K-12 Schools & COVID

[The Lens]

You assume that the bolded is absolutely horrible. In many of these areas, the educational environment in person is absolutely horrible. It is certainly possible, that the virtual environment, is better for students dedicated to learning, as they may not have to deal with the real fear of being beaten, threatened, etc. in school and can focus on learning instead of distractions from unruly students.

My conversations with teachers in those systems suggests otherwise.

[Its DJOver]

Online only is bringing problems to the forefront.  Covid did not create these problems, it's just shining a brighter light on them.

[Galway Eagle]

Just asked and there's been 9 covid cases in my Fiancé's MPS HS in the past 1.5 weeks. It's not at full faculty as a lot of teachers got exemptions from teaching in the building. If every student and teacher was there how much more exposure would there be?

[The Lens]

Just asked and there's been 9 covid cases in my Fiancé's MPS HS in the past 1.5 weeks. It's not at full faculty as a lot of teachers got exemptions from teaching in the building. If every student and teacher was there how much more exposure would there be?

Ask Fluffy how much transmission is occurring in his school's classrooms.  Wear a mask. 

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Just asked and there's been 9 covid cases in my Fiancé's MPS HS in the past 1.5 weeks. It's not at full faculty as a lot of teachers got exemptions from teaching in the building. If every student and teacher was there how much more exposure would there be?

If kids and staff were distanced and compliant?  Probably not too many.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Hey Lens.  Check your PMs please.

[Galway Eagle]

If kids and staff were distanced and compliant?  Probably not too many.

Well yeah but that relates back to my first response to him. If kids were compliant in general at MPS then hell MPS wouldn't have the reputation it does. That's why I stated that I get why in person can work in some places but at MPS? No way.

[The Lens]

nm

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Well yeah but that relates back to my first response to him. If kids were compliant in general at MPS then hell MPS wouldn't have the reputation it does. That's why I stated that I get why in person can work in some places but at MPS? No way.

But then deal with the discipline issue.  Don't make the entire school suffer because of it.

[Galway Eagle]

But then deal with the discipline issue.  Don't make the entire school suffer because of it.

How do you propose that it gets solved? There's things that are much worse than mask wearing that kids don't get suspended over. If you have a kid choke a teacher and he's back in class the next day because the school can't suspend another minority student how do you intend on enforcing something as small but necessary as mask wearing with discipline?

I don't think it's plausible given the restrictions district admins have set on the schools.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

40% of high school students are failing in St Paul, MN.

https://www.kare11.com/amp/article/news/education/nearing-end-of-1st-quarter-nearly-40-of-st-paul-public-high-school-students-have-failing-grades/89-d3da0082-10e5-4673-b96c-9502a9044b9b?__twitter_impression=true

The education gap for low income and those that lack resources & support vs middle amd upper class kids is going to be staggering in a few years.

[mu_hilltopper]

40% of high school students are failing in St Paul, MN.

The education gap for low income and those that lack resources & support vs middle amd upper class kids is going to be staggering in a few years.

... to be noted, they said 40% is double what it is normally.   So we're talking about "only" an additional 20%.   

St. Paul is probably one of the better off districts, too.  I'd bet if they released the number for Chicago, NYC, Detroit, Philly, etc .. it would be even worse.

[Pakuni]

One thing I haven't seen talked about - perhaps I missed it - is the challenge of staffing. At least a few school districts in my region have had to move to virtual learning because so many faculty members have been forced into quarantine that they don't have enough people to staff their buildings.
And, remember, because the schools that have opened also have to offer remote for those who want/need it (such as students with an at-risk person in the home) staffs already are stretched thin.

[The Lens]

One thing I haven't seen talked about - perhaps I missed it - is the challenge of staffing. At least a few school districts in my region have had to move to virtual learning because so many faculty members have been forced into quarantine that they don't have enough people to staff their buildings.
And, remember, because the schools that have opened also have to offer remote for those who want/need it (such as students with an at-risk person in the home) staffs already are stretched thin.

There are no easy answers.  I know I talk a tough game but as Fluffy noted, there's some hyperbole there.  I just think that many places are taking the easy way out and not trying to come up with a solution. 

[injuryBug]

our district just went virtual with the HS for 2 weeks huge spike in cases and close contacts this past week.  Not sure on exact numbers but enough to shut down school today.  As mentioned before their was reckless behavior from students and parents as well.  It finally caught up to them at the cost of the kids and families that do things the right way.
Middle school is also virtual until after thanksgiving.  elementary school is holding strong although 1 family that had all 4 members test positive sent their 3rd grader who just tested positive to school cause he did not have symptoms.

[GooooMarquette]

NYC schools back to all distance learning, as of tomorrow.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/18/world/covid-19-coronavirus?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage#nyc-will-shutter-public-schools-on-thursday-as-virus-cases-increase

New York City’s entire public school system will shutter on Thursday, Chancellor Richard A. Carranza wrote in an email to school principals, in a worrisome signal that a second wave of the coronavirus has arrived. Schools have been open for in-person instruction for just under eight weeks.

The shutdown — which was prompted by the city reaching a 3 percent test positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average — is perhaps the most significant setback for New York’s recovery since the spring, when the city was a global epicenter of the outbreak.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

My kid went completely remote learning this week until at least December 7.
The last 2 weeks we've been getting 2 notices a day of "someone testing positive in the school community".

[injuryBug]

What are other school district doing with regards to extracurriculars if school is virtual?
Our district says no extracurriculars if school is virtual. 

[Hards Alumni]

What I still don't understand is how can we be sure that students aren't spreading this asymptomatically?  We aren't testing students regularly.  Wasn't one of the original theories that kids are spreaders?  Can someone help me out?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

What I still don't understand is how can we be sure that students aren't spreading this asymptomatically?  We aren't testing students regularly.  Wasn't one of the original theories that kids are spreaders?  Can someone help me out?

I have seen that the older the group of children, the more readily they spread.  So not much at the elementary level.

[GooooMarquette]

I have seen that the older the group of children, the more readily they spread.  So not much at the elementary level.

But again to Hards’ question: if they aren’t regularly testing the younger kids, and given the fact that younger kids are more frequently asymptomatic, how can we be sure that the younger kids aren’t spreading it in their communities?

I don’t know the answer, but it seems like it could simply be a matter of “we don’t know what we don’t know.“

[injuryBug]

But again to Hards’ question: if they aren’t regularly testing the younger kids, and given the fact that younger kids are more frequently asymptomatic, how can we be sure that the younger kids aren’t spreading it in their communities?

I don’t know the answer, but it seems like it could simply be a matter of “we don’t know what we don’t know.“

My wife teaches elementary school and they are face to face.  They have not had 1 case to the staff.  They have seen I think 5 kids k-4 test positive from exposure from their parents.  1 school of about 400 kids so that is my experience.  They are the only school in our district to not go virtual as well due to an increase in cases.

[Marquette Fan]

What are other school district doing with regards to extracurriculars if school is virtual?
Our district says no extracurriculars if school is virtual.

We have 2 high schools, 2 middle schools and 2 elementary schools virtual now in our District in what the Superintendent is calling a 'pause' with a temporary switch to virtual.  The extracurricular activities are going on still as far as I know.  But that only applies to the high schools as there are no extra curricular activities happening in the middle or elementary schools in our District this year.

[MU82]

There are no easy answers.  I know I talk a tough game but as Fluffy noted, there's some hyperbole there.  I just think that many places are taking the easy way out and not trying to come up with a solution.

The Charlotte system’s leaders are getting a lot of shyte because middle schools were supposed to start in-person learning but they had to postpone it till after the new year because of a shortage of bus drivers.

Parents are asking, “You had 3 freakin months to get enough drivers.”

It’s probably not that simple, but I hear what they’re saying.

[GooooMarquette]

The Charlotte system’s leaders are getting a lot of shyte because middle schools were supposed to start in-person learning but they had to postpone it till after the new year because of a shortage of bus drivers.

Parents are asking, “You had 3 freakin months to get enough drivers.”

It’s probably not that simple, but I hear what they’re saying.

Don’t know what things are like down there, but they are always short of bus drivers around here. My wife works for the school district, and said with Covid a number of the older drivers retired, so they would not have had enough if all the schools had been in-person. It certainly is not for lack of trying to hire them because I always see ads and billboards.