Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott Thursday ordered the dismissal of in-person instruction at all Vermont schools for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. This latest decision extends the order Scott issued on March 18 calling for the temporary dismissal of preK-12 schools through April 6. Remote learning now will begin April 13.
On Friday morning, Scott and members of his administration further explained his reasoning,
“We find ourselves at a time when there’s no road map,” Scott said. School districts are now required to develop and implement continued education plans for remote learning by April 13, with technical guidance from the Vermont Agency of Education.
Health Commissioner Mark Levine updates the latest Health Department news on Friday morning as Governor Scott listens. 
Click image to view the full press conference.
When asked if the state’s response efforts are an overreaction, Scott was clear that he’d rather be criticized for doing too much rather than too little: “It’s highly contagious and people are very infectious, and we have to take this seriously now. If this is an overreaction, I’ll take the brunt of that … public safety is first.”
He also said there was too much uncertainty over when it would be safe to return to school, if at all this academic year.
So for the sake of continuity of the educational programs that the school districts would need to implement, he felt it was important to move forward with a single plan for distance learning.
“This is tough, tough stuff,” he said.
This does not mean, however, that graduation ceremonies are necessarily cancelled, he said. For that we would all need to wait and see how COVID-19 progressed and hopefully diminished.
Scott said the timeline for businesses resuming operations may not match the school calendar year.
“Our hope is businesses will be allowed to go back to work when it’s safe and the timing is right,” he added.
Click here to read the full text of Scott’s directive.
Cost of Learning, Earning a Living under One Roof?
Despite the March 18 order from Vermont’s Public Utilities Commission blocking the disconnection of certain utility services through April 30, some Vermonters are still receiving disconnect notices from telecommunications companies.
A Comcast customer in Chittenden County received such a notice for both phone and broadband after the PUC’s order. As Comcast is not a state-regulated utility, the state can only offer guidance, not direction, the governor said, but will work with all utilities to ensure Vermonters retain services during this time.
Anyone receiving an involuntary disconnect notice for electricity, natural gas or telecommunications services is urged to call 2-1-1 for assistance. It is unclear at this point what action may be taken to assist Vermonters in paying the larger electric and heating bills which may come as a result of the “stay at home” lifestyle.
However, later on Friday, the Vermont Public Utilities Commission issued a second directive that indicated that all utilities, including telecommunications, and now water companies, must adhere to their “no disconnect” order issued March 18 and to last until at least April 30. It directed utilities “to stop any disconnection of residential utility service due to nonpayment of electricity, natural gas, and telecommunication bills.”
What this Means for the Business Community
Childcare services will remain available for families with parents deemed essential to the COVID-19 response. For others, however, childcare facilities remain closed.
In the meantime, the administration is working with legislators on a number of issues impacting businesses. While many grocery stores, deemed essential businesses, are asking shoppers not to bring reusable bags to slow the spread of germs, Vermont’s plastic bag ban is set to take effect on July 1, 2020. Lawmakers are considering postponing this measure, according to Scott.
Assistance for impacted businesses continues to grow. Currently Small Business Administration loans are available for Vermont businesses impacted by COVID-19: https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources.
Unemployment benefits have been made available to all Vermonters unable to work because of COVID-19, and extended to include self-employed and independent contractors.
The work search requirement has been waived for those laid off during the emergency, or those who had their hours reduced. The Unemployment Division of the Vermont Department of Labor has tripled staffing levels, and online claims can be filed at the following link: https://vermont.force.com/DOLClaim/s/.