The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-27)

B4 EZ SU K THE WASHINGTON POST.FRIDAY, MAY 27 , 2022

rect prolonged contact and people are contagious when symp- tomatic. “There are obviously similari- ties, which gives everyone a little bit of post-traumatic stress,” Dar- by said. “This is somewhat differ- ent. ... You really need to be touching or in very intimate contact with a person for that transmission to occur. It’s not going to be transferred person to person as readily as covid-19.”

Fenit Nirappil contributed to this report.

cases, Darby said, patients tend to present with a rash first, without the fever and illness. She said anyone who develops the discrete rash associated with monkeypox and notices a dis- tinct progression from flat red spots to fluid-filled and raised sacks, and who recently traveled internationally or had close contact with a potentially infected person, should contact their health-care provider. Darby also advised caution. Unlike coronavirus, she noted, monkeypox spreads through di-

or items associated with that person,” Darby said. The state health department will monitor the patient’s close contacts for 21 days after their last exposure and gave them general information about the illness, how it is transmitted and symptoms, she said. The health department last week advised medical providers in Virginia to watch for cases of monkeypox and report them to local health authorities right away. With the global increase in

European countries where the recent increase originated. Brandy Darby, a veterinary epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health, said it is too early to say whether the Virginia case is part of an inter- national cluster or an isolated case. “It’s a really good reminder that it doesn’t matter what your age or gender or sexual orienta- tion is: Anyone could potentially be exposed to monkeypox if they’ve been in close prolonged contact with an infected person

these cases might have been in contact with each other or with others in other countries,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Thursday. U.S. public health officials say the cases appear to be concen- trated among men who have sex with men, a trend also seen in

Utah, New York, Washington
state and California.
“We need to presume that
there is some community spread,
but there is active contact-trac-
ing that is happening right now
to understand whether and how

MONKEYPOX FROM B1

First case of monkeypox

in Va., ninth in nation

bill is not expected to be avail- able online until the weekend, days before the House and Sen- ate are set to vote on it Wednes- day. Legislators launched the special session in April to consider the budget on orders from Youngkin but promptly went home because there was no com- promise to vote on. Negotiators have said for some time that they were close to a deal but had given no public indication of whether they were leaning toward more tax cuts, more spending or somehow split- ting the difference. Although 14 legislators were named budget negotiators, most have been on the sidelines. Just three — Knight, Howell and Sen. George L. Barker (D-Fairfax) — have taken active roles in the negotiations.

enue;

$159 million for the Virginia
Business Ready Sites program,
which is intended to lure eco-
nomic development requiring
“megasites”;

$150 million for the Virginia
Housing Trust Fund to create or
preserve affordable housing, and
$255 million for a new housing
tax credit program;

an additional $1.4 billion for
health and human services, in-
cluding nearly $700 million to
increase Medicaid provider rates
for dentists, personal care, nurs-
ing facilities and other services,
and $217 million to expand com-
munity-based mental health ser-
vices.
Knight and Howell laid out the
broad outlines of the deal in a
late-afternoon briefing with The
Washington Post and the Rich-
mond Times-Dispatch. The full

would get even larger boosts in pay, at a total cost to the state of $278 million. It would plow hundreds of millions more into higher educa- tion, water quality programs and capital projects, such as a new state police training facility, which can be paid for with cash rather than financed. The plan also includes:

$1.25 billion to support
school construction and modern-
ization through grants and
loans;

increased funding for the
state’s financial reserves to bring
the total to more than $3.8
billion by the end of the two-year
budget;

at least $750 million to the
Virginia Retirement System to
address unfunded liabilities,
with an additional $250 million
possible contingent on state rev-

the standard deduction but not quite double it, increasing it from the current $4,500 for indi- viduals and $9,000 for joint filers to $8,000 and $16,000 respec- tively. The tax exemption for military veterans was included, and would be phased in over several years. But there were no changes to the gas tax, and the Senate’s position on the grocery tax won out. The upper chamber also prevailed with a change, intended to help low-income people, to make the earned income tax credit refundable. The two-year spending plan would give a 5 percent raise each year for teachers and state em- ployees, as well as a $1,000 bonus for them in the first year. Law enforcement, corrections staff and mental health workers

led House wanted to double the state’s standard deduction, elimi- nate the full 2.5 percent tax on groceries, exempt $40,000 of military pensions, suspend a scheduled increase in the gaso- line tax for one year and grant a three-month gas-tax holiday. The Senate, under narrow Democratic control, wanted to wait a year to allow for a comprehensive review of the tax system before adjusting the standard deduction, nix the state’s 1.5 percent portion of the grocery tax while still allowing localities to impose the remaining 1 percent, and leave the gas tax alone, arguing that oil companies are unlikely to pass any savings on to consumers. Youngkin and the House got much of what they wanted on taxes, but not all. The compro- mise would substantially boost

one side got over on the other
side.”
Howell agreed, “We all gave.”
Knight and Howell have been
trying to hash out differences in
rival House and Senate spending
plans since March, when the
General Assembly gave up on
reconciling them in its regular
session and carried the legisla-
tion into a special session. The
House and Senate spending
plans were $3 billion apart at
that point.
Virginia’s finances are in a
state of unusual plenty, due in
part to federal relief funding and
tax revenue that has far exceeded
estimates made in the darkest
days of the pandemic. But tax
policy presented a major stum-
bling block to an agreement.
Youngkin and the Republican-

BUDGET FROM B1

Va. budget negotiators reach a deal that would provide $4 billion in tax cuts

BY KATIE METTLER AND NICOLE ASBURY

A high school in Prince
George’s County was placed on
lockdown for nearly two hours
Thursday afternoon when police
received a call that a student had
brought a gun on campus.
After searching Fairmont
Heights High School, county po-
lice said, officers found parts of a
“ghost gun” — typically purchased
as a kit, and a weapon without a
serial number — in a classroom.

The student who allegedly brought the gun parts to school was arrested, police said. Authorities said they were called at about noon to the Landover-area school in the 6500 block of Columbia Park Road. Another student witnessed the student with gun parts and reported it to the school resource officer, according to Prince George’s County Public Schools spokeswoman Meghan Gebrese- lassie. Gun parts were found in the student’s backpack.

The lockdown and arrest in Maryland comes two days after 19 children and two teachers were killed in an elementary school classroom in Uvalde, Tex., by an 18-year-old armed with a semiau- tomatic rifle. In a statement Thursday, Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) urged parents, community members and students to immediately noti- fy police if they see or hear any- thing concerning. “These are horrifying times we

are living in and the indiscrimi- nate violence we have seen spread across the country is deeply im- pacting us,” Alsobrooks said. Police chief Malik Aziz both stopped by Fairmont Heights on Thursday afternoon, and Aziz briefly spoke, praising the student who reported the gun parts to the student resource officer. Monica Goldson, the school system’s CEO, and Juanita Miller, the school board president, asked lawmakers in a statement Wednesday — the day before the

incident at Fairmont — to “end the cycle of preventable school shootings with legislation that prioritizes the safety of those who teach, learn and work in schools.” Since news broke Tuesday about the Uvalde shooting, Prince George’s County police said the department has received several calls reporting suspicious behav- ior, including at or near other schools. Green Valley Academy in Suitland was placed on lockdown for roughly 10 minutes on Wednesday after a false report of

an individual with a gun on school property. Authorities did not say whether the Fairmont Heights teen who brought the ghost gun parts had any plans to assemble them or use the weapon at school. Police did not give the student’s name or age. Since the Uvalde shooting, Prince George’s County police have increased patrols at schools — an added presence on top of the school resource officers assigned to public high schools and some middle schools.

MARYLAND

Teen accused of bringing ‘ghost gun’ parts to Prince George’s high school

Meantime, some parents, teachers and students in the District are raising alarm about broken door locks at some schools. In a statement, system officials noted that “physical security structures of a school building are regularly reviewed as part of our security assess- ments.” In Virginia, Loudoun County Public Schools added “an increased presence” from the county sheriff’s office this week while also boosting its own security force, according to district spokesman Wayde Byard. Byard said the district “contin- ually works” with law enforcement to hold active-shooter drills and held one as recently as May 19 — one of four such drills the school system holds for students at all grade levels every school year, notifying parents each time per state requirement. Meanwhile, Fairfax County Public Schools is doubling down on “communication to all schools on continuing efforts towards safety and security programs and procedures, as well as communication to the community,” according to spokeswoman Julie Moult. Fairfax holds at least two active-shooter drills per year, Moult said, one in the first 20 days of school and one after the first 60 days. All grades except for kindergarten and preschool partici- pate. And in Alexandria City Public Schools, officials are collaborat- ing “closely” with police to ensure that any threats are ad- dressed immediately, said acting chief of facilities and operations Alicia Hart. Students, staffers and families in Alexandria are still reeling from the death of an 18-year-old student who was stabbed Tuesday outside a shop- ping center. Alexandria holds a minimum of five active-threat drills per year involving students in pre- kindergarten through 12th grade, according to Hart. In Fairfax, high school sophomore Brunner said he and his friends are often scared to go to school. “There have been times where I have not shown up to school due to school shooting threats,” he said. “Each day you walk in the doors is a gamble.”

D. Ferebee said his system would “work closely” with D.C. police to maintain school safety. Less than 24 hours after the Texas shooting, a man was shot outside D.C.'s Roosevelt High School. The system stationed a police officer outside the school’s front en- trance as students entered Wednesday morning. Every month in the District, each school — no matter the grade level — must conduct a fire drill and a second drill, including possibly a severe weather or mass shooter drill. Principals have some flexibility in which second drills they choose, but each campus must conduct at least two mass shooter drills per academic year. Some D.C. schools plan to hold drills at the end of the month.

student who allegedly brought the gun parts to campus. Elsewhere in Maryland, officials with the Montgomery Coun- ty system said community en- gagement officers would be “con- tinuously checking” on schools this week to ensure student safety. In the Montgomery system, staffers are trained during the first and second semesters on a “lockdown with options” drill, while students undergo that drill during the second quarter or second semester. The drill teach- es students and staff how to handle situations in which they are stuck outside of a locked classroom when a dangerous in- truder enters campus. In the nation’s capital, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis

nearly a decade. On Wednesday and Thursday, schools across D.C., Maryland and Virginia beefed up security, dealt with threats and sent emails to parents meant to bol- ster their confidence in school safety measures. Some districts also explained how they conduct active-shooter drills during the year. In Maryland, one of the high schools in Prince George’s Coun- ty — Fairmont Heights High School in Capitol Heights, Md. — went into lockdown for nearly two hours Thursday after a student told a school resource officer they had seen a classmate with gun parts. County police found parts of a “ghost gun” in a classroom, and later located and arrested the

BY HANNAH NATANSON, PERRY STEIN AND NICOLE ASBURY

In the wake of the deadly
shooting at a Texas elementary
school, students in the D.C. area
walked out of class to call for
stricter gun control laws as
schools heightened and detailed
their security procedures.
About 200 students at McLean
High School in Fairfax County
walked out of class about 1 p.m.
Thursday to urge lawmakers to
ban assault rifles and high-
capacity ammunition magazines,
according to one of the organiz-
ers, 16-year-old Bennett Brunner.
Students at Swanson Middle
School in Arlington Public
Schools also walked out of class
to protest for 15 minutes around
lunchtime. The walkouts were
part of a nationwide demonstra-
tion organized by youth advocacy
group Students Demand Action.
Other protests are planned for
this week.
At McLean High, student pro-
testers rallied near the front of
the school for about 10 minutes
as Brunner and two of his co-or-
ganizers gave speeches advocat-
ing for new gun laws and better
mental health resources at
schools. The teens chanted, “Am I
next?”
Brunner said adults consis-
tently fail to listen to school-age
children, who have the most at
stake when it comes to school
shootings.
“Often, the older population
looks down upon the youth and
says, ‘What are you going to do
about it? You can’t vote,’” Brun-
ner said. “But ... in four years
we’re going to be the people with
the ballots. If you do not have
comprehensive and secure gun
legislation, then you will be voted
out of power, because it’s not
getting better.”
The mass shooting at Robb
Elementary School in Uvalde,
Tex., on Tuesday left 21 dead — 19
children and two adults. It was
the deadliest school shooting in

THE REGION

Texas shooting stokes student protests for gun control

Walkouts come as local districts beef up security, spell out safety measures

VALERIE PLESCH FOR THE WASHINGTON POST McLean High School students protest outside the Fairfax County school in the wake of the massacre at a high school in Uvalde, Tex. Administrators across the region sought to allay parents’ concerns with explanations of what they are doing to keep students safe.

“In four years we’re

going to be the people

with the ballots. If you

do not have

comprehensive and

secure gun legislation,

then you will be voted

out of power.” Bennett Brunner, sophomore at McLean High School and co-organizer of Thursday’s walkout

The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-27)

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