It would be one thing if local leaders dealing with Covid-19 were getting no help from the their government. But what’s happening is actually worse. People with tough, stressful, no win decisions to make are being actively hindered from above; a problem that starts at the top. Jeff Gregorich, a superintendent in Arizona, on trying to reopen his schools safely: “The governor has told us we have to open our schools to students on August 17th, or else we miss out on five percent of our funding. I run a high-needs district in middle-of-nowhere Arizona. We’re 90 percent Hispanic and more than 90 percent free-and-reduced lunch. These kids need every dollar we can get. But covid is spreading all over this area and hitting my staff, and now it feels like there’s a gun to my head. I already lost one teacher to this virus. Do I risk opening back up even if it’s going to cost us more lives? Or do we run school remotely and end up depriving these kids?” From WaPo, the latest installment of Eli Saslow’s, Voices from the Pandemic: I’m sorry, but it’s a fantasy.

+ Trump’s son Barron won’t attend in-person classes at private school due to county-wide mandate.