The NAACP is warning Black people to stay away from the Sunshine State. CNN reports the historic advocacy group released a statement issuing a travel advisory in response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ deliberate attempt to erase African American history and DEI initiatives in schools.
“Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals,” the NAACP said. “Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.” The NAACP, long an advocate for Black Americans, joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the Sunshine State, where tourism is one of the state’s largest job sectors. The advisory has been in the works for months as the Hillsborough County Chapter of the organization met with other NAACP members back in March and agreed to work with the national office on this advisory.
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson says DeSantis’ antics conflict with the ideals that the group was founded upon. “Let me be clear–failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to students and a dereliction of duty to all,” Johnson said. Since winning the governor seat, the controversial Republican politician has focused heavily on social issues. Last year, the state made headlines after DeSantis signed the “Stop WOKE Act” into legislation, putting restrictions on how race and gender are discussed in classrooms, NBC News reported.
Under his administration, several areas of “concern” have been removal including Black Queer Studies, Movement for Black Lives, Black Feminist Literary Thought, The Reparations Movement and Black Struggle in the 21st Century. Books by Bell Hooks, Angela Davis and other Black authors have also been banned.
John and Carol Zippert interview Dr. James D. Anderson at the Democrat office
Exclusive Interview with the Greene County Democrat
By: John Zippert, Dr. Carol P. Zippert and Dr. Monty Thornburg
Dr. James D. Anderson visited his hometown of Eutaw, Alabama on Friday, May 5, 2023, just before presenting the commencement address at his alma mater, Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the next day. The Co-Publishers of the Greene County Democrat and an associate had the honor of interviewing this native son of Greene County on his life and important intellectual view of the changes in Black education in the South over his life time. Anderson attended Carver School in Eutaw, from 1950 to his graduation in 1962. At that time, the school had grades 1 to 12 and was a segregated school for Black students. “ We had great and dedicated Black teachers, who were genuinely concerned about their students. There was no social promotion and many students were failed and had to repeat grades until they mastered the subjects.” Anderson lived on Kentuck, a neighborhood north of the Eutaw City Hall. “My mother worked as a cook for the Wilkes Banks family. We lived in a small shack out behind the Banks’ house.
Until my junior year in high school, I walked to school, with my brothers, about two miles. It was an adventure and we learned along the way. But you could not be late because the principal locked the school door at the start of the school day. We did get school buses, like the white children already had, in 1960.” Anderson recounted a story that speaks to his growing up in poverty in Greene County. “My mother was very upset, this was when I was in high school, when Wilkes Banks told her that her son had a future after school as his ‘yardman’, taking care of mowing his grass. My mother had greater expectations for me and did not want me to aspire as a servant for white people.”
Stillman College
He was a good student and graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1962. Anderson had not made any college applications because he did not have funds to attend college. Herman Hughes, his math teacher at Carver, who was a graduate of Stillman, went to speak with the Dean of Stillman and arranged a full scholarship for him to attend. “As I was preparing to make my graduation speech at Carver, Mr. Hughes and the principal called me aside and into the office. I was fearful that they were going to tell me that I could not graduate but instead they explained that I had been awarded a full scholarship to attend Stillman. This was the start of my academic career,” said Anderson.
Mr. Hughes was part of the family of Judge and Alverta Hughes of Mantua community of Greene County. Hughes went on from teaching math in Greene County to get a Ph.D. in Computer Science and became a Professor at Michigan State University. Anderson later reconnected with Hughes, when both served on the Stillman College Board of Trustees. He said that Hughes was a great inspiration to him as a math teacher and peaked his interested in majoring in math at college. There is a fountain on the Thomas Gilmore Courthouse Square honoring Ms. Alverta Hughes for her contributions to Greene County.Anderson attended Stillman College during the turbulent 1960’s. “ I was among the Stillman students that joined Rev. T. Y. Rogers, civil rights campaign in Tuscaloosa. Rogers was the pastor of First African Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa and a close colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. I was with Rogers on ‘Bloody Tuesday’ when police and deputized white citizens attacked peaceful marchers trying to hold the city to its promise not to have segregated water fountains and restroom facilities in a newly constructed Federal courthouse. ‘Bloody Tuesday’ in Tuscaloosa is often compared with ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Selma as milestones in the civil rights movement in Alabama. Anderson graduated from Stillman College in 1966. He switched majors from mathematics to sociology. He went on to graduate school in social studies at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. In 1967, he graduated with a teaching certificate and went to teach social studies in Chicago.” I was in a bookstore in Chicago) and purchased a book on the history of Black education. It raised more questions for me than gave answers. I went back to a fellowship at the University of Illinois, to study and answer my questions about the history of Black education. I found my passion. I stumbled into the field where I have made a lifetime contribution.”
Educational Leader and Scholar
Dr. James D. Anderson is the Edward William and Jane Marr Gutsell Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus of the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His scholarly career has focused mainly on the history of American education with a specialization in the History of African American education.
His book, ‘The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935’, won the American Education Research Association (AERA) outstanding book award in 1990. The AERA is the largest academic research organization in the nation. Anderson has also authored hundreds of articles in educational journals about the issues of Black education from Reconstruction to the present day. Anderson has served as an expert witness in a series of federal desegregation and affirmative education cases, including Jenkins vs Missouri, Knight vs Alabama, Ayers vs Mississippi, Gratz vs Bollinger and Grutter vs Bollinger. He has also served as an advisor to documentaries and PBS television programs on the history of education and African American schools over the past twenty years. At the interview, Anderson observed, “My book on Black education has already been banned in Florida by the actions of Governor Ron Desantis and the Florida State Legislature. This is part of an effort by some states to take our nation backwards and to remove the truth about Black history and Black education from our schools and colleges.” In October of 2014, Dr. James D. Anderson delivered the AERA’s Brown Lecture, an annual commemoration of the Supreme Court’s historic 1954 school desegregation decision. In his lecture, Anderson speaks to the equivalence in work toward equality in education with work toward voting rights in our nation. He suggests that the periods of greatest educational equality were matched with the greatest periods of voting rights and progress for democracy. He cites the progress during the Reconstruction period, after Emancipation until the turn of the century, when Black people championed public education for all people. This was also a period when Black people were able to vote and did vote, especially in the South, where there were large numbers of Black people. When Reconstruction ended and southern states adopted Jim Crow legislation limiting the Black vote and imposing school segregation, democracy and social change were stifled and reversed. Anderson specifically laments the failure to adopt the first versions of the 14th amendment which would have guaranteed a right to vote for all men. “We do not have a Constitutional right to vote, which has made it once again possible to weaken and destroy the Voting Rights Act of 1965, by the Supreme Court in the Shelby vs Holder decision and voter suppression legislation in many states. In many areas, the local politicians are discouraging voters by telling us that our vote doesn’t count or will not be counted. We have to go back to door-to-door organizing to educate and mobilize Black people to vote in every election,” said Anderson.
As the interview ended, so Dr. Anderson could meet with relatives still living in Eutaw, he said that, “The Black teachers that I had at Carver, were truly dedicated and interested in the students. We need more Black teachers in our schools. Some young people go through their whole K to 12 educational experience, without seeing a single Black teacher. We need to change this.
The Greene County Board of Education held it regular monthly meeting, Monday, May 15, 2023, with all board members present. Superintendent Dr. Corey Jones began his report to the board with the Positive News of each school. He noted that across the district, all principals are engaged in leadership professional development focusing on instructional practices. He reported that all Spring State Assessments have been completed. Relating to Greene County High School, Dr. Jones stated the it has been recognized as a Chapter Member of the Alabama Junior Academy of Science by Samford University. Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships, participate in competitions and attend the science camps sponsored by Samford University.
In collaboration with CDC, the Youth Advisory Committee Team at GCHS will host the Minding Your Mental Fair on Wednesday, May 24 from 5-7 pm. GCHS 9th and 10th graders enjoyed an evening of fun at the Sneakers Ball on April 15. The high school prom was held April 21 with the theme: Golden Dreams. At College and Career Decision Day, held May 1, seniors shared their plans after high school.
On May 10, five scholars from Greene County Career Center graduated in Welding from Wallace Community College Selma. They are 11th grade students who received their Associate Degrees in Welding before graduating high school.
Dr. Christopher Crawford, a graduate of Greene County High School, works with scholars to build physiological computing applications. Dr. Crawford is conducting a study designed to help software developers understand ways to create future educational applications.
Positive News from Robert Brown Middle School highlighted the Creative Girls Rock, with girls grades 5-8, participating in the end of year brunch and activities on June3, 2023. The Young Teens Asthma Wellness Virtual Camp is designed to help students recognize the triggers, discuss feelings and understand the basics of asthma. Participants will receive camp gear for healthy eating and monitoring exercises. On May 11, the after school tutorial program visited the Georgia aquarium.
Eutaw Primary School held Honors Day for various classes: Kindergarten, May 15; First Grade, May 16; Second Grade, May 17; Third Grade, May 18. Pre-K end of year celebration is scheduled for May 19.
The board approved the following personnel items recommended by the superintendent.
Employment of the following teachers for Summer School June 5 – 30, 2023. Greene County High School: Veronica Moore, Tameshia Porter, Angela Harkness – Special Services, Drenda Morton – Assistant, Brittany Jenkins, Janice Jeames-Askew – After Completion of Contract, Clifford Reynolds. Robert Brown Middle School: Vanessa Bryant, Raven Bryant, Felecia Smith, Demetris Lyles, Quentin Walton, Tyletha Lord, Valencia Moore-Miller – Paraprofessional/Aide, Denise Horton – Paraprofessional/Aide, Mary Hobson – Special Services Aide, Pinkie Travis – Aide, Eutaw Primary School: LaShaun Henley, Gwendolyn Webb – Paraprofessional/Aide, Kaleigha Jemison, Pamela Pasteur, Gloria McGhee, Keisha Williams, Montoya Binion, Charlease Smith, Carla Durrett. Child Nutrition Program: Burnia Cripin, Sandy Wilson, Romanda Askew, Jacqueline Pickens, Rosie Davis. Non- renewal: Tracy Hinton, Biology Teacher, Greene County High School; Alanda McEwen, Counselor, Robert Brown Middle School. Resignation: Ralph Marshall, History Teacher, Greene County High School.
Brenda Lawrence will serve as school nurse for the Greene County schools summer Learning Program, June, 2023.
The board approved the following administrative items recommended by the superintendent.
* Bank reconciliations as submitted by Ms. Marquita Lennon, CSFO.
* Payment of all bills, claims, and payroll.
* FY 2023 Budget Amendments
* Approval for Shamyra Jones to travel to the JAG National Training Seminar, July 10 -14, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky.
* Approval of Barbara Martin to Attend 2023 Model School Conference, Orlando Florida June 25 – 28, 2023.
* Approval of Agreement between Greene County Board of Education and Kim Herren, for Provision of Developmental Delayed Services for 2023-2024 School Term.
* Contract between Cooks Pest Control and Greene County Board, for Termite Treatment at Greene County High School.
* Approval of four-day work week for all extended employees beginning June 5, 2023, and ending July 18, 2023.
* Memorandum of Understanding between Greene County Schools and Skilled Trades of West Alabama Apprenticeship Programs.
* Approval of McKee and Associates Architects, INC. Repairs for Robert Brown Middle School Press Box.
Approval of Contract Between Greene County Board and H&H Educational Services, LLC.
CSFO, Marquita Lennon, gave the following financial snapshot report ending April 30, 2023.
The combined General Fund Reserve total 5.05M; Cash Reserve totaled 2.86M; (All bank accounts have been reconciled); General Fund Bank balance – $3,427,655.81; Accounts Payable Check register – $286,934.04; Payroll Register – $933,558.23; Combined Ending fund Balance – $6,101,091.19. Local revenue: Property Taxes – $60,694; Sales Taxes – $133,729; Other Taxes – $3,971; Bingo – $55,839; total Local revenue – $254,233. The board also approved FY 2023 Budget Amendments from categories including ESSER II, ESSER III, CNP, UAB COVID Grant, and Cyber Security.
Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, D. C.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel has acknowledged what many have known for some time: Black taxpayers face an IRS audit exponentially more than other groups. Werfel acknowledged the disparity in a letter this week in which he responded to a request for information about the “apparent racial disparity” in selecting tax returns for audit, along with a plan to address the issue. “Let me start by stressing that the IRS is committed to enforcing tax laws in a fair and impartial manner,” Werfel said in the letter addressed to the U.S. Senate. “When evidence of unfair treatment is presented, we must take immediate action to address it. It is also important to reiterate that we do not and will not consider race as part of our case selection and audit processes.” He continued: “Nevertheless, a recent study estimated, using imputed race values, that Black taxpayers are audited at three to five times the rate of non-Black taxpayers. “The research further suggests that most of this disparity is driven by differences in correspondence audit rates among taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). “We are deeply concerned by these findings and committed to doing the work to understand and address any disparate impact of the actions we take.” Werfel noted that as soon as Congress confirmed his appointment, he met with an IRS team that had already studied the issue of race discrimination in audits. He noted that the research has continued as authorities try to pinpoint what drives the disparity and how to fix the issue. Researchers discovered that Black taxpayers are five times more likely to face an audit when filing federal returns than any other race. When President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS received $80 billion, which the agency pledged to use to determine a better system to eliminate such discrimination. “Back in March, my colleagues and I raised alarms with the new IRS boss about Black taxpayers being over-audited, and today he confirmed our suspicions,” tweeted Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.). “The IRS is making strides, but extra audits of Black Americans are disgraceful and must end.” Werfel promised that the IRS would accelerate an existing research effort to detect and ensure compliance among “ghost preparers,” individuals who are paid to prepare returns for others but do not identify themselves to the IRS. “Initial evidence confirms that unscrupulous and ghost preparers disproportionately prepare returns in minority communities,” Werfel noted. “We are making broad efforts to advance our commitment to fair and equitable tax administration and evaluating the best ways to address bias within our audit program.”
Research has long shown that Black people live sicker lives and die younger than white people. Now a new study, published Tuesday in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) casts the nation’s racial inequities in stark relief, finding that the higher mortality rate among Black Americans resulted in 1.63 million excess deaths relative to white Americans over more than two decades. Because so many Black people die young — with many years of life ahead of them — their higher mortality rate from 1999 to 2020 resulted in a cumulative loss of more than 80 million years of life compared with the white population, the study showed. Although the nation made progress in closing the gap between white and Black mortality rates from 1999 to 2011, that advance stalled from 2011 to 2019. In 2020, the enormous number of deaths from Covid-19 — which hit Black Americans particularly hard — erased two decades of progress. Authors of the study describe it as a call to action to improve the health of Black Americans, whose early deaths are fueled by higher rates of heart disease, cancer, and infant mortality. “The study is hugely important for about 1.63 million reasons,” said Herman Taylor, an author of the study and director of the cardiovascular research institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine. “Real lives are being lost. Real families are missing parents and grandparents,” Taylor said. “Babies and their mothers are dying. We have been screaming this message for decades.” High mortality rates among Black people have less to do with genetics than with the country’s long history of discrimination, which has undermined educational, housing, and job opportunities for generations of Black people, said Clyde Yancy, an author of the study and chief of cardiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Black neighborhoods that were redlined in the 1930s — designated too “high risk” for mortgages and other investments — remain poorer and sicker today, Yancy said. Formerly redlined ZIP codes also had higher rates of Covid infection and death. “It’s very clear that we have an uneven distribution of health,” Yancy said. “We’re talking about the freedom to be healthy.” A companion study estimates that racial and ethnic inequities cost the U.S. at least $421 billion in 2018, based on medical expenses, lost productivity, and premature death. In 2021, non-Hispanic white Americans had a life expectancy at birth of 76 years, while non-Hispanic Black Americans could expect to live only to 71. Much of that disparity is explained by the fact that non-Hispanic Black newborns are 2½ times as likely to die before their first birthdays as non-Hispanic whites. Non-Hispanic Black mothers are more than 3 times as likely as non-Hispanic white mothers to die from a pregnancy-related complication. (Hispanic people can be of any race or combination of races.)
Racial disparities in health are so entrenched that even education and wealth don’t fully erase them, said Tonia Branche, a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellow at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago who was not involved in the JAMA study. Black women with a college degree are more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women without a high school diploma. Although researchers can’t fully explain this disparity, Branche said it’s possible that stress, including from systemic racism, takes a greater toll on the health of Black mothers than previously recognized. Death creates ripples of grief throughout communities. Research has found that every death leaves an average of nine people in mourning. Black people shoulder a great burden of grief, which can undermine their mental and physical health, said Khaliah Johnson, chief of pediatric palliative care at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Given the high mortality rates throughout the life span, Black people are more likely than white people to be grieving the death of a close family member at any point in their lives. “We as Black people all have some legacy of unjust, unwarranted loss and death that compounds with each new loss,” said Johnson, who was not involved with the new study. “It affects not only how we move through the world, but how we live in relationship with others and how we endure future losses.” Johnson’s parents lost two sons — one who died a few days after birth and another who died as a toddler. In an essay published last year, Johnson recalled, “My parents asked themselves on numerous occasions, ‘Would the outcomes for our sons have been different, might they have received different care and lived, had they not been Black?’” Johnson said she hopes the new study gives people greater understanding of all that’s lost when Black people die prematurely. “When we lose these lives young, when we lose that potential, that has an impact on all of society,” she said. And in the Black community, “our pain is real and deep and profound, and it deserves attention and validation,” Johnson said. “It often feels like people just pass it over, telling you to stop complaining. But the expectation can’t be that we just endure these things and bounce back.”
KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
SPECIAL TO THE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE FROM BLACKMANSTREET.TODAY
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – President Joe Biden has named Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Quinton Brown Jr., a Black Airforce fighter pilot as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff. He will succeed American General Mark Milley, according to multiple reports. General Milley is scheduled to retire in October. If confirmed by the Senate, Brown would become the first Air Force general to hold the position since Gen. Richard Myers stepped down in 2005—and only the fifth airman in the 73-year history of the job. Brown, an F-16 fighter pilot, would bring nearly four decades of military service to the nation’s top military job, including stints as a Pacific and Middle East commander. He is also the second Black service member to serve as Chairman, following Army General Colin Powell, who served as chairman from 1989 to 1993. After he was commissioned in 1984, Brown served as an instructor at and later still was the commander of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. He then led fighter pilots in South Korea and Italy before taking on key positions in major commands at the heart of U.S. national security. In 2014, Brown was the director of operations for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration for U.S. Air Forces in Europe, shortly after Russia invaded Crimea; from 2015 to 2016, he commanded U.S. Air Forces Central as the U.S. and its allies conducted an air campaign against the Islamic State group; and from 2018 to 2020, he led Pacific Air Forces just as the U.S. shifted its strategic focus from countert errorism in the Middle East to deter China in the Pacific. Omar Nelson Bradley was the first Joint Staff chairman from 1949 to 1953. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Brown will face both social and strategic challenges, as the military not only strives to stay ahead of China but also struggles to attract new talent. Though the chairman has no operational command authority over the armed forces, Brown would be the top military adviser to President Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Brown is a native Texan. He earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, in 1984. The Joint Chiefs of Staff consist of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corp, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and the Chief of Space Op
As of May 10, 2023 at 10:00 AM
(According to Alabama Political Reporter)
Alabama had 1,659,936 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
(1,297) more than last report, with 21,138 deaths, 1 more
than last report.
Greene County had 2,351 confirmed cases, 3 more cases than last report, with 54 deaths
Sumter Co. had 3,226 cases with 55 deaths
Hale Co. had 5,793 cases with 110 deaths
Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; including the new bivalent booster for Omicron variants.
Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142;
ages 5 and up.
The Greene County Commission met in regular session Monday, May 8, 2023. All Commissioners were present. At the Commission’s work session on May 3, Commissioner Allen Turner raised an interest in the county authorizing Sunday alcohol sales. Turner raised questions on the process – would the County have to present its request to the State Legislative Representatives, and would such a proposed bill have time to be advertised before the current session ended. Subsequently, State Representative Curtis Travis was invited to attend the Commission’s meeting on May 8. Rep. Travis stated that since Greene County is a “wet” county, the County Commission could authorize Sunday alcohol sales at prescribed times. He noted that the Commission should develop a resolution to that effect.
According to Mayor Latasha Johnson, the City of Eutaw has authorized Sunday alcohol sales, but currently that does not extend throughout the county.
The Commission approved a request by Probate Judge Rolonda Wedgeworth to secure a new contract for computer services in her office. In her initial request presented at the Commission’s work session on May 3, Judge Wedgeworth stated that her office was in dire need of an updated computer system. She noted that due to the inadequacies of the current vendor, her office is out of compliance with the State. “We are in a situation where we have to develop our own forms which is a set back to our work. Our current vendor will not respond to requests for assistance,” she said. As per her request, the Commission approved Ingenuity, Inc., business and technology services, as the new vendor at a cost of $28,000.
The Commission approved three members for the Board of Equalization: Mrs. Alfretta Crawford, Mrs. Loydleetta Wabbington, and Mr. John Vester.
Other items approved by the Commission are as follows:
* Repair Jury Building on old courthouse square at cost not to exceed $35,000.
* Engineer’s request to fill position of Shop Foreman.
* Engineer’s request for right-of-way acquisition for bridge replacement on County Rd. 220 for the sum of $20, 500.
Engineer’s request to move one driver from Highway Department to Solid Waste Dept.
Engineers’s request to adjust salaries of four employees in Solid Waste Department.
* Travel request for Assistant Engineer on June 7 and June 13-14, 2023.
* Replacing back doors at Eutaw Activity Center.
Sheriff’s request to replace commercial dishwasher at county jail.
The Commission tabled the following items.
* Request from the Water Authority Board.
Consideration of Sunday alcohol sales in the County.
The commission approved the financial report and the payment of claims for April 2023 as presented by CFO Macaroy Underwood. In his report Underwood noted the following: Accounts payable – $309,692.59; Payroll Transfer – $274,299.19; Fiduciary – $69,124.45; Total $653,116.23; Electronic Claims – $85,183.29. Bank totals at end of April: Citizen Trust – unrestricted $2,928,224.96, restricted $5,181,617.91; Merchants & Farmers – unrestricted $3,170,801.50, restricted $1,544,523.24; Total investments – unrestricted $877,979,73, restricted $881,522.99.
School Board selects company to replace HVAC system at RBMS
The Greene County Board of Education met in a special call meeting Monday, May 8, 2023, to consider and act on the superintendent’s proposal regarding selection of a company to replace the HVAC system at Robert Brown Middle School. All board members were present. Over the course of this school year, the board has heard various presentations from several companies regarding their plans, timelines and costs for removing the existing HVAC system and installing a new one. The most recent presentations were given at a work session held Friday, April 21, 2023. The board approved the recommendation of Superintendent Dr. Corey Jones to engage Whorton Engineering, Inc. to design and manage the HVAC replacement project at RBMS. Total estimate for the HVAC replacement project is proposed at $2,544,301, which includes a 10% contingency. The gymnasium at RBMS is not included in this estimate, but the superintendent stated that he will bring that to the board as an added project. Financial support for the HVAC Project at RBMS is secured through the ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) – CARES ACT which is the Coronavirus Aid Relief & Economic Security Act, resources. As indicated in various financial reports at school local board meetings, there is approximately $2.6 million available from ESSER II and ESSER III funds which can support the HVAC Project. As per the American Rescue Plan requirements: “Permissible minor remodeling may include, but not limited to, the installation or renovation of an HBVAC system to help with air filtration to prevent the spread of COVID 19.” The RBMS HVAC project, which satisfies the American Rescue Plan requirements, will include the following components: The old system, installed in the 1970’s, will be removed; the new HVAC system will greatly improve the indoor air quality and comfort within the building. Each classroom will be able to control its own indoor temperatures. The system will include an independent fresh air system that will properly heat and cool the outside air before it enters the space. There will be controls for dehumidification equipment to deter growth and introduction of mold and mildew. Fresh air will be filtered with MERV 13 filters; The system will include recirculation and filtration of the air already inside the facility. The new equipment will have the ability to hear and cool at any time. At the board’s recent work session, it was indicated that an effect of this new system is a 40% utility bill savings for that plant. Most of the equipment can be purchased through Sourcewell, the State Department’s Cooperative Purchasing Program. According to Dr. Jones, the project will begin immediately and progress as equipment arrives. He noted that the company has indicated that some equipment is already on hand. Dr. Jones affirmed that the arrangement with Whorton Engineering was the best approach for replacing the HVAC system at RMBS. “Through Whorton Engineering, Inc. we get the best costs for the services needed and, thus, we can still allocate most of the system $1.4 million PSCA Funds (Public School & College Authority) for other needed facility improvements, including new roof and flooring at Eutaw Primary School and replacing the field house, concession stand and fencing at RBMS.
The federally declared public health emergency for COVID-19 will expire on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at a time when case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 are significantly lower than during surges of the virus. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) will continue to provide COVID-19 testing and vaccines for uninsured/underinsured at the local county health departments after the public health emergency ends. For the past three years, the Alabama Department of Public Heath (ADPH) has had access to a large amount of COVID-19 data, some of which had been required to be submitted to the federal government. As these requirements transition, COVID-19 will continue to be reportable in Alabama, but some data will no longer be available. The current COVID-19 dashboards will be modified to use the available data and to better align with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The current Alabama COVID-19 dashboards will update for a final time this week and be available for archive purposes for an unspecified amount of time. “Although the COVID-19 pandemic is entering a new phase, the disease is still causing suffering and death in Alabama,” State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said. “ADPH is committed to monitoring the effects of this virus in Alabama and will continue to provide data that is accurate and actionable.” Moving forward, ADPH will continue to publish hospital admission data and COVID-19 death data which will be updated, but its reporting frequency will change. Variant surveillance and demographic case data will be available at http://www.cdc.gov. Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines Recommended In the coming months, many programs that were free may revert to insurance or personal payment for services.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that the federal Public Health Emergency declared under the Public Health Service Act for COVID-19 will end on May 11, 2023. Government-purchased COVID-19 therapeutics will remain available through existing channels until they become available on the commercial market. The ADPH reminds the public that bivalent COVID-19 vaccinations which offer protection against the omicron variants and the original COVID-19 strain are still available. The CDC has simplified COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Among the recommendations are that adults ages 65 and older and immunocompromised adults are allowed to receive a second dose of the updated vaccine. CDC recommends children ages 6 and older and adults receive an updated bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of whether they previously completed their (monovalent) primary series. Alternatives to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines remain available for people who cannot or will not receive an mRNA vaccine. CDC’s recommendations for use of (monovalent) Novavax or Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccines were not affected by the changes made. The federal supply of COVID-19 vaccine will be available at no charge until the current supply is exhausted. After this supply of COVID-19 vaccine has been depleted, vaccine will be sold commercially. People with public or private insurance will continue to be able to access authorized COVID-19 vaccines. For the uninsured, the federal government has announced it will fund a program to keep COVID-19 vaccines free after the vaccines move to the private market. A new partnership will cover the administrative costs of giving doses of vaccines at pharmacy chains and county health departments to uninsured people. The end of the public health emergency also means there will be changes in the availability of free COVID-19 tests. At-home tests will likely become more costly, although some insurance plans will still cover the tests with a copayment. People covered by Medicaid will be able to access free at-home tests through September 2024.
