Vermont adjusts school masking guidance
A view of the mountains around Woodstock, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
One month into the new school year, Vermont on Tuesday announced a change to its public health advice on masking in schools.
Originally, the state asked schools to keep universal masking policies in place until early October, at which point they could remove the requirement if 80% of a school’s students ages 12 and over were vaccinated against COVID-19.
However, the state is now recommending that schools delay implementing that 80% threshold and continue universal masking until Nov. 1. In explaining the change, Gov. Phil Scott also shared some news about the effort to vaccinate children under age 12.
“Again, this will give us more time to watch this Delta wave, and fortunately, Pfizer has submitted initial data for kids 5-11 to the FDA this morning, and expects to formally request its emergency use authorization for that age group very soon,” Scott said at a Tuesday press conference. “As we’ve discussed, this will be a game-changer for kids, parents and schools and help limit disruptions caused by the virus.”
All school boards in the state, except in Canaan, have voted to follow the state’s public health advisory for schools which includes the masking recommendation.
Once the FDA approves the vaccine for children ages 5-11, the governor said the state will quickly deploy pop-up sites and school-based sites to provide those doses.
In the coming weeks, the state will expand COVID-19 testing programs in schools, and they’re still working on the details and exact protocols, as Education Secretary Dan French explained during his Tuesday remarks. The state’s public health recommendations for winter sports will be released in October.
More grants unveiled to boost economy
Applications are open for another round of grants meant to strengthen Vermont’s economy and fuel the long-term recovery effort.
On Monday, more than $10,580,000 became available through the Capital Investment Grant Program, overseen by the Vermont Department of Economic Development. The funding, included in legislation passed earlier this year, is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The grants are intended for transformational projects that create opportunities to retain existing businesses, attract more businesses, create jobs and strengthen communities by encouraging capital investments and economic growth, according to the announcement.
“We realize the number of potential projects that exist for the use of this funding may be larger than what we have available. We want to work with communities prior to receiving formal applications so that any additional information required for consideration can be identified in a collaborative manner,” said Joan Goldstein, the state’s economic development commissioner, in a statement. “We hope these grants and the projects they fund will benefit Vermont and Vermonters for years to come.”
The application process will have two stages, due to the complexity of the program guidelines. Find more information on the program’s web page.
The Notice of Funding Opportunity is now available for review, and the program will offer grants of up to $1,500,000 to for-profits and nonprofits across Vermont.
— Gareth Henderson
