Schools are closed, but education continues with Chromebooks

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

All schools are closed in Washington State for at least another month, as part of a state-wide response to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s been over three weeks since students in the Marysville School District (MSD) have been in their classrooms and received formal education from their teachers.

While schools will remain closed for the foreseeable future, education must continue. That is why the dedicated staff and educators of MSD are doing their part to bring learning opportunities into the home of every MSD student household.

“Our main purpose is to make sure our students receive a Chromebook to continue their education even though they aren’t attending school right now,” explained MSD Superintendent Jason Thompson. “We also have an assortment of school supplies, hygiene kits and grade-level activity packets for kids to work on. It’s so important to make sure our kids are still learning every day.”

During the fourth week of March, the District held two drive-up, K-5 Chromebook checkouts for its elementary students. Because sixth graders on up to high school seniors were already assigned Chromebooks earlier in the school year, these drive-up style distributions were only for households with Kindergarten through fifth grade students. 

“These two distribution events took a lot of work to put together, but knowing our students will benefit immensely makes it all worth it,” said assistant superintendent Scott Beebe. “With these Chromebooks our students will now be able to video chat with their teachers and fellow students. It’s a big undertaking, but the results will be amazing.” 

Each Chromebook was individually inspected by tech-savvy personnel to ensure they were updated with the right software and programs to meet students’ needs for the new normal: distance-learning. 

On Thursday, March 26 the second Chromebook checkout occurred at the MSD’s Service Center. Originally slated to begin at 2:00 p.m., vehicles started to line-up much earlier with concerned parents who worried about a limited supply and wanted to make sure their student received a coveted Chromebook. As cars continued to show, the line got longer and longer. At one point the line of vehicles spanned multiple city blocks, running down both State and Cedar Streets.

From young Kindergartners to veteran 5th graders, many students were ecstatic to see their teachers and school staff as their parents drove them through the checkout process. In their excitement, several kids were witnessed unbuckling themselves and nearly climbing out their backseat window to wave and say hello to their favorite teacher. 

The majority of Tulalip K-12 students attend schools within Maryville School District. Tribal member parents and kids were among those who waited upwards of 90-minutes to checkout a Chromebook. They could also take advantage of the additional school supplies and in-demand hygiene kits being offered.

“We waited in line for a strong hour-and-a-half to get our boys a Chromebook,” said Carlos Ancheta. “Stores are low on supplies right now, so getting these basic essentials for school and hygiene will come in handy.”

Not every household has a home computer, setup for video chatting, and access to the internet or WIFI. During checkout if a parent submitted paperwork for their student saying they did not have internet access at home, then they received a Chromebook with built in cellular data provided by Sprint. By dispersing these specific Chromebooks to MSD students the opportunity gap normally created by lack of internet access has been filled.

“We’re really blessed to have a school district that cares so much about our kids,” shared Sheena Robinson after her two sons got their Chromebook and supplies. “We don’t have a computer or the internet at home, so this makes a world of difference for them. They’ll be able to get online for classes through Zoom, conferences with their teachers, and websites they can practice their reading and math. I’m looking forward to them getting back to learning.”

After completion of both drive-up checkouts, Marysville School District staff distributed over 1,000 Chromebooks to their elementary-aged families. Students also received an assortment of school supplies and hygiene kits to reduce the financial burden their families may be going through during this unprecedented school closure. Getting back to a daily routine of these cheerful kids continuing their education can provide a critical sense of stability in these uncertain times.

The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration

The programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was just passed by Congress are intended to assist business owners with whatever needs they have right now. When implemented, there will be many new resources available for small businesses, as well as certain non-profits and other employers. This guide provides information about the major programs and initiatives that will soon be available from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to address these needs, as well as some additional tax provisions that are outside the scope of SBA. 

To keep up to date on when these programs become available, please stay in contact with your local Small Business Administration (SBA) District Office, which you can locate here. 

  • Struggling to get started? The following questions might help point you in the right direction. Do you need: 
  • Capital to cover the cost of retaining employees? Then the Paycheck Protection Program might be right for you. 
  • A quick infusion of a smaller amount of cash to cover you right now? You might want to look into an Emergency Economic Injury Grant. 
  • To ease your fears about keeping up with payments on your current or potential SBA loan? The Small Business Debt Relief Program could help. 
  • Just some quality, free counseling to help you navigate this uncertain economic time? The resource partners might be your best bet. 

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans 

The program would provide cash-flow assistance through 100 percent federally guaranteed loans to employers who maintain their payroll during this emergency. If employers maintain their payroll, the loans would be forgiven, which would help workers remain employed, as well as help affected small businesses and our economy snap-back quicker after the crisis. PPP has a host of attractive features, such as forgiveness of up to 8 weeks of payroll based on employee retention and salary levels, no SBA fees, and at least six months of deferral with maximum deferrals of up to a year. Small businesses and other eligible entities will be able to apply if they were harmed by COVID-19 between February 15, 2020 and June 30, 2020. This program would be retroactive to February 15, 2020, in order to help bring workers who may have already been laid off back onto payrolls. Loans are available through June 30, 2020. 

Counseling & Training 

If you, like many small business owners, need a business counselor to help guide you through this uncertain time, you can turn to your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Women’s Business Center (WBC), or SCORE mentorship chapter. These resource partners, and the associations that represent them, will receive additional funds to expand their reach and better support small business owners with counseling and up-to-date information regarding COVID-19. There will soon be a joint platform that consolidates information and resources related to COVID-19 in order to provide consistent, timely information to small businesses. To find a local resource partner, visit https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/find/. 

In addition, the Minority Business Development Agency’s Business Centers (MBDCs), which cater to minority business enterprises of all sizes, will also receive funding to hire staff and provide programming to help their clients respond to COVID-19. Not every state has a MBDC. To find out if there is one that services your area, visit this site. 

Contracting 

If you are a government contractor, there are a number of ways that Congress has provided relief and protection for your business. Agencies will be able to modify terms and conditions of a contract and to reimburse contractors at a billing rate of up to 40 hours per week of any paid leave, including sick leave. The contractors eligible are those whose employees or subcontractors cannot perform work on site and cannot telework due to federal facilities closing because of COVID-19. 

If you need additional assistance, please reach out to your local Small Business Development Center, Women’s Business Center, SCORE chapter, or SBA District Office. You should also work with your agency’s contracting officer, as well as the agency’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU). 

Small Business Tax Provisions 

Employee Retention Credit for Employers Subject to Closure or Experiencing Economic Hardship 

This provision would provide a refundable payroll tax credit for 50 percent of wages paid by eligible employers to certain employees during the COVID-19 crisis. The credit is available to employers, including non-profits, whose operations have been fully or partially suspended as a result of a government order limiting commerce, travel or group meetings. The credit is also provided to employers who have experienced a greater than 50 percent reduction in quarterly receipts, measured on a year-over-year basis. 

Wages of employees who are furloughed or face reduced hours as a result of their employer’s closure or economic hardship are eligible for the credit. For employers with 100 or fewer full-time employees, all employee wages are eligible, regardless of whether an employee is furloughed. The credit is provided for wages and compensation, including health benefits, and is provided for the first $10,000 in wages and compensation paid by the employer to an eligible employee. Wages do not include those taken into account for purposes of the payroll credits for required paid sick leave or required paid family leave, nor for wages taken into account for the employer credit for paid family and medical leave (IRC sec. 45S). 

  • The credit is not available to employers receiving assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program. The credit is provided through December 31, 2020. 

Delay of Payment of Employer Payroll Taxes 

This provision would allow taxpayers to defer paying the employer portion of certain payroll taxes through the end of 2020, with all 2020 deferred amounts due in two equal installments, one at the end of 2021, the other at the end of 2022. Payroll taxes that can be deferred include the employer portion of FICA taxes, the employer and employee representative portion of Railroad Retirement taxes (that are attributable to the employer FICA rate), and half of SECA tax liability. 

  • Deferral is not provided to employers receiving assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program. 

Overcoming the “Quarantine Blues” How to keep productive while safely staying home

Three Native American teenagers at a library on laptop

By Jason Douglas

Most, if not all of us, are new to a government-imposed lockdown. Making the situation even harder, is the across-the-board unemployment that many Washington state citizens are experiencing, now.

The need for constructive methods for tackling this glaring side-effect of the Covid-19 virus outbreak is mounting, daily.

However, there is no reason to become overwhelmed, and give up. Many local resources are showing promise for all of us who are being negatively affected by quarantine.

While there are still opportunities for outdoor activities (while maintaining social distancing), a shift toward online education, as well as recreation, will be key, for staying socially-active and feeling healthy.

First, let’s go over some outdoor-related, stay-at-home activities:

Gardening/Home Maintenance

Spring is upon us, after all. Though gardening and planting anything new may be challenging, with the closure of retail hardware and garden stores. Do what you can! Even a simple lawn-mowing can make you feel more vital, weather-permitting.

Walking/Biking

Taking regular walks, or riding a bike, helps keep you feeling fit, and is still absolutely permissible, under current quarantine guidelines. Just remember the “6-foot rule”, when interacting with anyone else outside your family.

Our furry friends and family members, like the family dog, can be great motivators. Dog-walking is doubly good for shaking off those Wintertime blues.

While these outdoor activities fall under the normal category for this time of year, we are fortunate to still be able to participate in them.

Some of the indoor,online-oriented adaptations of our regular day-to-day include:

Online grocery-shopping and home grocery delivery

Tulalip Wal Mart offers their food selection online, anytime.  And their Grocery Delivery offers a convenient, scheduled drop-off for home delivery.

Fred Meyer delivers groceries to your door, as we, with a $9.95 delivery fee.

Amazon also offers grocery delivery. But you may need to confirm availability at checkout, due to overwhelming orders, and a need to prioritize medical supplies orders, etc…

Staying in touch with loved ones and friends, via Zoom, Marco Polo, Skype, FaceTime, etc.

It feels better to see the faces and hear the voices of those we love, even if they are in a different geographic location from us. Thankfully, all we need is an internet connection and computer, to remain social and support one another.

Most kids and teens are obviously going to be online gaming with xBox, PlayStation, and the like…..but there are also opportunities for combating boredom through:

Cartoonnetwork. Com

Pbskids.org

Lol.disney.com

Funbrain.com has games and reading materials for 1st thru 8th graders

Seek out local gyms and yoga studios who offer online exercise classes

Finally, on a more cultural level, there are many fulfilling Native activities, such as entertaining stories and historical info to read at www.hibulbculturalcenter.org. 

Although the Tulalip Lushootseed Department is closed until March 31, you can visit their website: www.tulaliplushootseed.com or Facebook at Lushootseed Language for Lushootseed materials.  

For the tactile approach to interacting with Tulalip traditions, perhaps sewing and beading while working on tribal regalia will help keep an important component of humanity and hope.

These are strange new times, with new challenges, for us all to overcome.  Thankfully, we also live in times where for better or worse, we ARE a more global community. With this comes a feeling of togetherness, which can be a powerful weapon, even when we aren’t arm-in-arm, but rather connected via devices.

And don’t forget to get fresh air, every once in awhile!