D.C. Health responds to Councilmember Grosso's Performance Oversight Follow-Up Letter

On March 3, 2020, Councilmember Grosso, chairperson of the Committee on Education, sent a letter to Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director of the D.C. Department of Heath (D.C. Health) with follow-up questions regarding her testimony at the Department of Health Performance Oversight Hearing. The councilmember requested further information from D.C. Health regarding health and gender equity in our schools, providing the required 40-hours of nurse coverage a week at every school, and provision of comprehensive sex education, including sexual violence prevention education.

Director Nesbitt and the Department of Health sent responses on May 22, 2020. That letter can be found below.

You can read the full letter and the responses below and here.

CM Grosso's Letter to DOH following POH by Team_Grosso on Scribd

DOH Response to CM Grosso's POH Letter by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Councilmember Grosso urges Mayor Bowser to engage proactively with new BOP contractor

Today, Councilmember Grosso sent a letter to the Mayor to ask her to proactively engage with the new Bureau of Prisons’ halfway house contractor and the nearby communities to ensure success for our returning citizens and address community concerns.

“Through proactive action, we can position the facility for successful reintegration of our residents and the shared prosperity of the nearby community. Our returning citizens who will be staying at the halfway house, the contractor running the facility, the community, and our government agencies must be partners in this effort.”

You can read the full letter below and here.

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 'THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING 4350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004 David Grosso Committee Member Councilmember At-Large Government Operations Chairperson, Committee on Education Health Human Services Labor and Workforce Development February 38, 2020 Mayor Muriel Bowser 3350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20004 Mayor Bowser: {1am writing today regarding the federal Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) selection of a new halfway house contractor for D.C.

DHHS responds to Councilmember Grosso's concerns over the clearing of K Street Underpass

On January 15, 2020, Councilmember David Grosso, chairperson of the Committee on Education and member of the Committee on Health, sent a letter to Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage expressing concern over the Department of Human Services’ plan for the removal of the people who inhabit the space under the railroad bridge on K Street NE.

Included in the letter are questions regarding concerns about hypothermia season, DHHS’s intentions of keeping the area permanently clear, and DHS’s communication with the people living under bridge prior to the plan was finalized.

The Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services has since responded, explaining the process for the removal and next steps moving forward.

You can view the letter from Councilmember Grosso and DMHHS’s response below:

01152020 Letter to DMHHS on K Street by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Councilmember Grosso1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 402Washington, DC 20004 Councilmember Grosso, Please find responses to your questions below. If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out. 1.) What outreach has DMHHS or DHS conducted to inform people living on the sidewalk of the coming clearing of belongings and the intention of the Mayor that people not return to the area?

Councilmember Grosso1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 402Washington, DC 20004 Councilmember Grosso, Please find responses to your questions below. If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out. 1.) What outreach has DMHHS or DHS conducted to inform people living on the sidewalk of the coming clearing of belongings and the intention of the Mayor that people not return to the area?

Councilmember David Grosso's FY21 Budget Letter requests greater investments in student success

Today, Councilmember David Grosso sent his letter to Mayor Bowser with his priorities for her to consider as she develops Fiscal Year 2021 District of Columbia budget proposal. The letter highlights that greater investments in schools is needed to support our students' needs and our educators' missions. Highlights include:

• Requests a 4% increase in per-student funding for new support staff and trauma-informed training.

• Requests $3M to support the early literacy intervention grant program to get students on reading level by third grade.

• Requests $1.5M to study, support, and expand student safe passage to school.

• Requests $250,000 for arts and humanities education data collection and visualization.

• Requests a restoration of $825M in capital funding to accelerate school modernizations and ensure additional school communities receive a safe, healthy, and modern facility sooner.

• Requests inclusion of full capital funding to provide the Congress Heights community assurance that a free-standing, modern Parklands-Turner Library branch is on the way.

Read the full letter below.

20191218 FY21 Budget Letter... by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Councilmember Grosso requests answers from DBH on St. Elizabeths water emergency

Today, Councilmember David Grosso sent a letter to Dr. Barbara Bazron, Director of the Department of Behavioral Health, requesting answers to the ongoing water contamination emergency at St. Elizabeths Hospital.

“I appreciate the information you have shared and the efforts you have undertaken to this point. While I am frustrated that the water emergency plan and communication about it could have been better implemented, I was willing to wait to examine the issue further after the immediate emergency was abated,” wrote Grosso. “Now that the initial treatment effort failed to resolve the problem, however, I believe that more urgent action is needed.”

Grosso posed questions to the Department about patient safety, contingency, and communications plans as the emergency continues. He requested answers to those by the end of day Friday, October 25th, 2019

10232019 Grosso Letter to DBH Re St. Elizabeths Water Emergency by Team_Grosso on Scribd

DMV responds to Councilmember Grosso's inquiry regarding facial recognition

Councilmember David Grosso, joined by Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, inquired with the director of the Department of Motor Vehicles about the department’s use of facial recognition technology and possible sharing of photographs or other biometric data with other local or federal government agencies or private parties.

“We are deeply concerned about the rapid advancement and use of facial recognition technology, which has serious implications for the civil liberties and welfare of residents of the District of Columbia,” the councilmembers wrote in a July letter to Director Gabriel Robinson.

According to a recent report from the Georgetown Center for Privacy and Technology, several states have allowed Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to run facial recognition software on the driver license or non-driver identity card photographs of individuals without regularized immigration status. Further, the Government Accountability Office published a report in June detailing the far-reaching program at the Federal Bureau of Investigations to scan photographs held by state-level agencies through facial recognition technology.

In his response, Director Robinson indicted that the DMV has not shared any photographs or biometrics with ICE and closely follow existing D.C. law which strictly limits who they can share information with. DMV has no formal agreements with any agency other than the Central Collections Unit regarding unpaid parking and moving violations.

However, they also state that they make no effort inform limited purpose license holders that they do not share info with ICE, something that is important for that community to be aware of as many may be fearful of obtaining a drivers license if they think it could threaten their status in this country.

CM Grosso Lettter to DMV on Facial Recognition by Team_Grosso on Scribd

DMV Response to CM Grosso L... by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso and five other Councilmembers request DOC comply with exceptions for employees in medical marijuana programs

On April 25, Councilmember David Grosso, joined by Councilmembers Robert White, Brianne Nadeau, Charles Allen, Vincent Gray, and Trayon White, sent a letter to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Kevin Donahue and Department of Corrections Director Quincy Booth requesting that the DOC immediately comply with instructions that allow for employment-related drug testing exceptions for enrollees in medical marijuana programs.

“We are writing out of deep concern for the Department of Corrections’ current practices in regard to employees, or candidates for employment, who are participants in the District of Columbia, or another state’s medical marijuana program. We ask that you immediately bring the DOC into compliance with Department of Human Resources District Personnel Manual Instruction No. 4-34,” they wrote.

The D.C. Department of Human Resources specifically sets out an exception for government employees enrolled in medical marijuana programs in DPM Instruction No. 4-34, similar to exceptions for other prescription drugs.

“…[O]ur concern is not about recreational use of marijuana but rather medical use, a topic that the District of Columbia government experts in human resources have considered,” the councilmembers wrote. “The result of that consideration is DPM instruction No. 4-34, and the DOC should follow that expert advice, or have a very compelling reason for deviating from it.”

The councilmembers also requested that DOC reverse any adverse personnel actions toward employees or candidates for employment which were based solely on their status as a patient enrolled in a medical marijuana program and a positive THC test.

The letter sent yesterday represents the latest inquiry on the topic after Director Booth failed to explain the DOC’s policies in his January response to a letter Councilmember Grosso sent in November 2018 asking whether or not DOC was taking into account employees’ enrollment in medical marijuana programs as part of such testing.

“If an employee, for example, is undergoing treatment for cancer and is prescribed medical marijuana by a doctor to help with the side effects of treatment, it seems unreasonable and inappropriate that the employee would be penalized, or even subject to termination, because of seeking such medical care,” Grosso wrote in November.

Director Booth laid out DOC’s practices and procedures and its adherence to District law. However, the response sidestepped a question specifically aimed at how DOC treats employees enrolled in the medical marijuana program, instead focusing on how DOC complies, as other D.C. agencies do, with the impact of Initiative 71.

Initiative 71 dealt with recreational, not medical, marijuana.

Read Councilmember Grosso’s letter and DOC’s responses below.

Letter to DMPSJ and DOC Fro... by on Scribd

Grosso urges quick implementation of protected bike lanes on 6th and 9th Streets NW

Councilmember David Grosso sent a letter last week to Director of the D.C. Department of Transportation expressing his disappointment at the lack of progress of protected bike lanes on 6th Street and 9th Street NW between Florida and Pennsylvania Avenues, NW.

Changes in the area, including the reopening of MLK Library and removal of bike and bus lanes, necessitate a speedy implementation of both these protect bike lanes to improve mobility and safety for cyclists on corridors that touch Wards 1, 2, and 6.

You can read the full letter below and here.

03072019 Letter to DDOT - 6... by on Scribd

Chairperson Grosso sends follow up questions to education agencies after roundtable on improving school attendance,

Councilmember David Grosso, chairperson of the Committee on Education, today sent letters to the acting D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Dr. Lewis Ferebee, the Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn, and Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants Director Michelle Garcia with follow-up questions related to the joint Committee on Education/Committee of the Whole roundtable on Improving School Attendance held on January 31.

• Read the letter sent to Acting Chancellor Lewis Ferebee here. Responses are due Feb. 22, 2019

• Read the letter sent to Deputy Mayor Paul Kihn here. Responses are due March 1, 2019

• Read the letter sent to Director Garcia here. Responses are due Feb. 22, 2019.

Grosso leads Council comments opposed to Trump Administration's proposed Title IX changes

Councilmember David Grosso, chairperson of the Committee on Education, sent a letter signed by every member of the Council of the District of Columbia, to U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos opposing the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to Title IX enforcement for failing to properly address the realities of sexual harassment and assault in schools.

“As local elected officials, including the chairperson of the D.C. Council Committee on Education, we support a robust oversight role by the Department and we look to the Department to set the bar for ourselves and other jurisdictions in protecting our students,” the Councilmembers wrote. “The proposed rules would restrict our ability to build upon the floor that federal laws and rules should allow, thereby undermining your goal of providing greater control over these decisions to local communities.”

Last year, Grosso introduced and the Council unanimously passed the School Safety Act, which requires all schools to have policies in place to prevent and properly respond to sexual abuse by adults against children and sexual harassment and assault among students, including dating violence. The act also increases the requirements of what efforts D.C. Public Schools and charter schools must make to uncover past sexual misconduct of any potential employees who will have direct contact with students.

Councilmembers expressed their concerns that changes to Title IX could undermine this work, including its ability to address off-campus incidents which have on-campus effects.

“We heard consistently from schools, students and parents, and experts about the need for schools to be able to respond to incidents of abuse or harassment that happen outside of school hours or off-campus,” Councilmembers wrote, referencing testimony they heard in considering the school safety legislation. “This could include online harassment or an abuse near school that significantly disrupts students’ ability to learn. The proposed rules would contradict this by requiring schools to dismiss a complaint if the alleged conduct “did not occur within the [school’s] program or activity.”

The Council also raised concerns over language that forces schools to ignore harassment until it becomes incredibly severe, raise the bar on what is considered “deliberate indifference” to complaints of misconduct, and allow parochial schools greater freedom in claiming religious exemptions from fulfilling their Title IX responsibilities.

“Taken together, these proposed rules represent a serious misstep in the ongoing effort to address safety and stop discrimination in education. We ask that you withdraw the proposed rulemaking and reconsider the best way to ensure safety for students,” the Councilmembers concluded.

You can read the full letter below and here.

DC Council Signed Letter to... by on Scribd

DISB responds to Councilmember Grosso on delayed public bank study

On January 16 the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking (DISB) sent a response to Councilmember Grosso’s Jan. 9 letter inquiring about the status of a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a public bank in the District of Columbia and requesting an explanation for the delay in its delivery.

In the letter, Director Stephen Taylor informed Councilmember Grosso that the feasibility study was delayed due to additional requested work and that the draft report is currently under review. The final step will be final review from the Executive Office of the Mayor, but Director Taylor was unable to provide a date certain for public release of the study.

The councilmember secured the funding for the feasibility study in the FY2018 budget.

“I have long advocated for a public bank because I believe its establishment would enable the city to serve as a participation lender, partnering instead of competing against local banks, to drive lending to small businesses and others that have been historically denied access to credit,” Grosso wrote.

Read the letters below.

011619 Response from DISB by on Scribd

01092019 CM Grosso Letter t... by on Scribd

Dept. of Corrections response leaves unanswered questions on employees in medical marijuana programs

In November, Councilmember Grosso sent a letter to the Department of Corrections to inquire about the Department’s policy and practices for drug and alcohol testing of employees. Specifically, the councilmember was interested in whether or not DOC was taking into account employees’ enrollment in medical marijuana programs as part of such testing.

“If an employee, for example, is undergoing treatment for cancer and is prescribed medical marijuana by a doctor to help with the side effects of treatment, it seems unreasonable and inappropriate that the employee would be penalized, or even subject to termination, because of seeking such medical care,” Grosso wrote.

After a delayed response, Director Quincy Booth laid out DOC’s practices and procedures and its adherence to District law. However, the response sidestepped a question specifically aimed at how DOC takes into account an employees enrollment in the medical marijuana program, instead focusing on how DOC complies, as other D.C. agencies do, with the impact of Initiative 71.

Initiative 71 dealt with recreational, not medical, marijuana.

The D.C. Department of Human Resources specifically sets out an exception for medical marijuana in District Personnel Manual Instruction No. 4-34, similar to exceptions for other prescription drugs

Councilmember Grosso will follow up with the Department of Corrections and the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety to ensure District government employees in the medical marijuana program are treated equally to those who require other prescription drugs for medical purposes.

Read Councilmember Grosso’s letter and DOC’s responses below.

11292018 CM Grosso Letter t... by on Scribd

01092019 DOC DT Response to... by on Scribd

Councilmember Grosso requests update on delayed public bank feasibility study

Councilmember Grosso sent a letter to the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) today inquiring about the status of a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a public bank in the District of Columbia and requesting an explanation for the delay in its delivery.

“I have long advocated for a public bank because I believe its establishment would enable the city to serve as a participation lender, partnering instead of competing against local banks, to drive lending to small businesses and others that have been historically denied access to credit,” Grosso wrote.

The councilmember secured the funding for the feasibility study in the FY2018 budget.

“As we are now four months into Fiscal Year 2019, I am deeply disappointed that neither I nor the public has seen the study.”

Grosso requested an update on the study and a specific date for finalization from DISB Commissioner Stephen Taylor by Wednesday, January 16.

Read the letter below.

01092019 CM Grosso Letter t... by on Scribd

Grosso expresses concerns over Providence Hospital closure

On September 26, 2018, Councilmember David Grosso sent a letter to the Department of Health about his concerns regarding the planned closure of Providence Hospital’s acute care services and to better understand DOH’s role during the transition.

“Ascension’s decision to close acute-care services at Providence Hospital is devastating as three-quarters of patients accessing care at Providence are D.C. residents primarily coming from Wards 5, 7, and 8,” wrote Grosso. “This loss of much needed medical care on the east side of the city greatly limits access and may exacerbate already troubling health outcomes for our residents in these communities.”

On October 3, the Department of Health respond with a letter outlining their role. Both can be found below.

Letter to DOH Re-Providence Hospital by Team_Grosso on Scribd

DOH Providence Hospital Response Letter to CM Grosso by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso questions Bowser administration on implementation of changes to Kids Ride Free program

Today, Councilmember David Grosso, chairperson of the Committee on Education, sent a letter to Director of the District Department of Transporation Jeff Marootian, interim Deputy Mayor for Education Ahnna Smith, and City Administrator Rashad Young after constituents reported that hundreds students have not yet received new Kids Ride Free (KRF) SmarTrip cards which provide free access to Metrorail, Metrobus, and D.C. Circulator.

“Recently, I learned that 775 students at D.C. International School need KRF cards, but have not yet received them, and this problem extends to other schools as well. This is unacceptable. The KRF program was created four years ago to ensure our school system is more equitable for students and families in the District of Columbia. Without access to public transportation, I am concerned that many students will not be able to go to school.”

UPDATE: City Administrator Rashad Young responded to Councilmember Grosso on September 25. The letter can be found below.

09242018 Letter to the City Administrator DDOT and DME - Student DC One Cards[2] by Team_Grosso on Scribd

CM Grosso Kids Ride Free Response 9.24.18 by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso inquires about access to home and hospital instruction services for students

On July 11, 2018, Councilmember David Grosso, chairperson of the Committee on Education and member of the Committee on Health, sent a letter to interim D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Amanda Alexander expressing concern that some children may not be receiving Home and Hospital Instruction Program (HIPP) services which are aimed at supporting students with physical disability and/or health impairment who are confined to home or hospital for three or more weeks.

"...there seems to be a lack of information and transparency about the process for determining a child's eligibility for HIPP and for appealing that decision," he wrote.

UPDATE: Grosso provided a list of questions to DCPS and received a response on August 3rd from DCPS which can be found here and below, along with the HHIP program manual and original letter from Councilmember Grosso.

8.3.2018 DCPS HHIP Response_final by Team_Grosso on Scribd

HHIP Program Manual 17-18 by Team_Grosso on Scribd

07112018 CM Grosso letter to DCPS re: HHIP by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso sends letter to Mayor Bowser outlining budget priorities for FY2019

Today, Councilmember David Grosso, chairperson of the Committee on Education, sent a letter to Mayor Bowser outlining his budget priorities for the Mayor to consider for inclusion in her FY2019 budget proposal.

Ensuring that our students are in the best position to succeed remains Grosso's number one priority as the Chairperson of the Committee on Education.  Fully supporting our students, teachers, and school communities means providing the necessary resources.  For FY2019, Grosso asked the Mayor to:

1.       Meet the non-academic needs of our students through increased investment in the Department of Behavioral Health’s School-Based Mental Health program.

2.      Invest in the successful early literacy intervention program that gets students at or above reading level by third grade.

3.       Give our teachers the tools to educate all our students by funding school-based special education teacher training.

4.      Support the expansion of vital out-of-school time programs with increased funding for the Office of Out of School Time and Youth Outcomes.

5.      Continue equitable investment in community based organizations who are providing care to at-risk pre-kindergarten children.

6.      Aid child care providers by raising the subsidy reimbursement rates to more closely align with the cost of care.

Additionally, Grosso asked the Mayor to support funding for many of his policy priorities that have become law in the past few years:

1.       Provide financial stability for workers caring for themselves or their family by investing fully in the implementation of the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016.

2.      Assist residents managing their educational financing by funding a separate student loan ombudsman at the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.

3.       Support the newly established D.C. State Athletics Commission with funding for two new full-time position.

4.      Provide equitable access to vital identity documents by funding fee exemptions for low-income residents.

5.      Remove the influence of big dollar donors and promote equitable participation in our local elections by fully funding the Fair Elections Amendment Act of 2017

You can read the full letter to Mayor Bowser below.

Letter to Mayor Boswer on Grosso FY2019 Budget Priorities by Team_Grosso on Scribd

DOH, DBH responds to Grosso letter regarding safe injection sites to combat the opioid crisis

Councilmember David Grosso received a letter from Department of Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt and Department of Behavioral Health Director Dr. Tanya Royster in response to his Sept. 19 letter urging exploration of supervised injection facilities (SIFs) as part of a comprehensive public health approach to combating the opioid crisis and saving lives in the District of Columbia.

DOH/DBH's letter details Dr. Nesbitt's findings from a recent site-visit to a SIF in Vancouver. SIFs there have led to a decrease in opioid-related deaths and, to date, have not experienced an overdose related death on-premises. 

DOH and DBH noted that the success of such facilities has been made possible by coordination between local and federal authorities in Canada, which could present a barrier to implementation in the District of Columbia.

However, the Opioid Working Group is committed to reducing harm and deaths associated with the opioid crisis and will consider what would be required to implement SIFs in D.C. as it develops the Opioid Strategic Plan over the next few months.

You can read the response letter and the original letter sent by Councilmember Grosso below.

DOH/DBH Response to CM Grosso regarding supervised injection facilities by Team_Grosso on Scribd

CM Grosso Letter to DOH on Safe Injection Facilities by Team_Grosso on Scribd

Grosso raises concerns over police militarization with MPD

Councilmember Grosso is deeply concerned that we are not doing enough to prevent the militarization of law enforcement in the District of Columbia. To that end, he sent two letters to Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham last month asking him about two separate programs.

The first letter asked Chief Newsham to reject changes made by the Trump administration to Obama era guidelines that placed critical safeguards on the transfer of military-grade equipment to local law enforcement agencies under the 1033 Program.  Councilmember Grosso believes that continuous improvement of police-community relations requires both good practices and projecting the right image.  A militarized police force is not the right one for our city.

The second letter expressed Councilmember Grosso's concerns over the planned participation an MPD leader in a training with military forces and intelligence services in Israel. While he believes strongly in cross-cultural exchanges and the importance of training for our law enforcement officers, learning from military advisors is not what local law enforcement needs.

Chief Newsham responded to both of Councilmember Grosso's letters.  His responses, and Councilmember Grosso's original letters, can be found below.

Councilmember Grosso Letter to Chief Newsham on Military Equipment by Team_Grosso on Scribd

MPD Response to CM Gross on 1033 Program by Team_Grosso on Scribd

09072017 CM Grosso Letter to Newsham on Training by Team_Grosso on Scribd

MPD Response to CM Grosso on Military Training Practices by Team_Grosso on Scribd