The Jefferson Parish Democrats will host from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, a Facebook Live Zoom discussion examining the stresses and politics weighing heavily on our schools’ students, teachers and staff:

Covid cases are rising in classrooms, despite the governor’s mask mandate, and the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) could still try to overturn the mandate at its October meeting. Pressure is also rising on students and teachers to cram in school time lost to Hurricane Ida. It’s a perfect storm of challenges.

How do we meet them? Masks in the Classroom – Health vs. Politics will feature these guest panelists:

Dr. Markalain Dery, medical director of infectious diseases and chief innovation officer at Access Health Louisiana, the largest Medicaid-providing clinic system in the state.

Simeon Dickerson, a Jefferson Parish School Board member elected in 2018. He’s been a teacher at elementary, middle school and high school levels as well as a teacher/behavior mentor for the New Orleans Recovery School District.

Lee Barrios, a retired teacher and education activist who has written extensively and testified at local, state and national levels. She has a masters in secondary education and ran for election to the BESE.

To join the discussion at 7 p.m. Thursday, like the Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/JPDECfacebook. You’ll get a notification before the event starts.

Like the Jeff Democrats on Facebook, share, and tune in!