Florida schools defy DeSantis order to keep virus stats under wraps

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida school districts are defying Gov. Ron DeSantis and publicly reporting new Covid-19 cases among students and staff that the state government considers confidential.

The state Department of Health has tried to directly quash reporting on the virus in some instances, after DeSantis said K-12 testing data “needs to be put in the right context.”

With no statewide standard, local leaders are left to decide on their own how and when to report Covid-19 cases in their districts. The result is a mix of differing daily and weekly reports and digital dashboards at school districts across Florida, with some counties not reporting any data to the general public.

In Bay County, for instance, school officials are aiming to produce three coronavirus reports a week. The district initially held off reporting anything to parents and the community as it watched the Department of Health’s response to counties that had built online dashboards to track the virus.

“We don’t want to get into any trouble, but we think transparency is the best way to go,” Bay County Superintendent Bill Husfelt said in an interview.

In a message to his school district, Husfelt noted that the Department of Health had asked some districts to take down their Covid-19 dashboards. In northeast Florida, Flagler County said the state forbid its local health department to release coronavirus data tied to schools. The DeSantis administration delivered a similar message to other counties, leading the state’s largest teachers union to blast the Republican governor in ads airing in Orlando and Tampa.

The state and local showdown over coronavirus messaging is the latest example of how state health officials have aided in the Republican governor’s plan to keep schools open during the pandemic. The state health department was “notably absent” when local school boards sought advice for closing classrooms during the pandemic, essentially forcing them to reopen, a circuit court judge wrote in an Aug. 24 ruling.

DeSantis and the Florida Education Association, a teachers union, have tangled in court over the state’s hardline school reopening policy. About 1.6 million students have returned to school for in person classes, while some 1.4 million students are beginning the year online, according to the state.

Flagler Health Department spokesperson Gretchen Smith declined to comment on the report it had been blocked from releasing information on new cases. Smith said she was contacted by Department of Health attorneys after the Flagler Live, a local news source, published its report on Friday and was instructed not to speak on the subject.

Flagler will begin releasing weekly data on Covid-19 cases in schools, Smith said.

Schools in Florida are using a variety of ways to share information about local Covid-19 cases and contract tracing, sending message blasts and mass calls to parents. But in many cases, school districts are not releasing the data to the broader public.

The Department of Health provides school officials with Information on positive cases, but that data is considered confidential, said Alberto Moscoso, the agency’s director of communications.

“Schools, superintendents or school districts are advised that the Department has provided confidential information only to them under the statute and rule,” Moscoso wrote, pointing to state law on epidemiological reports and research.

Florida has no coronavirus report dedicated solely to schools, but the Department of Health inadvertently released a draft report last month that was quickly recalled. A schools Covid-19 report that Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees promised on Aug. 31 has yet to be published.

When asked about the report, DeSantis said the state should release more comprehensive data from schools, including whether cases stemmed from symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers. Case data collected in the state’s daily Covid-19 reports are broken down by age, the Republican governor said.

“These cases get spun as if they’re clinically significant,” DeSantis said at an Aug. 31 education event. “Could you imagine if we carpet-bombed every school, K through 12, for flu tests?”

Since Aug. 17, when many schools resumed in-person classes, those daily virus reports showed a nearly 17 percent jump in cases among children aged 5 through 14, and a 14 percent increase for children 4 and younger.

Since mid-August, there have been 3,877 new cases among children ages 5 through 14, for a total of 23,033 cases reported Wednesday by the Department of Health. The state has reported 11,025 cases in children 4 and younger, an increase of 1,382 since Aug. 17.

Hospitalizations rose slightly in both categories. For the 5- to 14-year-old age group, there have been 34 new hospitalizations, for a total of 230 during the pandemic. Among younger children, an additional 34 hospitalizations were reported, for a total of 254, according to the Department of Health.

The state data doesn’t track school quarantines or closures connected to the virus. School districts that do report quarantines show hundreds of students have been sent home for 14 days due to possibly being exposed to Covid-19.

Pasco County has reported 36 student Covid-19 cases and 11 staff cases, which have sent 797 students and 77 employees into quarantine since the start of the school year.

In St. Johns County, 156 students tied to 12 positive coronavirus cases entered quarantine between Aug. 30 and Sept. 4.

School case data should be released, said Pamela Marsh, president of Florida's First Amendment Foundation.

The statute referenced by the Department of Health has nothing to do with releasing general public health data, Marsh said in an email. The agency is using the rule to confuse school leadership and withhold critical information, she said.

“This is just another political maneuver to make the situation seem better than it is,” Marsh wrote. “Transparency is the only way our leaders will survive this with any trust from the public at all.”

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California: Fraud likely driving suspicious spike in unemployment claims

SACRAMENTO — California's unemployment agency acknowledged Thursday that a sharp spike in continued Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims — which more than doubled in just two weeks, according to new federal data — appears to be related to a spate of fraud plaguing the department.

"We certainly have legitimate PUA claims in California, but we do suspect that a big part of the unusual recent rise in PUA claims is linked to fraud," said Employment Development Department spokesperson Loree Levy.

A Thursday U.S. Department of Labor report shows that California had paid out nearly 7 million such claims the week ending Aug. 22 through a federal program for self-employed and contract workers — a 29 percent jump from the previous week and an increase of 127 percent from two weeks prior, a highly unusual surge months into the pandemic.

Levy said the department was taking "aggressive actions" to thwart fraud and was working with local and federal law enforcement authorities to expose offenders. The department announced in a news release Thursday that it was no longer automatically backdating PUA claims or sending multiple payments to the same address.

"These perpetrators are often using stolen identity information from national and global data breaches, as well as exploiting expedited payment efforts in the federal PUA program," the release said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he was aware of the likelihood of fraudulent claims and that the state was investigating them. He also said the problem "is not unique to the state of California. In fact, we've seen it in many other states over the course of the last few months." He added that California was relying on other states' investigatory efforts to inform its own.

The state agency, which has been under intense scrutiny for its lengthy backlog, busy phone lines and spotty customer service, is now drawing fire from lawmakers for its growing fraud problem — and measures to stop it. Some say the agency's new precautions, such as closing claims that "match suspicious patterns," could make it even harder for their constituents to receive benefits, especially if they've been targeted by fraudsters.

"I’m just wondering how many people who have legitimate claims are going to get stuck in that kind of wall," said Assemblymember Jim Patterson (R-Fresno), in a video news conference.

Patterson said it appeared the agency was putting its inability to detect fake claims "back on the shoulders of the unemployed — and putting them through a computer system that is outdated and putting them through a phone system where most of the time, nobody answers the phone." He described EDD as "a stodgy, old-fashioned organization that is ripe for waste, fraud and abuse."

Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) said he found the numbers worrisome, especially when combined with "too many variations of questionable activities" he is hearing from constituents and friends. "I think the skyrocketing numbers suggest something very troubling is occurring," Chiu said. "It’s been difficult as policymakers to know what’s happening in the black box that is EDD."

The unusual spike in new and ongoing PUA claims comes amid reports of multiple envelopes being delivered to the wrong addresses and other suspicious activity that the department is investigating.

One Sacramento resident told POLITICO he went to withdraw funds this week only to learn that the Bank of America account containing his UI benefits had been emptied — withdrawn in another city using a PIN for a debit card that, he said, was sitting on his dresser. He shared screenshots of the receipts.

"I looked at my balance and it said I had 66 cents," said Joshua Blackman, who lost his restaurant industry job in April. "It said I withdrew $650 two days prior. I was thinking to myself, `I don’t have that money.'"

Blackman said he filed a fraud claim with Bank of America and later left a detailed message on an EDD voicemail about what had happened, but that his funds have yet to be restored. "The whole process has been really sickening," he said.

Levy said late Wednesday that the department had checked with Bank of America, which manages the benefits payments and debit cards, after learning of the report. "There has not been a data breach of EDD’s system, nor has there been a breach of the bank’s system for EDD cards," Levy said, before asking to be put in touch with Blackman to learn more about what happened.

But Patterson said he, too, has heard from constituents that their benefit accounts were drained. He described at least one case in which a worker applied for benefits, and while waiting for an answer, "phony people were given real cash on real debit cards, and eventually, $14,900 was drained from one of my constituents' accounts."

"This is real and pervasive," Patterson said, "and the statement today is so weak and is so disturbing."

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Florida to reopen bars, pack restaurants after DeSantis claims Covid-19 under control

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and a top state official on Thursday cleared the way for bars to reopen and restaurants to begin packing in patrons again, even as some pockets of the state recorded recent spikes in positive Covid-19 test results.

Florida's top alcohol regulator said late Thursday he will allow bars to reopen statewide at 50 percent capacity starting on Monday. The move by Halsey Beshears, the secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, gives the industry a second chance at heeding safety precautions meant to protect the spread of the virus after an earlier attempt to ease restrictions fueled a resurgence of the virus in Florida.

In a statement, Beshears said he believes bars and breweries are now committed to health and safety standards amid the presence of the virus.

“It’s vital that we start moving forward with this sector of our hospitality industry who have endured one of the toughest paths for sustaining a business during this pandemic,” said.

The plan to reopen the bars was released just hours after DeSantis, a Republican who resisted early calls to shut down businesses in the spring, said he will allow restaurants to start packing dining rooms again. DeSantis told reporters at a restaurant roundtable discussion in Fort Myers that he will lift a 50 percent capacity limit on indoor dining “very soon.”

The decisions came as cities such as Tallahassee and Panama City reported an increase in positive Covid-19 tests since the Labor Day weekend. But DeSantis said a drop in emergency room visits shows the state is getting better at managing the pandemic.

“I think, sometimes, it’s overreacting to some of that stuff,” DeSantis said, adding of hospital visits: “Those are truly the key metrics.”

The statewide rate of new infections as of Wednesday was 5.54 percent, which is less than half the 12.24 percent seen in Leon County, where Tallahassee is located. Bay County, home to Panama City, also saw a 12.26 percent rate of new infections on Wednesday, a drop from the 22.99 percent recorded the day before, according to a state Department of Health report.

“Over the last however many couple weeks ... tens of thousands of people tested positive, and they haven't found one hospital admission yet,“ DeSantis said. "Sometimes you just got to put these cases in perspective."

DeSantis first closed bars statewide on March 17 as Covid-19 began to spread rapidly across South Florida. The rate of new virus infections eventually dropped by late April, prompting DeSantis to allow restaurant dining rooms to reopen under a capacity restriction in early May, and they were followed by bars in early June.

Beshears closed the bars in late June after the state began to see a resurgence of infections. Contract-tracing teams assembled by the Florida Department of Health determined people were catching the virus at a handful of bars that were ignoring capacity restrictions and social distancing standards.

At least 12,326 people in Florida have died from Covid-19 since March, and 654,731 have tested positive in the state, another DOH report shows.

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Poll: Most Americans now think anthem protests acceptable

A poll says that most people now view NFL anthem protests in a positive light

For years there has been a national debate about NFL players being allowed to peacefully protest during games. But in the wake of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a new poll has found that most Americans now see the value in players following in the steps of Colin Kaepernick.

READ MORE: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will not reveal team’s 2020 national anthem policy

Thursday, The Washington Post released that findings of a new poll which found that most Americans and the lion’s share of football fans, now feel, “it is acceptable for professional athletes to kneel during the national anthem, and an even larger percentage say athletes should use their platforms to tackle social issues.”

Colin Kaepernick is coming back to the virtual NFL via "Madden 21" https://t.co/LTlNT7WBld

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 10, 2020

Although conservative pundits and politicians continue to wax poetic about how athletes need to “stick to sports,” they are now seemingly a vocal minority with a whopping 62% of Americans now conceding that it does make sense for professional athletes to use their platforms to bring awareness to national issues.

Samson Ebukam #50 and Troy Hill #22 of the Los Angeles Rams kneel during the national anthem prior to a team scrimmage at SoFi Stadium on August 29, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

“Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!” President Trump tweeted in July in a series of posts about the subject.

But overall, 8 in 10 Black Americans and 7 in 10 adults under age 50 disagree with the president and are all for the intersection of professional sports and social advocacy.

READ MORE: Trump threatens to send law enforcement to polling places on Election Day

And in a huge shift from just a few NFL seasons ago, 59% now believe that kneeling during the national anthem is an appropriate form of peaceful protest against racial inequality, with 64% also believing athletes should be empowered to express their views on national issues in general.

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Skip Bayless doesn’t ‘have sympathy’ over Dak Prescott sharing depression struggles

Skip Bayless says as the Cowboys leader, Dak Prescott shouldn’t have revealed his personal struggles publicly

The NFL returns tonight and with it comes the first controversy of the season. Undisputed co-host Skip Bayless, an unabashed Dallas Cowboys fan despite his network affiliation, drew fire on social media after saying that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott shouldn’t have publicly revealed his struggle with depression.

Read More: Deshaun Watson is ready to speak out against racism in the NFL

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 29: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys on the field during warm ups before the game against the Washington Redskins at AT

“I have deep compassion for clinical depression but when it comes to an NFL team and you know this better than I do, it’s the ultimate leadership position in sports,” Bayless said to his co-host, former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe.

“You’re commanding a lot of young men and some older men and they’re all looking at you to be their CEO, be in charge of the football team. Because of all that, I don’t have sympathy for him going public.”

Bayless’ statements came the day that Prescott revealed that suicide was the cause of death of his 31-year-old brother, Jace, who passed away in April. Bayless says he’s not including that in his take because Prescott said that he was challenged by depression even before his brother died due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.

TV sports commentators Skip Bayless (L) and Shannon Sharpe attends the 2016 IAVA Heroes Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on November 10, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)

Bayless said that he, too struggled with depression this year, particularly as the pandemic laid waste to the normal sports season. He says he wasn’t sure that FS1, the network that airs Undisputed, would even survive.

But in the “dog-eat-dog” world of professional football, Bayless says, revealing any weakness makes you vulnerable on the field as other players will use it against you. After sharing that his own childhood had been tough, but he “worked through it” Bayless reiterated that he thought Prescott should have kept his struggles private.

“You can’t give into depression,” Bayless said. “You just have to rise above it.”

Sharpe provided a thoughtful comeback, declaring that athletes shouldn’t have to be stoic to the point of denying their humanity to maintain their ability to win.

“I understand that he plays quarterback, he’s the face of a franchise but take all of that away, he’s still human,” Sharpe said. “Sometimes people think because we play a sport, because he’s good at a sport, that we don’t have emotions, that we don’t have feelings, but he’s human.”

Sharpe added that it was important for men, especially Black men, to share and deal with their honest emotions in order to be better men and better teammates.

“There was a big stigma, and it’s starting to be lifted, especially as a Black man in America, in talking about mental illness. I think a lot of Black men deal with things [quietly] because they don’t want the shame, because they are going to be looked at as weak. I don’t look at it as being weak because I believe you can be weak and not be vulnerable and be vulnerable without being weak.”

Prescott said he’d been experiencing anxiety and depression even before his brother’s death. Although his brother didn’t talk about it, Dak says his brother was still in pain after their mother’s 2013 death from colon cancer.

Sad news today about Jace Prescott, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott's brother, who passed away Thursday at the age of 31.

Jace, along with Dak and their other brother Tad, starred in this Chunky commercial a few months ago. pic.twitter.com/Wmww9M6avU

— Joey Hayden (@_joeyhayden) April 24, 2020

He told Graham Bensinger that while he was away at school pursuing his dreams of being a professional athlete, Jace witnessed his mother’s suffering more than he or his oldest brother, Tad, did.

“You can’t even put into the words the burden,” Prescott said. “It’s something only Jace knew. And he didn’t necessarily share that. And Jace was never really much of a talker so when something like that was a huge burden on him, he didn’t know how to share it. He didn’t know how to be vulnerable about it.”

By sharing his own struggles and that of his brother’s, Prescott said that he’s come to realize that vulnerability is a strength.

Read More: NFL endzones to proclaim ‘End racism, it takes all of us’ for 2020-2021 season

“Our adversity, our struggles, what we go through is always going to be too much for ourselves and maybe too much for even one or two people, Prescott told Bensinger.

“But never too much for a community or never too much for the people and the family that you love. So we have to share those things.”

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