it or not. As long as the project fits the ESSER purpose of preventing, preparing for, and responding to COVID, then the projects will get approved.

“We can’t spend any of this money without approval from the state,” she said. “There has to be justification that supports the reason why you are using these monies to make a purchase.”

A lot of the projects that fall under ESSER funding tend to be reimbursements, so they will go ahead and start the project, then just get reimbursed for it. There is a federal guideline that says any purchase over $5,000 has to be approved before the purchase.

The school buses are an example of that, and because air-conditioned buses help with improving air quality, it falls under ESSER funding.

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Kids at rest (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)

While New Yorkers have been battling the COVID-19 pandemic, another public health epidemic is on the horizon that similarly affects their capacity to breathe freely: asthma. In 2019, over 1.4 million New Yorkers were living with asthma, and this number has likely grown since then. Over 40% of Americans live in places with unhealthy air quality — and people of color are over three times more likely to be exposed to polluted air than their white counterparts. Even short-term exposure to air pollution is linked to asthma and other respiratory conditions.

Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children and a leading cause of school absenteeism. People suffering from asthma must reconcile its physical, financial, and emotional costs on a daily basis.

While New York has already taken action toward curbing asthma, including establishing stocking guidelines so asthma medications like albuterol can be accessed in public spaces and schools, these guidelines are not codified into law and are challenging to enforce. Other efforts that mandate guidelines to improve health metrics can often be counter-productive to their intended efforts, and set up under-resourced communities for failure in reducing asthma rates by basing metrics for success against communities’ capacities and access to resources.

We must take action to combat this public health and environmental justice crisis and mitigate air pollution at the source. New polling from Data for Progress shows that U.S. voters agree — they are demanding that action be taken to combat air pollution. Among likely voters, almost all Democrats (86%), almost two-thirds of independents (65%), and nearly half of Republicans (43%) support stricter limits on air pollution. Black voters are particularly concerned about air pollution, with 85% of likely Black voters in favor of increasing environmental regulations to mitigate air pollution. That’s not to mention that by reducing air pollution – specifically particulate matter – and greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. could avoid 11,000 premature deaths and 1,600 asthma-related emergency room visits.

But New York can do much more to be a leader in mitigating asthma and air pollution, like expanding and electrifying public and private transit, through new biking infrastructure and expanding electric vehicle incentives. We can bolster asthma care for children by expanding our  asthma-medication stocking in schools and subsidizing asthma-related healthcare costs so that medical care is affordable. And state government can ensure the voices of impacted communities are heard by establishing an advisory body to increase minority representation in asthma-mitigation efforts and funding its recommended actions.

In New York City, Senator Myrie (a co-author of this piece) has proposed legislation to reduce household pollutants by limiting the use of bug bombs in multi-unit buildings. Bug bombs — proven ineffective in fighting pests — are a significant cause of indoor air pollution for New Yorkers and a threat to health and safety. Common sense legislation like this is a vital first step toward combating air pollution and making New York communities healthier and safer. Let’s urge our state legislators to pass this bill.

We must take action to combat this public health and environmental justice crisis and mitigate air pollution at the source. Reducing exposure to air pollutants, improving access to healthcare and asthma-safe conditions, and empowering children, parents, and educators with better asthma management techniques to mitigate asthma and other respiratory issues offer a long-overdue start. Comprehensive, targeted asthma reduction and mitigation policies can help improve public health, reduce climate change, and advance environmental justice.

In a country where your ZIP code can be more predictive of your health than your genetic code, it’s lawmakers’ duty to enact the policies that make clean air a right for all and not just a privilege for the few.  

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State Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie is a Democrat representing the 20th Senate District, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville, Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Park Slope and Sunset Park. Julia Jeanty is the Policy Manager at Data for Progress, where she oversees Data for Progress’s policy portfolio — developing original policy analysis and representing DFP’s work in policy working groups and beyond. On Twitter @SenatorMyrie & @Julia_Jeanty.

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the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program

WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
February 24, 2022

The asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program, which is jointly run by Allergy Standards Limited (ASL) and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is pleased to be participating in the 2022 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting that is taking place in Phoenix, Arizona February 25 – 28.

The Certification Program’s presence at #AAAAI2022 will be focused on two different aspects:

• Two executive team members, Kenneth Mendez, the CEO & President of AAFA and Dr. John McKeon, the CEO of ASL will be in attendance to engage in meetings, learn about the new research developments, present updates on their organization’s goals, priorities, and key initiatives for 2022, and seek opportunities to collaborate with other leading organizations with a shared purpose of supporting the asthma and allergy community.
• The Certification Program’s client Rabbit Air will be exhibiting at the event, and they will be showcasing two of their air purifiers, the A3 and the MinusA2, which have both passed strict testing standards to achieve the CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® mark.

With the theme of this year’s AAAAI annual meeting focused on the challenges of controlling asthma symptoms, the Certification Program aligns perfectly as the organization’s mission is focused on helping individuals to avoid the triggers of asthma by encouraging the use of CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® products. The overarching objective of the Certification Program’s participation in AAAAI 2022 is to contribute the Program’s knowledge, insights, and strong purpose of both reducing the burden of disease for people with asthma and allergies and creating a healthier indoor air environment.

For press materials, interviews with executive team members, high-resolution photography for the Certification Program, and more information about our CERTIFIED client partners, please contact Sarajane Sparks, PR/Marketing for the Certification Program.

About the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program

The asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program is a unique, groundbreaking collaboration between the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and Allergy Standards Limited. This program helps people make informed purchases for a #healthierhome. We test household products against strict standards. If products pass our tests, they earn the CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® mark. Certified products include air cleaners, bedding, cleaning products, flooring, paints, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and more. Visit aafa.org/certified for more information.

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This is an open letter to all those who might be afraid of getting their first mammogram. So, I want to be upfront with you now; I won’t be graphic in my description. However, if this topic doesn’t interest you, I invite you to go grab a snack and find out which places in the Lansing area are serving up some excellent paczki for Fat Tuesday.

I’m Scared of Getting a Mammogram

Okay, if you’re still with me, I’m glad to have you here!

I feel like subjects like these aren’t often discussed. It’s just one of those things we accept as being something we have to do one day. Inevitable.

But I wanted to openly talk about it because I feel like since it’s something everyone with breasts has to do at some point in their life, it should be talked about normally. It’s a normal thing we all have to do one day, and if my openness can help anyone else who might be feeling scared to feel less so, that would just be the best.

Also, it just so happened that “one day” for me was this week, and boy howdy, was I scared.

When Should You Get Your First Mammogram?

The American Cancer Society says that women ages 40 to 45 should get a mammogram if they wish, and says women should be getting annual mammograms starting at age 45.

I’m only 31 years old. But due to my family history (my mom and other family members), my doctors recommended early screening.

Does Getting a Mammogram Hurt?

*trigger warning: medical pain, trauma*

Without getting into too much detail, I was pretty traumatized in the past by a procedure that a doctor warned me would “only feel like a small pinch”…I have multiple tattoos and piercings, I’ve been poked, and prodded before. But that, was no. small. pinch. I didn’t just scream, I wailed and nearly passed out.

So because of that, I was pretty scared of getting my first mammogram. I was scared of how much pain it would be and if it was truly going to be like everyone had been telling me; slightly painful because of pressure, but nothing bad at all.

I asked friends and family I trusted, and I read up on what the procedure would be like from The Mayo Clinic and the American Cancer Society, but I still was left with some anxiety.

What Should I Expect During My Mammogram?

After it was all said and done; yes, it was slightly painful, but not nearly pain like the other procedure I mentioned. The first one was a 9, bordering on 10. For a mammogram, I’d say it was about a 2-3 out of 10, and only during the part of the procedure when your breast is actually getting compressed.

The whole mammogram process only took about 10, maybe 15 minutes. During which, your breast is only being compressed for a few seconds at a time. There is quite a bit of pressure for those moments during compression, but nothing that I would describe as being unbearable.

After everything was said and done, I think I was sore for maybe 20 to 30 minutes afterward, but nothing serious. I drove myself home and my seat belt didn’t bother me at all. Plus I treated myself to a Target run after because I did such a good job (what can I say, no one gave me a sucker or a sticker…). Screened for cancer and bought a cute sweater on sale? I call that a win-win.

So if you are feeling like I was, scared of getting your first mammogram, I hope this letter has helped ease your worries a bit. And just know that I’m rooting for you!

KEEP READING: See 25 natural ways to boost your immune system

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Employees and advocates protest mold issue and “sick courthouse” outside of the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse in Springfield Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 15, 2021. (Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen / The Republican)

SPRINGFIELD — The state Trial Court has concluded repairs estimated at $91 million — not replacement — is the best solution to environmental and health hazards at the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse that serves Hampden County.

In part, that’s because replacing the 45-year-old building would be a years-long process that would include selection and acquisition of a new site as well as design and construction.

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