Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught
Because of Covid-19, school will look different this year, and so will transportation. The Arkansas Department of Education’s transportation directors are taking the utmost measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 on buses. These measures include regularly disinfecting the buses and implementing requirements for students to wear masks and socially distance while riding the bus.
But there are other actions we can all take this school year to help ensure the safety of our students. “Flashing Red, Kids Ahead” is an effort led by the Arkansas Department of Education to remind people to be mindful of student safety when approaching school buses.
The purpose of safety campaign is to remind educators, parents, school bus drivers, and community leaders to obey all traffic laws whenever they are near a school bus. It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus whenever its red lights are flashing, as students are present.
The law requires drivers to stop on 2-lane and 4-lane highways in both directions, even those with a middle lane. Drivers cannot attempt to pass in any direction until the school bus vehicle has finished receiving or discharging its passengers and is in motion again.
The fines, penalties and punishment for anyone found guilty of illegally passing a stopped school bus were dramatically increased by Arkansas Act 2128 of 2005, also known as Isaac’s Law. The legislation was named for Isaac Brian, an elementary school student in the Bryant School District, who was struck and killed when a driver illegally passed his school bus while students were unloading.
In the 2019 Regular Session, the legislature increased the fines in Isaac’s Law again with Act 166. Drivers can now face up to a $2,500 fine or up to 90 days in jail.
Let’s all do our part to ensure students arrive to and from school safely. Remember: Flashing Red. Kids Ahead.
UA Cossatot Educational Resource Center
The ERC at De Queen will be extending its hours beginning Monday. We’ll be open until 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Ashley Wenzel will be a resource assistant covering evenings as a FWS. Please note that Ashley is not working as a tutor.
We’ll share specific tutoring hours next week.
The Nashville ERC will be open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Ashdown ERC is currently by appointment only.
ERC hours will be changing often throughout these first few weeks as we adjust to staff shortages. Thank you for your patience.
Samaritan Soccer Fields in De Queen - Estaban Ochoa
Estaban Ochoa stopped by the Ed 88 De Queen studio Friday to give an update on the Samaritan Fields soccer project.
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture Extended Deadline
JONESBORO, Ark. — Farmers have more time to apply for aid under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program after the U.S. Department of Agriculture extended the deadline to Sept. 11.
The original program application deadline was Aug. 28.
Scott Stiles, extension economist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that through Aug. 17, Arkansas farmers had received nearly $127 million in payments through CFAP from more than 16,400 applications.
“Payments totaled $90.8 million to livestock producers, $31.6 million to producers of non-specialty crops such as corn, soybeans, cotton and sorghum; $3.2 million to producers of specialty crops and roughly $1 million to dairy producers,” Stiles said.
Total payments jumped $27 million last week and are likely to show another sharp increase this week as USDA’s Farm Service Agency begins second-installment payments.
“Producers with approved applications initially received 80 percent of their payments,” Stiles said. “Beginning August 17, the FSA was issuing the remaining 20 percent of the calculated payment to eligible producers.”
Producers who received initial payments need not apply for the second installment.
Stiles said that “going forward, producers who apply for CFAP will receive 100 percent of their total payment — provided it does not exceed the $250,000-per-person payment limit — when their applications are approved.”
Where to apply
Producers, especially those who have not worked with FSA previously, are recommended to call (877) 508-8364 to begin the application process. An FSA staff member can help producers start their application during the phone call.
Producers can also find information and applications at the program website: https://www.farmers.gov/cfap. There, producers may:
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on August 11 that the deadline to apply for CFAP has been extended to September 11. The original application deadline was August 28, 2020. USDA's Farm Service Agency offers multiple ways for you to apply for CFAP to meet your business needs.
• Download the AD-3114 application form and manually complete the form to submit to their local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically or by hand delivery to their local office or office drop box.
• Complete the application using the CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator. This Excel workbook allows customers to input information specific to their operation to determine estimated payments and populate the application form, which can be printed, then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center.
• If producers have login credentials known as eAuthentication, they can use the online CFAP Application Portal to certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center.
All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can also be downloaded at the CFAP website. For existing FSA customers, these documents are likely already on file.
To learn about extension and research programs in Arkansas, visit www.division.uaex.edu, Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk, @uaex_edu or @ArkAgResearch.
De Queen and Centerpoint School Districts on the High Risk List
Nineteen school districts in Arkansas are considered at high risk of coronavirus outbreaks based on the number of cases among residents within the districts' boundaries over a recent two-week span, according to information released Thursday by the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.
The center's president, Joe Thompson, unveiled the data at Gov. Asa Hutchinson's daily news conference on the pandemic as the state released a new guidance document on how districts can respond to outbreaks once classes start next week.
19 school districts in state deemed high-risk for virus
Nineteen school districts in Arkansas are considered at high risk of coronavirus outbreaks based on the number of cases among residents within the districts' boundaries over a recent two-week span, according to information released Thursday by the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.
Sunday's COVID-19 Updated Numbers
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 1,114
Active Positive: 63
Recovered: 1,039
Deaths: 12
Negatives: 5,341
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 389
Active Positive: 40
Recovered: 345
Deaths: 4
Negatives: 3,012
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 254
Active Positive: 41
Recovered: 200
Deaths: 13
Negatives: 1,386
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 200
Active Positive: 35
Recovered: 163
Deaths: 2
Negatives: 2,882
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 154
Active Positive: 35
Recovered: 118
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,652
AUDIO: Governor Asa Hutchinson Weekly Address: Getting Back to School
Most Arkansas schools are starting next week, and today I’d like to offer some thoughts as we head into an academic year unlike any in my lifetime.
One of my favorite things about the new school year in Gravette where I grew up was going to McAlister’s Grocery and Hardware store to buy school supplies.
In my day, we bought pencils, Big Chief tablets, and little plastic tubs of white paste with a spreader built into the lid. In high school, we took notes with ballpoint pens in spiral-bound notebooks. Teachers wrote on blackboards with chalk. We learned science with filmstrips and overhead projectors.
The world has changed much since those simple days. Chromebooks and iPads have replaced pen and paper. YouTube has replaced film projectors. Those changes occurred gradually, and we had time to adjust. We didn’t suddenly have to toss out everything that was familiar.
But the pandemic has changed almost everything about life, and it changed it in an instant. It’s as if we woke up one morning to a world where nothing looked the same. That kind of rapid change is understandably unsettling.
COVID-19 has changed education dramatically. Whether you are starting kindergarten or finishing college, this year won’t look like last year. But the basics do remain the same. Teachers will share new concepts with their students. Cafeteria workers will prepare delicious meals. After a week of learning, students will cheer the football team on Friday nights.
We’ve already had some valuable experience in rethinking school. In the last three months of the spring semester, the pandemic forced us to alter the way in which we live, celebrate, and learn. This means there is a lot of change. But there are also some important life lessons from all of this. In school and in life, some of the most valuable lessons don’t come from books, but from experience. This year, in addition to literature, computer coding, and biology, we will learn a number of important life lessons, such as we can adapt to the changes that the coronavirus has forced on us.
Also, it is important that we not only start the school year but finish the school year. And to do this, all of us must perform at a higher level and work as a team. We are all individually responsible, but we are also dependent on each other to be successful in beating the virus. We are living through a historic time. We will get through this. This school year will be easier if each of us does our part. Wash your hands. Wear a mask when appropriate. Keep your distance socially. Be patient and kind to your schoolmates and teachers.
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update Friday (08.21.20) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media on Friday, August 21, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.
Friday's Arkansas COVID-19 Update from the AR Department of Health
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 1,086
Active Positive: 60
Recovered: 1,015
Deaths: 11
Negatives: 5,293
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 383
Active Positive: 43
Recovered: 337
Deaths: 3
Negatives: 2,988
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 248
Active Positive: 41
Recovered: 201
Deaths: 6
Negatives: 1,369
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 191
Active Positive: 35
Recovered: 154
Deaths: 2
Negatives: 2,829
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 151
Active Positive: 41
Recovered: 109
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,628
Ashdown Campus of UA Cossatot
Social distancing on the Ashdown campus! UA Cossatot Fall registration deadline has been extended thru this Friday at 4:00 pm. Check us out online at www.cccua.edu
Colts Adopt-A-Player Program
Organizational meeting for the Colts' Adopt-A-Player program was Thursday morning at UA Cossatot De Queen campus. We currently have 18 men and 12 women scholarship basketball players enrolled. They come to UAC from across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Adopt-A-Player program will provide assistance, guidance, and friendship to these young people. If you would like to be a part of this effort, please comment or call or text to (870) 584-6176.
UA Cossatot Announces Summer 2020 Graduates
The University of Arkansas Cossatot Office of the Registrar releases names of summer 2020 graduates and names of those graduating with honors.
16 students graduate with a certificate of proficiency, technical certificate, or associate degree. Some students earned multiple certificates and degrees allowing for 19 summer 2020 awards.
3 students graduate with Summa Cum Laude honors, meaning that they graduate with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.9 to 4.0. 3 students graduate with Cum Laude honors meaning that they graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 to 3.74.
Students Graduating Summer 2020 with Summa Cum Laude Honors:
Stacey Carter of Newhope, Alexa Copeland of Nashville, and Camryn Wegener of Amity
Students Graduating Summer 2020 with Cum Laude Honors:
Micah Brown of Nashville, Hannah McElroy of Ashdown, and Gerson Perez of Nashville
UA Cossatot Students Graduating Summer 2020 Include (Listed with Highest Degree(s) Earned):
Amity: Camryn Wegener, Technical Certificate: Cosmetology
Arkadelphia: Kameron Carpenter, Associate of Science: Business
Ashdown: Hannah McElroy, Technical Certificate: General Studies and Alex Threadgill, Associate of General Studies
Brooklyn, NY: Yong Gao, Associate of General Studies
Delight: Monica Riley, Associate of Science: Teaching: Middle Level
Foreman: Mattison Grant, Technical Certificate: General Studies
Mineral Springs: Bianca Garcia, Technical Certificate: General Studies
Murfreesboro: Sara Martin, Associate of Sciences: Psychology
Nashville: Jessica Bradford, Technical Certificate: General Studies; Micah Brown, Technical Certificate: General Studies; Alexa Copeland, Technical Certificate: General Studies; Gerson Perez, Associate of Arts, and Tijuana Wesson, Associate of Science: Psychology
Newhope: Stacey Carter, Associate of General Studies
Ozan: Jessica Aguilar, Associate of Arts
UA Cossatot Announces Summer 2020 Honor Students
The University of Arkansas Cossatot Office of the Registrar releases summer Chancellor’s List and Vice Chancellor’s List recognizing honor students.
Four students are named to the Chancellor’s list maintaining a minimum of 4.0 semester GPA while taking a minimum of twelve college credit hours. Two students are named on the Vice Chancellor’s List maintaining a minimum of a 3.5 semester GPA while taking a minimum of twelve college credit hours.
The UA Cossatot Summer 2020 Chancellor’s List Includes:
De Queen: Angel Espinoza Trujillo
Gillham: Bailey Branson
Nashville: Dennis Guzman
North Little Rock: Dennis Cleghorn
The UA Cossatot Summer 2020 Vice Chancellor’s List Includes:
Nashville: Jeffrey Cardinale
Winthrop: Kiarra Young
AUDIO FROM KUAF: Education Secretary Discusses PPE Supply, Classroom Setups, Teacher Strikes
Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Johnny Key has participated in Governor Asa Hutchinson's coronavirus response briefings throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In a two-part interview, we speak with Key one-on-one as the state prepares to reopen public schools on Aug. 24. In the second half of our interview, we discuss personal protective equipment supplies on the school district and state levels, classrooms where distancing desks six feet apart is not possible, the possibility of a teachers strike, and much more.
https://www.kuaf.com/post/education-secretary-discusses-ppe-supply-classroom-setups-teacher-strikes
Education Secretary Discusses PPE Supply, Classroom Setups, Teacher Strikes
Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Johnny Key has participated in Governor Asa Hutchinson's coronavirus response briefings throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In a two-part interview, we speak with Key one-on-one as the state prepares to reopen public schools on Aug. 24.
Governor Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update Thursday (08.20.20) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media on Thursday, August 20, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.
Fit 4 Life with Dr Andi Reeves
UAMS Modeling Estimates Fewer Coronavirus Cases With Virtual School Opening
New COVID-19 modeling from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences estimates daily infections will be “significantly lower” by Oct. 6 if public schools open with virtual learning only. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said schools will open Aug. 24 with in-class instruction.
The modeling update based on numbers as of Aug. 14, predicts 3,000 new daily infections by Oct. 6 with virtual learning only, 5,500 daily infections with a hybrid of virtual and in-class instruction, and 8,000 daily infections if all classes are in person.
UAMS Modeling Estimates Fewer Coronavirus Cases With Virtual School Opening
New COVID-19 modeling from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences estimates daily infections will be "significantly lower" by Oct. 6 if public schools open with virtual learning only. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said schools will open Aug. 24 with in-class instruction. The modeling update based on numbers as of Aug.
AUDIO: Education Secretary Discusses Reopening Schools, Quarantine Protocols, Teacher Pay
Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Johnny Key has participated in Governor Asa Hutchinson's coronavirus response briefings numerous times. In a two-part interview, we speak with Key one-on-one as the state prepares to reopen public schools on Aug. 24. In the first half of our interview, we discuss why schools are reopening at full capacity while businesses operate at 66 percent capacity, quarantine protocols for students and staff following coronavirus exposure, additional pay for educators, and much more.
Education Secretary Discusses Reopening Schools, Quarantine Protocols, Teacher Pay
Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Johnny Key has participated in Governor Asa Hutchinson's coronavirus response briefings numerous times. In a two-part interview, we speak with Key one-on-one as the state prepares to reopen public schools on Aug. 24.
Thursday's COVID-19 Numbers and Maps
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 1,079
Active Positive: 59
Recovered: 1,009
Deaths: 11
Negatives: 5,272
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 380
Active Positive: 43
Recovered: 334
Deaths: 3
Negatives: 2,965
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 237
Active Positive: 39
Recovered: 193
Deaths: 5
Negatives: 1,363
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 186
Active Positive: 39
Recovered: 145
Deaths: 2
Negatives: 2,813
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 151
Active Positive: 46
Recovered: 104
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,616
