Dear Ward 8 Residents,

Last week, the DC Council held a public hearing on Re-Opening DC Public Schools (DCPS) amid the public health pandemic. 

We heard testimony from parents, educators, and healthcare workers about their position on DCPS's plan for re-opening. Many felt it was too soon to send children back into the classroom. 

Currently, 79 DCPS schools are offering in-person programming to approximately 1,000 students in over 140 CARE Classrooms.

DCPS Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee testified that "approximately 4,000 students have accepted a seat offer for Term 3. DCPS is prepared to welcome 15,000 students in-person in Term 3 while maintaining the virtual option for families that prefer it.

Term 3 is scheduled to begin on February 1st. Each school will offer a range of in-person learning options and services for students. This includes In-Person Learning (IPL), classrooms with teachers, CARE Classrooms or tutoring services with staff facilitators, and self-contained classrooms for special education students."

I think DCPS has a lot more boxes to check before schools re-open. There have been more deaths in the last 45 days than any other time in the US. We must take all the science and data into consideration because there are lives at stake. 

For more information about re-opening DCPS please click here to sign up for the townhall meeting on January 27th. 

Regards,



Trayon White, Sr.

Join Chancellor Ferebee and DCPS leadership as they discuss the DCPS Term 3 Reopening on Wednesday, January 27th at 5:00PM. 

Teletownhall dial-in details below:

Dial-in: 844-881-1314

*No Passcode Required*

The next phase of our #Ready2Play master plan is about to begin! This week, we're launching a series of virtual meetings that will focus on individual wards, and DPR's long-term plans for services, operations, and amenities in those communities.

This is your opportunity to focus on particular recreation centers and parks in your ward that you want to see prioritized for capital improvements and/or new programming. 

PUBLIC ROUNDTABLE • HEALTH

Health Public Oversight Roundtable

DATE

Friday, January 29, 2021 
10:00 am 
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LOCATION

Virtual Meeting Platform  
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, DC, 20004

The Committee on Health will hold a Public Oversight Roundtable on the following Legislation:

• “THE DISTRICT’S COVID-19 VACCINATION PROCESS”

D.C. Health’s new model for COVID-19 vaccine distribution will make a larger population eligible for doses, as D.C. becomes one of the most efficient U.S. territories to inoculate its residents. 

D.C. Wards 5, 7, and 8 have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and consist largely of predominantly Black neighborhoods. As of Jan. 15, Ward 8 had 162 deaths, reaching the highest death count in the District. Ward 7 has had 128 deaths due to COVID-19, and in Ward 5, 144 deaths. Black Washingtonians, who make up about 45 percent of the D.C. population, have constituted approximately 75 percent of COVID-19 deaths. The second highest number of deaths has consisted of Hispanic and Latinx individuals, who make up over 11 percent of the population, with 13 percent of D.C. fatalities. 

Despite disproportionate death rates in D.C., vaccine distribution has thus far favored Wards with fewer deaths. D.C. Health released data showing that Wards 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 have had the fewest COVID-19 vaccine appointments since Jan. 11, while 2,465 residents in Ward 3 got appointments to get a dose of the vaccine. Comparatively, only 197 people in Ward 7 and 364 in Ward 5 received appointments.