Area schools temporarily close – vaccine mandate struck down

This last week has been a busy week for covid news. First, several area schools have had to temporarily close down due to staff shortages and disinfecting their facilities. Second, the supreme court ruled on a couple of cases, only one that will affect Cass County at this time.

Atlanta ISD issued this release on social media on January 12, “After carefully reviewing our recent COVID-19 isolation and quarantine data, Atlanta ISD will be closing all schools from Thursday, January 13 through Monday, January 17. Students will return on Tuesday, January 18. We will take this time to thoroughly clean all classrooms and student areas. Great care and research went into this decision and we regret the hardships this will cause, but we believe it to be the right step to take for our students, staff, and community.”

Linden Issued a similar release with a memo from Superintendent Kerry Winters, that read, “Out of an abundance of caution and to support the ongoing goal of containing the spread of COVID-19, LKCISD will be closed upon completion of the ACE program today and will remain closed for the rest of this week. We will resume regular hours on Tuesday, January 18th, 2022. We do not make this decision lightly and fully recognize it presents significant challenges to some families in the district…”

McLeod ISD on January 11 let parents and the community also know that would “be closed for the remainder of the week. We will return to school on Tuesday, January 18th. Monday is a regularly scheduled school holiday. This closure will allow our students and staff to remain at home and hopefully prevent the spread of the virus. This strand of COVID is proving to be very contagious. Hopefully, a little separation will slow the spread.”

Hughes Springs announced that they were closing from Thursday, January 13 through Tuesday, January 18.

Queen City ISD on the contrary decided to stay open, issuing their release on January 13, which said, “At this time, Queen City ISD plans to remain open for the remainder of the week. Please know that providing a quality education while ensuring the health and safety of our entire QCISD family is our top priority, and we are closely monitoring the current Covid numbers within the district. The Administration at QCISD has full confidence in the ability of our parents to make health care decisions for their families. The district will continue to provide the safest environment possible for our students and serve our community to the best of our ability as we navigate this difficult time.”

Bloomburg and Avinger have also yet to make any announcements of school closures due to COVID.

This week there was national news that will directly affect workers in Cass County. The Supreme Court ruled to block the Biden administration’s occupational vaccine mandate that would have required businesses with over 100 employees to mandate vaccinations or weekly covid testings/masks.

In the Court’s ruling, it was noted that “The Secretary of Labor, acting through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, recently enacted a vaccine mandate for much of the Nation’s workforce. The mandate, which employers must enforce, applies to roughly 84 million workers, covering virtually all employers with at least 100 employees. It requires that covered workers receive a COVID–19 vaccine, and it pre-empts contrary state laws. The only exception is for workers who obtain a medical test each week at their own expense and on their own time and also wear a mask each workday. OSHA has never before imposed such a mandate. Nor has Congress. Indeed, although Congress has enacted significant legislation addressing the COVID–19 pandemic, it has declined to enact

“Many States, businesses, and nonprofit organizations challenged OSHA’s rule in Courts of Appeals across the country. The Fifth Circuit initially entered a stay. But when the cases were consolidated before the Sixth Circuit, that court lifted the stay and allowed OSHA’s rule to take effect. Applicants now seek emergency relief from this Court, arguing that OSHA’s mandate exceeds its statutory authority and is otherwise unlawful. Agreeing that applicants are likely to prevail, we grant their applications and stay the rule.”

Later the court notes that “Although Congress has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly,” the court wrote in an unsigned opinion with a vote of 6-3.

President Biden in response to the ruling said, “The Court has ruled that my administration cannot use the authority granted to it by Congress to require this measure, but that does not stop me from using my voice as President to advocate for employers to do the right thing to protect Americans’ health and economy.”

Several business lobbying groups were thankful for the Court’s ruling. The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade organization and one of the groups that challenged the OSHA action, called the court’s decision a significant victory for employers.’ It complained that OSHA acted without first allowing public comments, although administration officials met with many business and labor groups before issuing the rule,” reports ABC News.

In a separate ruling the U.S. Supreme Court today allowed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services vaccine mandate to go into effect.

On the CMS website, they noted that they are “committed to ensuring America’s healthcare facilities respond effectively in an evidence-based way to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency (PHE). On November 05, 2021, CMS published an interim final rule with a comment period (IFC). This rule establishes requirements regarding COVID-19 vaccine immunization of staff among Medicare- and Medicaid-certified providers and suppliers. CMS is providing guidance and survey procedures for assessing and maintaining compliance with these regulatory requirements. The guidance in this memorandum does not apply to the following states at this time: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. Surveyors in these states should not undertake any efforts to implement or enforce the IFC.”

The current case county for Cass County is as follows: Confirmed Cases - 3,561; Probable Cases - 1,834; and Fatalities – 165.