Since early April, the NAACP and BET have hosted a series of virtual town halls focused on the health, economic, and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the African American community.

The coronavirus has hit hard across the U.S. It’s particularly dire in rural areas and communities of color. Disparities have stressed millions of people, from economic hardships and limited access to health services to slow internet speeds and lack of internet access at home. These problems didn’t surface overnight. They’ve existed for decades, filtering into classrooms and hurting students along the way.

In part three of their four-part “Unmasked: A COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall Series,” NEA Vice President Becky Pringle, along with other top, national leaders, discussed the rising educational inequalities and how legislation can mitigate the burden African American students and other students of color face.

The hour-long call was part analysis of the current realities with an enhanced understanding of the problem, but also part solution to help move the nation toward a future that is equitable and fair for everyone.

With approximately 20,000 people on the line, Pringle was quick to call out the underlying problem that has disproportionately impacted communities of color.

“Here’s the reality,” she says, “structural racism [is] the pre-existing condition that [has] destined us to be where we are—where our communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. We shouldn’t be shocked.”

Research has long pointed to the inequitable conditions, from past to present, that many people of color have experienced: housing, financial, healthcare, education, and more. When the pandemic hit, “We [knew] this virus was destined to impact these communities more than others, and when that has a greater impact on our community, it has a greater impact on our students,” adds Pringle.

The State of the Union

NEA members across the country have witnessed and experienced these disparities first hand, which is why they moved quickly to ensure students were, first and foremost, safe, and then had access to the tools they needed for learning to continue at home.

Pringle pointed to the efforts in California, where educators delivered meals to students. She underscored the work in Florida, where teachers delivered learning packets, and in Wisconsin, where bus drivers drove to parking lots to set up hotspots for students who didn’t have access to the internet.

“We are working to try to make sure our students are safe.” Watch Becky Pringle, Vice President of National Education Association explain what urgent issues we are addressing:#COVIDUnmasked https://t.co/BIf2n1GwE9 pic.twitter.com/tM6gNaLZNn

— NAACP (@NAACP) April 23, 2020

Additionally, members have been providing students and their colleagues with resources on trauma to cope with the fear, isolation, and loss felt from the coronavirus, as well as dealing with the death of family and friends. To address the digital divide, some NEA affiliates have partnered with local TV and radio stations to allow teachers to broadcast lessons for students who don’t have internet access or devices at home.

During the call, Pringle emphasized that while educators and their unions have focused on the “right now” to keep students safe and keep them learning, the education community must use this experience to help build a future that is equitable and fair. “Where all of our students, every one of them, have access and opportunity,” Pringle says.

That’s why, for the past two years, educators have marched in the streets to tell decision makers to address the lack of resources that plague America’s public schools, from school nurses, school counselors, and updated technology to overcrowded classrooms and even the lack of access to recess time for young students. These #RedForEd actions have won critical support for students, with massive community involvement.

But more needs to be done, as educators on the call shared their personal stories and asked tough questions to panelists, which included Bobby Scott, chairman of U.S. House Committee on Education; Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; Arthur Claiborne, a student leader at North Carolina A&T State University; and Tiffany Dena Loftin, youth and college director of NAACP. The call was moderated by Marc Lamont Hill, an award-winning journalist and host of BET News.

Pringle emphasized that while educators and their unions have focused on the ‘right now’ to keep students safe and keep them learning, the education community must use this experience to help build a future that is equitable and fair.”

Tiffany, a classroom public school teacher from Texas, asked how to truly hold people accountable to get the funding her students need without having to go through a pandemic. Noni, an educator from Rochester, N.Y., brought attention to her area by addressing how students in the suburban areas have laptops, while many students who live in the city have no computers. This “makes it hard to teach…and…[it’s] frustrating,” she shares.

And then there was Joyce Morely, a member of the DeKalb County School District school board in Atlanta, Ga., who shared her disappointment in “Betsy DeVos, the proclaimed person who is the secretary of Education, [who wants to give] all the dollars to charter schools and for more charter schools to come about.”

Morely explained that in her area, educators are feeding 18,687 students a day and 81 bus drivers are going out and putting their lives at risk. Students with special needs are still being taught despite the unfilled promise of fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Yet, DeVos continues to support schemes that siphon money from public schools.

What educators described on the call is happening all around the country, and to address these shortfalls and other challenges, several solutions were discussed. Top contenders: organize and vote.

While short-term solutions have been put in place to ensure many students get the resources they need, the long-term solution will involve elections.

“When I became a teacher…I had no idea that I could not just step into my classroom and teach my students. I had no idea that I had to have an impact beyond the confines of my own classroom….We have to organize and vote…but not just that, once we vote, we do have to hold people accountable because every single decision that is made about our classrooms and made about our students is a political one—from the school board all the way up to the White House,” says Becky Pringle.

“We have to make sure that people in positions of power and authority are those who care about our kids and are going to do what’s right so every single one of them can live into their brilliance.”

NEA Urges Congress To Take More Action

Congress has so far passed three major pieces of legislation to combat the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19. NEA is asking for more to be done. Discussions around a phase four of a stimulus bill have begun, and NEA’s top asks includes:

• Provide at least$175 billion for the Education Stabilization Fund to distribute to states, allocated by formula, for public pre-K through post-secondary education to fill budget gaps caused by declining state revenues due to the COVID-19 national emergency.
• Reject Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ “microgrants” and other voucher schemes that siphon funding from public schools and undermine accountability.
• Provide at least $56 million for personal protective equipment for teachers, education support professionals, and other school staff who interact with students and their families, including food service workers who prepare and distribute meals, custodians who clean and disinfect buildings, security officers, and technology specialists.

NEA continues to urge the Federal Communications Commission to implement emergency measures to make changes to E-rate programs, which since 1996 has expanded internet access to the nation’s schools and libraries. These changes would allow school officials to buy Wi-Fi hot spots and equip existing equipment with Wi-Fi if it already doesn’t have it, ensuring all K-12 students have adequate home internet connectivity if their schools close.

Approximately $2 billion has been used from the program’s $4 billion cap, leaving up to $2 billion to schools for wi-fi hotspots, adding wi-fi to existing devices sent home?with students.

In a letter led by NEA, more than 30 organizations urged congressional leaders to include student loan debt cancellation in any future COVID-19 relief package. The average educator begins a career with about $35,000 in student loan debt.

The Student Debt Emergency Relief Act (H.R. 6363), introduced by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), would cancel at least $30,000 of outstanding student loan debt, boosting consumer spending and reducing the financial strain on educators and other borrowers.

Waives late fees, delays registration requirements and extends permits and IDs

Sacramento – The California Department of Motor Vehicles today announced it is waiving late fees and penalties for vehicle registration, extending expiring identification cards, temporary operating permits and motor carrier permits.

With authority granted under today’s executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the DMV is:

• Waiving late fees and penalties for vehicle registration renewals due between March 16 and May 31, 2020, and paid within 60 days of the original expiration date. The requirement to have current license plate stickers is also waived for vehicles with registration expiring between March 4 and June 30, 2020.
• Extending identification cards expiring on or after March 4, 2020, to be valid through June 22, 2020 (60 days from today).
• Temporarily suspending for 60 days the requirement to submit a transfer of ownership within 10 days for vehicle transfers occurring on or after March 4, 2020, and the requirement to register a vehicle acquired or previously based outside of California within 20 days once registration becomes due.
• Allowing temporary operating permits that expire on or after March 4, 2020, to be valid another 60 days from today.
• Lengthening motor carrier permits expiring in March, April and May 2020 to June 30, 2020. A motor carrier permit is required for numerous transportation and commercial activities in California, including transporting property for compensation, hauling with a commercial vehicle weighing more than 10,000 pounds, and transporting hazardous materials.

“These measures can help lighten the burden many Californians are experiencing during this difficult time,” DMV Director Steve Gordon said.

The DMV continues to encourage customers to renew their vehicle registration and complete vehicle transfers online or by using the DMV Virtual Field Office. Customers can also get replacement registration cards and license plate stickers online or at the hundreds of DMV kiosks across the state. Replacement cards and stickers at the DMV kiosks cost $22 and print on the spot.

The DMV continues to provide essential services via mail, online, kiosks, call centers, available business partners and virtually to process critical transactions, including eligible driver license and vehicle registration renewals, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers can use the Services Advisor on the DMV website to learn their options to complete DMV tasks.

The relief measures are the latest DMV actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

• Temporarily closing field offices. Following deep cleaning, expansion of virtual services and development of new protocols, the DMV soon will offer in-person services in each region. Information on office openings will be announced by DMV in the near future.
• Extending all driver licenses that expire between March 1 and May 31, 2020. Drivers 70 years and older are receiving a 120-day temporary paper extension in the mail, and drivers 69 and younger can request a free temporary paper extension online.
• Keeping expiring commercial driver licenses, endorsements and certificates valid through June 30, 2020.
• Temporarily waiving required in-person renewals for eligible driver license and identification cardholders with expirations in March, April, and May 2020. Individuals who meet the criteria are able to renew online or by mail.
• Launching the DMV Virtual Field Office to create new digital options for transactions that previously required an in-person office visit.
• Canceling all behind-the-wheel drive tests to honor social distancing guidelines. 
• Suspending extended office hours and Saturday service.

POMONA, CA— Through a donation match program, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, also known as Tzu Chi USA, is raising funds for COVID-19 relief efforts nationwide. Through the Flatten the Curve campaign, we have already donated the following to date across 370 institutions (including over 166 hospitals):

• 493,378 surgical masks
• 36,712 gloves
• 17,674 N95 respirators (and/or alternatives including KN95s)
• 7,899 bottles of disinfectant spray
• 3,670 bottles of hand sanitizer
• 2,097 bags of groceries
• 1,476 handmade cloth masks
• and much more…

These supply donations and drop-offs have resulted in growing community partnerships in states and populations that are particularly hard hit and vulnerable. This includes one with California State Senator Connie M. Leyva, who delivered supplies from Tzu Chi USA to a homeless shelter in Pomona, CA on March 30. The donation included 2,000 surgical masks, 12 bottles of Lysol, 12 bottles of hand sanitizer, 230 Clorox wipes, and more.

“Thank you Tzu Chi, we appreciate you and everything you do. This is going to help one of our homeless shelters right here in Pomona, thank you, we love you!” Senator Connie M. Leyva, California State said. “We have also provided medical supplies to Elmhurst Hospital, in Queens, New York- an institution widely considered the ‘epicenter of the epicenter.’ In two distributions on March 31st and April 10, Tzu Chi volunteers delivered 4,300 surgical masks, 395 N95 respirators, and 50 K95 respirators there.”

Taking a broader approach, Tzu Chi New York volunteer and Tzu Chi International Medical Association Deputy Director Dr. Kenneth Liao clarified Tzu Chi volunteers’ role in providing support to frontline healthcare workers.

 “We are not first-responders, but we are second responders, trying to safeguard the life [of the people] who are working so hard and risking their own lives: the doctors, nurses, and health [care] professionals.”

Dr. Kenneth Liao, Deputy Director, Tzu Chi International Medical Association

Tzu Chi USA seeks the support of organizations and individuals so we can continue our COVID-19 relief efforts. Contributions may be made via: 

• online at https://tzuchi.us/donate/cause/coronavirus 
• via mobile app on Tzu Chi Connect
• by phone at 1-888-9TZUCHI (888-989-8244)

ABOUT TZU CHI USA

Tzu Chi USA, also known as the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, is an international non-profit humanitarian organization with over 10 million volunteers and supporters worldwide. The heart of our organization (which was founded in 1966 by a Buddhist nun named Dharma Master Cheng Yen) is embedded in our name: in Chinese, “tzu” means compassion and “chi,” relief. Learn more about us at www.tzuchi.us.

Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) recently voted for the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, an interim coronavirus relief package to provide additional funding to support small businesses through the economic downturn. The legislation also provides new funding for hospitals and medical practitioners, including for personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as funding to expand COVID-19 testing capacity across the country.

“The first round of funding Congress passed didn’t reach enough small businesses, including many in the Inland Empire that wound up empty-handed while corporations received millions,” Rep. Torres said. “The bill we passed today will get vital support to the mom-and-pop shops who desperately need it, helping more businesses make payroll, ensuring more employees can feed their families, and making emergency relief just as accessible to unbanked and rural areas as it is to downtown shops.”

The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act also requires a report from the Secretary of Health and Human Services on COVID-19 testing, including disaggregated data on race, ethnicity, age, sex, geographic region, and other relevant factors. The provision follows an effort Rep. Torres jointly led to highlight our nation’s lack of testing data as the Trump Administration sought to roll back its COVID-19 response based on testing.

“Until we have the testing capacity to know who has this disease, we cannot combat it,” Rep. Torres continued. “And until that day, I fear that it will be minority communities and low-income communities like the ones I represent that will be hardest hit. Getting a test to anyone who needs it and developing a deeper understanding of the communities impacted by COVID-19 must be a top priority.”

Provisions in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act include:

For Small Businesses
$310 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, with $30 billion reserved for community-based lenders, small banks and credit unions and $30 billion for medium-sized banks and credit unions.   Additionally, $50 billion for SBA disaster lending, translating into more than $350 billion in loans, and $10 billion in SBA disaster grants. The bill also provides strong protections to ensure farmers have access to this vital assistance.

For Hospitals and Health Care Workers

$75 billion to provide resources to the frontlines, including Personal Protective Equipment. Negotiations also led to key improvements to be made in CARES Act 2.0, including significantly lowering the interest rate on advance payments, lengthening the repayment schedule and distributing payments from general revenues not the Hospital Insurance Fund.

For Testing

$25 billion for COVID-19 testing, which is the key to reopening the economy and resuming our lives. The Administration has agreed to a national strategic testing policy that will focus on increasing domestic testing capacity including testing supplies.

• Using Zoom to celebrate this milestone while still practicing social distancing, nearly 100 high school students from the Los Angeles East Area and South L.A. will reveal their college choice.
• The Neighborhood Academic Initiative’s extension into the East Area has led to higher education for 41 graduating seniors, joining 53 from South LA. 
• Almost half of the students will head to USC on full scholarships.

WHAT: A celebratory online event honoring the first graduating class from Lincoln and Wilson high schools that has completed the Neighborhood Academic Initiative’s college preparation program. Nearly 40 will attend USC on full tuition scholarships while others will attend universities like Stanford, UCLA, and the University of California, Berkeley. The culmination of a seven-year effort, the East Area students have doubled the size of NAI’s cohort.

WHEN: Friday, May 1 at 3 p.m. Members of the media may register here to view and interview students afterward.

WHO: 95 students and their families from Wilson and Lincoln high schools, along with their peers and families from Foshay Learning Center.

A growing opportunity for higher education

The Neighborhood Academic Initiative’s presence in East Area schools represents a major advance for college access.  NAI now serves 1,000 students across five schools; Foshay Learning Center, Wilson and Lincoln high schools, and Nightingale and El Sereno middle schools. Foshay has long been home to NAI and is one of the top feeder schools to USC.

This year, the graduating seniors number 53 from Foshay Learning Center and 41 from Wilson and Lincoln high schools.

NAI has graduated more than a thousand students, and nearly all have gone on to college. More than a third ended up at USC.

NAI is a partnership between USC and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

YUCAIPA, CA—-The COVID-19 global pandemic is causing a strain on every part of the healthcare system, calling for “all hands-on deck.” Crafton Hills College student paramedics feel the tension as well, as they navigate a strenuous paramedic program while also working the front lines in the field.

One paramedic student, Gabriel Zavala, says that the most important thing he is learning in paramedic school amid a global pandemic is adaptability. “EMS is a constantly changing field,” he said. “During times of worldwide adversity, maintaining composure is the only way to persevere, and composure is essential while working in the field.

In order to be eligible for licensure as a paramedic in the state of California, students must complete the 39 units of the certificate program, pass National Registry written and skills examinations, and meet all other licensure requirements established by the state. Crafton Hills Paramedic Program offers two cycles per year, and is broken down into three sections – didactive, clinic and field.

Zavala says that the program’s instructors are helping students to stay on track to graduate on time. “Our program leaders are admirable, knowledgeable and helpful during this pandemic,” he said.

Students like Zavala are gaining increased amounts of field experience, serving their communities alongside first responders.

Working as an EMT, serving the community, and helping others in need is something I will not take for granted,” Zavala said. “I am incredibly honored for the career that I have and what this program continues to teach me.”

Paramedic school has been the most challenging and rewarding time of my life,” he continued. “I am blessed to be in a program with many other great students who I know will be some of the best paramedics once the program is complete.”

For more information about Crafton Hills’ paramedic program, contact faculty/field coordinator Amanda Ward at AWard@craftonhills.edu. For more information about Crafton Hills College, visit CraftonHillsCollege.edu

Census Day 2020 came April 1. The global coronavirus pandemic was worsening. It had already forced social and economic shutdowns across America.

Since then, all the major African-American community-based organizations, political leaders and other advocates in California — concerned that there may be an undercount of Black Californians during the 2020 census count — have found themselves grappling.

Under a statewide shelter in place order, those groups have been working overtime, rejiggering outreach strategies from a boots-on-the-ground game to expanding online get-the-word-out campaigns — most of their social media content identifiable by the hashtag #MakeBlackCount.

Their goal, leaders say, is to ensure every Black household in California accurately completes its 2020 Census form.

Their hard work is paying off.

So far, California has a 53.8% response rate, which is higher than the national response rate of 52.4%. The state is on good footing at this point, considering that this is still the first phase of the national count, and census workers have not yet even begun to conduct in-person, door-to-door data collection campaigns. About 47.8% of participants in the state have responded online, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Up and down the state, most of the groups we’ve reached out to told us that they have had to step back and reimagine how they can best get their message to those African-American families and individuals who live in our hardest-to-count communities,” said Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media and a member of the California Complete Count committee.

“It is not business as usual,” Wilson continued.  “To be successful during this crisis, they have had to switch up their plans in real time. Its remarkable, but to achieve a full count of Blacks in the state, we have to keep that momentum up.”

During Census Week, responses jumped 9.1 percentage points — an estimated 1.36 million households self-responded to the Census form, the California Census 2020 Campaign announced April 9.

“We understand there is still more work to be done to make sure all Californians, especially those who are hard to count, fill out their questionnaire. We are proud of the work our partners are doing to push these self-response rates,” said Ditas Katague, Director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office. “We’d like to remind everyone that filling out the Census form will help bring needed representation and resources to California’s diverse communities.”

The state’s success to date stems from the California Census Campaign’s work with more than 120 partners including local governments, tribal governments, K-12 schools, county offices of education, community-based organizations, state agencies and departments, faith-based organizations, labor unions, small businesses, ethnic and mainstream media outlets, and others.

COVID-19 prompted the Census Bureau to prioritize an online count; and caused the California governor to issue a statewide stay-at-home order for everyone except essential workers — or people going out to pick up medicines, shop for groceries or fill up their cars with gas.  Having to adhere to a 6-foot physical distancing mandate between people, per Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, has also influenced how census informational campaigns are being executed.

But advocates say they are now more determined than ever to work for a complete count.

Many rely on social media and web-conferencing events and they emphasize that the confidential, simple 9-question Census questionnaire can be completed quickly online at my2020census.gov, and by phone in English and other languages at 844-330-2020. 

The U.S. Census Bureau has been sending paper forms to households that haven’t responded to the Census.

“Just think about Head Start and Meals on Wheels, and after-school programs.  That’s all dependent on getting everybody counted,” said Cassandra Jennings, president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Urban League. She held a Celebrate Census Day Facebook live stream with Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg on April 1.

The Census Day celebration in Sacramento is just one example of many others that happened in regions of the state with the highest African-American populations, including the Los Angeles area, the Inland Empire, the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Central Coast and greater San Diego.

Jennings’ virtual event featured an interactive social media challenge. Participants tweeted about completing census forms on Instagram or Facebook, then tagged 10 of their friends.  “Let’s challenge each other to complete the census, not tomorrow, not the next day, but on Census day April 1,” Jennings invited people online to participate.

Earlier this month, California Black Media (CBM) released “Counting Black California – Counting the Hard to Count.” The Sacramento-based organization updated its comprehensive report identifying areas in the state where African Americans are least likely to be counted by the 2020 Census. The study includes an easy-to-use, online interactive map scalable down to the street level with those hard-to-count tracts highlighted.

Although the coronavirus crisis has forced community-based organizations doing census outreach work to adjust, they are coping, said California community leaders and advocates across the state like Janette Robinson Flint, founder and executive director of Black Women for Wellness (BWW) in Los Angeles.

Its civic engagement program hired workers before the March 3 general primary elections. They went door-to-door and set up tables at grocery stores and public spaces to educate canvassers about including census awareness in their get-out-the-vote campaigns.

“My fear is that it’s going to be a serious undercount as a result of the coronavirus. At a community level, we just simply can’t afford to be undercounted,” she said.

Robinson Flint said the key is for organizations to be nimble enough to switch up their ground games in communities to reach people online and by other means.

Her organization is now relying on texting and social media and, in the process, studying the technological capacity of their community.

Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), a statewide social and political action organization — comprised of African-American elected and appointed officials; community leaders; activists; artists; scholars, and more — also pivoted its outreach strategy. The group recently released a video online featuring Black women across the state encouraging the community to respond and sharing how the Census directly benefits them.

Robinson-Flint says adjusting to a digital strategy has its challenges too, like unpredicted costs.

“A lot of people have smartphones, but if you ask them to text a thousand people, then that’s difficult for them in terms of how much it would cost,” Robinson Flint said.

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the U.S. Census Bureau has adjusted its enumeration timeline. Field activities, which were scheduled to begin March 1, will not start until June 1. The bureau also warned that those dates and the processes associated with them might change, too.

“In-person activities, including enumeration, office work, and processing activities, will incorporate the most current guidance from authorities to ensure the health and safety of staff and the public” the bureau announced on its website.

Track response rates of every state here.    

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC) held a “Feeding Our Community” drive-thru food distribution on April 22, 2020 at San Bernardino Valley College. This community distribution event was supported by San Bernardino Valley College and Edison International. Over 2,100 families received food boxes containing essential food items that included protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, and pasta. This is one of many events geared towards the agency’s goal of meeting the increased demand for food assistance from individuals and families who have been directly impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

“We are the largest provider of emergency food in San Bernardino County. Amid this pandemic, we have ramped up our Food Bank operations quickly because that is where we have seen the highest increase in demand for services. COVID-19 has affected every person throughout San Bernardino County, and traditionally stable households that have not previously experienced food insecurity are seeking help for the first time,” said Patricia Nickols-Butler, CAPSBC President and CEO. “Overall, we have seen an increase in over 10,000 additional households needing food assistance; most of them are individuals and families who have never needed our services before.”

CAPSBC has received a generous $100,000 donation from Edison International to help support the Food Bank’s efforts to continue providing vital food resources to those who have been impacted by the health crisis. “We’re so grateful for the strong relationship we have established with Edison International and for their generous contribution to our agency. Because of their generosity we can quickly and efficiently expand our services to include food delivery to vulnerable populations, mobile drive-thru events, and the inclusion of new distribution partners to stem any disruptions and respond to the surging food insecurity,” said Nickols-Butler.

“The large scale food distribution event we conducted was a tremendous success due to the generosity and outpouring of support we have received from organizations and volunteers who want to join us at the forefront and help us make a difference in the communities we serve,” said Patricia Nickols-Butler. “We’re indebted to San Bernardino Valley College and our volunteer force for their selfless acts of kindness. We thank you; our communities thank you!” concluded Nickols-Butler.

Please call 909-723-1500 or e-mail info@capsbc.org or visit our website www.capsbc.org for more information.

YUCAIPA, CA—-Amid campus closures and stay-at-home orders caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Crafton Hills Fire Academy has continued to meet and train students who will join the front lines with other first responders fighting fires and saving lives. Against all odds, 29 cadets will complete their Fire Academy training in mid-May.

Despite these overwhelming circumstances and challenges to instruction, Crafton Hills College is the only college Fire Academy in California that continued their 16-week training program while also adhering to and maintaining the strictest of social-distancing guidelines. All 29 students have earned their firefighter 1 certificates.

“It is truly exceptional how our college president, Dr. Kevin Horan, our Trustees, our administration, and our faculty have stepped up to keep our program going,” said Michael Alder, Chief, Crafton Hills College Fire Academy. “In the face of many uncertainties, everyone was adamant that we should keep going, meet the needs of our firefighting workforce and complete training for these students in advance of the 2020 fire season.”

Crafton Hills faculty adjusted for COVID-19 safety requirements by limiting groups of students, adjusting instructional methods, and increasing cleaning of equipment and surfaces between each training exercise. Students were split into three groups for instruction. Each group met in their own classroom and maintained 6 feet social distancing while instructors used live stream and Zoom technology to share classroom information with students before going out into the field. Adler also added, “the cadets and instructors perform temperature checks twice a day and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of the academy.”

“We also had a friend of one student who heard that we needed masks,” Adler said. “She volunteered and made masks for all students, faculty and staff in our program so that we could continue to meet safely and protect everyone as requested under COVID-19 guidelines.”

Because firefighting is a physically demanding profession, strength and physical stamina are required. Maintaining these rigorous training requirements for the program were also challenging during the pandemic.

“Our students must meet certain physical requirements before they are accepted to the Academy,” Chief Adler said. “This program has a kinesiology and physical training component that requires our students to meet each morning for a series of conditioning workouts to prepare them for the day-to-day tasks of a professional firefighter.”

Fire Academy instructors were able to continue this regimen with our students by monitoring them through the Strava activity tracker app. “Our instructors even took the physical activity component of our training into consideration and hosted Zoom or Facetime workouts, Strava activity check-in’s, etc. to make sure that students were staying in shape despite our stay-at-home order.”

Applicants for municipal firefighting jobs generally must pass a written exam; physical test of strength, physical stamina, and agility; and a medical examination that includes drug screening and a psychological test; a lie detector test and an oral interview. Those who receive the highest scores in all phases of testing have the best chances for employment. The completion of community college courses and a degree in fire technology, and the completion of a community college Fire Academy Program may significantly improve an applicant’s chances for appointment.

“Not only are the physical requirements of these cadets demanding, but their coursework is also very challenging,” Alder added. “All students must pass a series of competency exams in three main categories- firefighter skills, hazardous materials, and wildland. These exams alone are stressful, but adding the pandemic component drives the stress level even higher.”

The fire service has been experiencing higher than normal employee turnover due to the Baby-Boomers that are exiting the workforce for retirement. This has left a large workforce void that needs to be filled. The Crafton Hills College Fire Academy and Fire Technology Program are fully prepared and committed to continuing to meet that demand and professionally educate and train these future firefighters.

“I shared with our cadets that they would be in a unique position upon completion of the program,” said Alder. “The job outlook is very favorable, and they will not be competing with other applicants as they normally would at this time of year. I shared this statistic with the students, and I believe it was a pivotal moment that motivated them to keep going, work hard and complete the program in the face of these circumstances.”

In California between 2014 and 2024 it is expected that approximately 1,200 new Firefighters will be hired annually, with 100 of those each year in the San Bernardino and Riverside area. Employment of Fire Fighters is expected to increase slightly faster than the average for all occupations. Labor Market Source: State of California Employment Development Dept.

“These students have persevered and earned their firefighter 1 certificates despite even more intense circumstances than most of our cadets,” said Alder. “It truly is extraordinary how our administration, faculty, staff and students have worked together to be successful during these challenging times. I am so proud of how everyone pulled together. These cadets will graduate with honor and they have exhibited the can-do, persevering attitude and character that all amazing firefighters show.”

For more information about Crafton Hills’ Fire Academy, contact Michael Alder, Chief, malder@craftonhills.edu or 909-389-3408. For more information about Crafton Hills College, visit CraftonHillsCollege.edu.

While City Manager’s Office of the City of San Bernardino has announced that public counters including libraries will remain closed until further notice – the San Bernardino Public Library offers its patrons a wide range of electronic resources that can be utilized remotely.

Patrons who have library cards can utilize various free online resources and information available at our library’s website www.sbpl.org .

            Among the various resources:

            Overdrive – eBooks and eAudiobooks;

            ReferenceUSA – Business and phone directories;

            Brainfuse – Live Homework Help offering assistance for elementary, middle school and adult learners in various subjects via chat almost every day of the year;

            New York Times – Up to 5 full-text articles a month can be viewed;

            Britannica School and Escolar offering information in elementary, middle school and high school modules;

            Footsteps2Brilliance offering information to promote early literacy;

            R & B Digital Magazines & Audiobooks featuring electronic editions of popular magazines;

            America’s News featuring full-text of newspaper articles including the San Bernardino Sun since 2001. 

Our website also features an updated kid’s section with links for homework help, animals, history, fun & games, etc.

Our Virtual Reference Desk also includes employment resources, government and legal resources; health and medicine, reference resources and public domain eBooks.

Materials can be returned to book drops at the libraries. Fees will not be charged for materials due after the libraries closed to the public March 17 until the libraries re-open.

Sign up for a library card online to use Overdrive eBooks and eAudiobooks and other resources at: http://catalog.sbpl.org:8086/onlineBorrowerRegistration.html     Please allow about a day for card to activate.

City of San Bernardino residents interested in Overdrive can also sign up within Overdrive’s Libby app for an instant digital card that permits immediate access to its collection.

A library staff member is available Monday through Thursday and Saturday at 909-381-8201 to answer questions about materials being due, library cards, etc.

Please check www.sbpl.org for updates. Patrons are encouraged to follow the library on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sbcitylib and Twitter at https://twitter.com/sbcitylibrary. They can also follow the Friends of SBPL at https://www.facebook.com/SBPLfriends/ .