Disgustingly, the State of Texas is using police state power to threaten and endanger the lives and welfare of trans kids and their families. For a state that regularly uses violence against children by way of the police in their own neighborhoods, at the border, and in schools, it is the height of hypocrisy that they are defining gender affirming care as "child abuse" as a cover to direct actual violence against parents who dare to support their trans kids. The state is also threatening all those who work with kids, demanding that they report to the state any child receiving gender affirming care, or those providing it.
Trans kids need to be protected.
All doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, teachers, and childcare providers need to publicly assert that they will never comply with these anti-trans, anti-child, anti-humanity dictates. There is an ethical imperative to not contribute to the violence toward trans youth.
We will never comply with such hateful, harmful, authoritarian demands from the state.
First day of school for local kids (not at Abrome)
Today tens of thousands of students in Central Texas will be returning to school, joining the scores of thousands who returned to school yesterday.
While there is palpable excitement for many students who want to be around large groups of peers again, many other students feel like hostages, knowing full well that they are entering into buildings where their safety is not being taken seriously. This latter group understand that bringing large amounts of people together indoors for hours at a time greatly increases the risk of spread, even with masks. They understand that because their school populations are majority unvaccinated that the risk is amplified, and that some of them, their peers, or the teachers and staff are going to get seriously ill or die. They understand that people who get infected are going to bring the disease home to their families and their local neighborhoods. Yet they have been told they have no choice—schools will not push back the reopening dates, schools will not go remote, many schools won’t even enforce masking requirements. They are told that they must risk their safety and the safety of their community because the schooling machine requires their participation to operate. Some of them will recognize that they do not have participate. Some teachers and staff members will realize the same.
Solidarity to all the students, teachers, and staff who refuse to participate in indoor schooling at this time.
Should we celebrate mask mandates in school? Yes and no.
In Texas the current debate about school reopenings revolves almost entirely around one issue—whether to mandate mask wearing or not. The problem with this hyperfocus on mask mandates is that it allows schools to remain sites of infection during this delta wave of the pandemic even if the side who is concerned about the spread of disease wins out over the side who is unconcerned about it. Masking is a necessary intervention, so yes we should celebrate mask mandates in schools. But it is only one of multiple interventions that can reduce the spread of disease, and it is not the most effective, particularly now.
The most effective intervention is to stay home during periods of uncontrolled spread. For schools, that means shutting down all in-person operations. But none of the school districts in the state or political parties in Texas seem to be considering not reopening covid infection sites for their majority unvaccinated populations.
Other interventions that are as important as masks include ventilation and vaccines.
Ventilation: if one must (and schooling is not a must) come together during periods of uncontrolled spread then a must includes excellent ventilation—quickly filtering inside air or replacing inside air with outside air. The minimum standard should be six air changes per hour, which most schools are incapable of achieving. So the best ventilation option is to go outdoors once spread is not wildly out of control. But, because spread is wildly out of control schools shouldn’t even be reopening now.
Vaccines: vaccines greatly reduce the chances of serious illness or death relative to being unvaccinated, and they also significantly shorten the infectious period for breakthrough infections. The chances of serious illness or death from Covid-19 are magnitudes of order greater than the chances of vaccine injury, and the negative outcomes of Covid-19 dwarf the negative outcomes of vaccine injury. Everyone should get vaccinated if they can as it will help protect them and ultimately help protect everyone around them. But, because spread is wildly out of control schools shouldn’t even be reopening now, especially since almost every K-12 school in Texas has a majority unvaccinated population.
So celebrate mask mandates in school, yes, but demand that schools shut down in-person learning during this delta wave of the pandemic. And if the schools refuse to close, then parents should refuse to send their kids to school, students should refuse to show up to school, and teachers and staff should refuse to show up for work. Public health requires collective action. Mask mandates are not sufficient in this moment.
There are better alternatives for schools. Educators and decisions makers are encouraged to read and copy our plan at http://www.abrome.com/covid-19
Illustration by Rose Wong published in the NYT, adapted from Ian M. Mackay and James T. Reason.
Day 110 of AY20-21: stumbling into learning
March 28th was Day 110 of the pandacademic year, and it was the final day of our first week of cycle 8. We had a good week up to that point, although Learners being out due to quarantines and the fixation on seeking out destinations that we could spend money on food instead of engaging in social justice oriented activities was frustrating. But those struggles were outweighed by the positives of being together in the city again, with plenty of sun and good weather, lots of walking, and a some really great conversations.
The day was supposed to be a biking day for some, but the Learners who were going to bring bikes forgot to bring them, so Facilitator Ariel threw his bike in Antonio’s vehicle and we went into the morning meeting. A Learner and Facilitator Ariel both threw out prompts for the morning meeting. For the first prompt we each described a fruit without saying what its name was, while the rest of us tried to guess what it was. The fruits were green apple, grape, banana, tomato, and honeydew. What was really great about that prompt/game was that each of us successfully guessed one of the fruits.
Because it was Friday we went into our Check-in and Change-up meetings after the morning meeting. Three folks raised a total of six awarenesses in the Check-in, and during the Change-up we selected five that we wanted to focus on for the coming week. We keep the number of awarenesses that we put on the Community Awareness Board limited to five so that we can keep each one top of mind as we work toward shifting our culture, because if we had too many awarenesses we would become overwhelmed. The awarenesses included people ruminating on food/treats; dehydration; mindfulness about ourselves, nature, and the environment; taking into account the needs of others; and making assumptions about what others know. For each of the five awarenesses we came up with two or three practices that we would try out for a week to see if we could address the awarenesses we raised.
After the morning meeting we set off. We agreed to hit some food places on our way to the little green spot next to a pond that we found the day prior. I agreed to stop at a food truck so a younger Learner could get some Thai ice cream while the rest of the crew went to a corner store (coffee) and a fast food place (milkshake). When I got to the food truck with the younger Learner we found that it was closed, and according to the sign they would be closed for an hour. The Learner took it in stride and asked to go to a food truck that sold gelato, but we found that closed, as well. The Learner really wanted ice cream so I looked for nearby places that sold ice cream and we finally found one on South Lamar, but it was a 15 minute walk and uphill. He said that he wanted to do that, so I checked in with the others and asked them if it was okay to meet them at the park after we went to the ice cream shop. They said that would be fine, and we trekked to the shop.
When we arrived at the shop we took our time going through the options and debating how many scoops and toppings would feel good. As he was deciding I was surprised to see the rest of the crew come on scene. They set up in a sally port next to the shop, and began to eat lunch or snacks. When the ice cream was delivered I broke out my lunch to eat. Then we all began talking about a wide variety of topics, and we made time to take a bunch of pictures in front of the two murals painted on each side of the sally port.
Once the pictures were taken and everyone’s stomachs were filled we decided to make our way to our destination, but in looking at the map we thought we would see if we could find our way across a small stream and train tracks into the greenbelt so that we could avoid the sound and exhaust of cars during our walk. We were thrilled that no fences were in our way as we carefully walked across the place where the water flows and then across the place where the trains roll. We checked to make sure that no trains were coming and took a quick shot of the crew on the tracks. It could have been an album cover it was so good.
After crossing over the tracks we made our way down into the greenbelt where we followed a variety of trails that led us to West Bouldin Creek. Along our walk we saw a tree that had split and fallen but got caught up by branches to form perpendicular angles. The most amazing thing about the tree was that it was still alive, and the branches of the tree were budding. We guessed that it was a quite recent break, and most likely happened during the deep freeze that Austin experienced in mid-February. The weight of the ice that coated the trees brought down many trees in the area. It was a beautiful area that we walked through, and it would be worth coming back to in the future.
Also in the greenbelt we stumbled upon some tents. One of the Learners wanted to walk toward the tents to see what was happening, but Facilitator Ariel talked to the Learners about the importance of not making a lot of noise and steering clear of the tents for purposes of privacy for the people who were living there. That led to a discussion of public and private spaces, and the different expectations we might hold for others relative to ourselves. When Facilitator Ariel asked if the Learner would feel comfortable if someone was walking through their home looking in their rooms or making a lot of noise the Learner conceded that he would not feel comfortable.
When we finally got to the park we settled in, content in being full and having had had a nice walk through a beautiful green space hidden within the city. Some of the Learners spent time down by the water playing on the edge, watching the turtles scurry away, and watching the ducks float by. One of the Learners took off his shoes and walked in far enough for the water to go halfway up his shins. When he came back out of the water to hang with the rest of the crew we noticed something attached to his leg. It was a leech! Super cool for all, gross for some.
There was some time on the hammock, three of us broke out books to read (two Facilitators and a Learner), and a Learner and I threw the football around. Sadly, due to a lack of communication and poor setup the ball ended up in the lake, and slowly drifted away. In many places along the water there was growth that was deep enough and thick enough to prevent the ball from coming to shore while also preventing us from being able to go in and get it. We thought it was a lost cause.
I then followed a Learner back to the top of a hill that was created to provide a beautiful view of the area. Yesterday we found a large stone map of Texas on there, with a collection of cities or towns and their distance from Austin. On this day, I looked up the population of each of the towns, and then pointed out which larger cities and towns were omitted from the map. While we were up there we watched as a Learner worked the football out of the lake so that we could play with it some more in the future. It was an excellent recovery that allowed us to leave the first week of cycle eight on a high note.
At the other cell there was also a Check-in and Change-up, discussions about what to do when we come into contact with people who do not honor our boundaries, some walking, soccer playing, drone flying, and head-banging to metal music. Also ducks.
Reopening Texas is homicidal
Yesterday I was talking to some Abrome Learners when one of them mentioned that Texas Governor Greg Abbott was about to make an announcement of some sort. I immediately thought to myself, “bad news.” Not because I knew the content of what he was going to say, but because he has consistently used high profile, public announcements to score political points in ways that usually harm those with the least political and economic power. I then jumped on a call with some remote Learners, and by the time I got off I had gotten the notification that Abbott was lifting the statewide mask mandate, and later learned that all businesses would be able to operate at 100% capacity beginning next Wednesday. This was not bad news, this was terrible news.
Ever since the beginning of this pandacademic we have watched in abject disappointment at the absence of leadership and the abuse and misuse of power by so-called leaders in this nation from the local to the federal; public, private, and non-profit. Time and again the people who have had the most influence and power have opted for the easier wrong instead of the harder right. This is not a slam on Republicans only, because Democrats are guilty as well. In the United States, the opportunity to rally the base to come out to vote is more important than making decisions that make everyone better off. In the United States, the financial health of corporations is more important than human lives. In the United States, being ‘reasonable ‘means kowtowing to irate and irrational demands that put everyone at risk, while standing firm in defense of those who are most vulnerable is deemed ‘radical.’
At Abrome, we chose to put the welfare of the community first. Not just the Abrome community (although, sadly, that alone would make us an outlier among educational institutions) but also the broader Central Texas community because we understand that all of our lives are interconnected. In a pandemic, each additional infection has the potential to lead to a superspreader event or a mutation that can impact thousands, tens of thousands, even millions of lives down the line—particularly in highly overdispersed diseases such as Covid-19. Last March we extended spring break so that we could further evaluate the situation, and then chose to stay remote post-spring break. On April 1st, with no hope that the pandemic would come under control by the end of the academic year, we closed indefinitely.
Over the coming months we pored over as much research and guidance as we could to figure out if it was possible to bring Learners and Facilitators together in September 2020 while preventing the spread of the disease and being in solidarity with those who are most vulnerable to the pandemic. By June it was largely understood that this was a disease that spread through droplets (and most likely aerosols), and that the best way to minimize the risk of spread (other than staying at home) was to go outdoors, wear a mask when near others, and never congregate in large numbers. That informed our pandemic reopening plan that had us meeting wholly outdoors, only in physically distant small groups, and always masked up when near each other. The only exception to this was at the highest levels of community spread, when we would stay remote.
Our approach should have been copied by every school in the country, yet it was copied by virtually none. Instead, schools (that were being bullied by politicians, parents, and businesses) mostly chose to focus on coming back together again inside classrooms. They could not decouple the notion of schooling from the schoolhouse, so they engaged in pandemic theater: doing temperature checks at the front door, putting electrical tape on the floor to guide traffic, repeatedly disinfecting surfaces, and setting up plexiglass barriers. Schools with stronger teachers unions were able to stay remote despite the bullying that was coming at them. But as the pandemic wore on, the will to hold firm began to gave way. After New Year’s, during the worst stage of the pandemic, almost every school in Central Texas was operating in-person or in a hybrid fashion, against the explicit recommendations of public health officials. In fact, other than Abrome, the only school that I know of that continues to refuse to reopen their facility is the other Self-Directed Education community in Austin, Clearview Sudbury School. Maybe there is something about Self-Directed Education that centers … community.
Despite the insufficient efforts of schools to support students, teachers, and staff, and prevent the unnecessary spread of the disease, and in spite of the many attempts to waive off the risk of the pandemic by politicians, at least Texas did the bare minimum with a mask mandate and capacity constraints. Yes, I know that some states did even less, so technically not the bare minimum. Let’s say it is the bare minimum if one acknowledges that Covid-19 is more dangerous than the seasonal flu. And even though the mask mandate was effectively optional in much of the state, and that the capacity constraints had ridiculously high triggers, at least it gave those ‘leaders’ who were too afraid to insist on the most basic safety practices on their own an excuse to do so with the backing of the state. Sadly, the governor also prohibited local jurisdictions from demanding higher levels of safety practices, so even the bare minimum was not necessarily a net positive as it prevented many higher density local governments from doing more than the bare minimum. But at least there was a floor. Until yesterday afternoon.
By any rational standard, “opening the state 100%” is foolish, premature, dangerous, and homicidal. Just because infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are all decreasing does not mean that the pandemic is over. In fact, cases have plateaued. Just because vaccination rates continue to rise does not mean that the pandemic is over. We are nowhere near herd immunity. And new variants of the virus such as B.1.1.7. are much more infectious and seemingly more deadly. Schools across the state were already needlessly bringing millions of students and hundreds of thousands of teachers and staff together indoors for hours a day. Now we get to add restaurants and bars to the mix. Unmasked.
But what would we expect from a state that left their residents to freeze to death during the worst winter storm in a generation? What would we expect from a governor that threatens to defund any city that dares to “defund the police” (i.e., reallocate resources from policing to services that actually help people)? To be disappointed with Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement to lift the statewide mask mandate and to permit businesses to operate at 100% capacity would have required us to have at least a sliver of faith that he would not eagerly endanger the lives of Texans for political gain.
Our nation refuses to own up to the most harmful aspects of its history, and it eagerly pushes forward without any unifying ethical belief system. We cannot depend on the institutions of society to take care of the people of society, or to shape a healthier society. We must continue to choose the harder right instead the easier wrong. If we do not, who will? We need to prioritize community over convenience, and people over profits. At Abrome, we will continue to wear masks. We will continue to stay outdoors. We encourage every school and business to do the same.
——
cover image: World Travel & Tourism Council, Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas (26279225765), CC BY 2.0