K-12 Schools & COVID

[Hards Alumni]

It reads to me like you think it would and should. 

But if it that same comment was made on a thread talking about going to a bar in person, virtually, or a mix of both I would read going to a bar "as normal" as meaning actually physically going to the bar and wouldn't then jump to the conclusion of that patron or bar not taking necessary steps to do it safely.

When you say "normal", and don't follow it up with "while taking necessary steps to do it safely"... then I'm going to take normal to mean normal.

It wasn't jumping to conclusions, it was taking you at your word.  If you feel differently now, that is fine.  Just say that so we can all move on either way.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Considering he's the guy who unleashed the virus, I'd say he's an authority.

Don't be so stupid.

Fauci unleashed the virus; Gates is using it to chip people.

[pacearrow02]

When you say "normal", and don't follow it up with "while taking necessary steps to do it safely"... then I'm going to take normal to mean normal.

It wasn't jumping to conclusions, it was taking you at your word.  If you feel differently now, that is fine.  Just say that so we can all move on either way.

Last word....I win

[Hards Alumni]

Last word....I win

[forgetful]

Does anyone else remember in the beginning of the whole COVID thing, when all the data showed that kids were a major vector of asymptomatic spread?

Suddenly we are using epidemiology information, of children under strict quarantine. The only population that can't decide for themselves to violate quarantine, to prove that they don't spread.

Data from the camp in Georgia seems to reconfirm the original data, that kids are a rampant source of asymptomatic spread.

[GooooMarquette]

Does anyone else remember in the beginning of the whole COVID thing, when all the data showed that kids were a major vector of asymptomatic spread?

Suddenly we are using epidemiology information, of children under strict quarantine. The only population that can't decide for themselves to violate quarantine, to prove that they don't spread.

Data from the camp in Georgia seems to reconfirm the original data, that kids are a rampant source of asymptomatic spread.

Agreed. For those who haven't read about the GA camp outbreak:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/health/coronavirus-children-camp.html

The camp implemented several precautionary measures against the virus, but stopped short of requiring campers to wear masks. The virus blazed through the community of about 600 campers and counselors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.

The staff and counselors gathered at the overnight camp in late June. Within a week of the camp orientation, a teenage counselor developed chills and went home.

The camp, which the C.D.C. did not name, started sending campers home the next day, and shut down a few days later. By then, 76 percent of the 344 campers and staffers whose test results were available to C.D.C. researchers had been infected with the virus — nearly half the camp.

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And schools are about to open...with many districts making masks 'recommended, but not required'? Yikes!

[Uncle Rico]

Agreed. For those who haven't read about the GA camp outbreak:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/health/coronavirus-children-camp.html

The camp implemented several precautionary measures against the virus, but stopped short of requiring campers to wear masks. The virus blazed through the community of about 600 campers and counselors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.

The staff and counselors gathered at the overnight camp in late June. Within a week of the camp orientation, a teenage counselor developed chills and went home.

The camp, which the C.D.C. did not name, started sending campers home the next day, and shut down a few days later. By then, 76 percent of the 344 campers and staffers whose test results were available to C.D.C. researchers had been infected with the virus — nearly half the camp.

--------------------

And schools are about to open...with many districts making masks 'recommended, but not required'? Yikes!

What is incredibly frustrating about this is, the 1918 pandemic was largely spread by army camps.  Yes, this pandemic isn't as deadly but the lessons should still apply.  Good lord this is nauseating

[TSmith34, Inc.]

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[jesmu84]

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If you ask those who support return to school, they say they aren't worried about the kids because this doesn't really impact kids.

As Americans, we seem to lack basic understanding of spread of disease.

The issue isn't the kids getting sick. It's them spreading the disease through communities.

[mu_hilltopper]

Equally mindblowing of getting 260 kids infected at camp is .. they (of course) sent them HOME to infect even more people.

What a cluster-f.

[Jockey]

Equally mindblowing of getting 260 kids infected at camp is .. they (of course) sent them HOME to infect even more people.

What a cluster-f.

Even more equally mind blowing is hundreds of parents willfully sending their kids of in the middle of a pandemic. In a state in the middle of a spike.

Where are Social Services when you actually need them?

[Big Papi]

If you ask those who support return to school, they say they aren't worried about the kids because this doesn't really impact kids.

As Americans, we seem to lack basic understanding of spread of disease.

The issue isn't the kids getting sick. It's them spreading the disease through communities.

This impacts everyone but I support the return to school.  I would love for all of us to stay home and isolated but how would society survive without essential services.  School is an essential service.  If its not, why make it mandatory. 

Unfortunately, I have to go to work.  I have to pay the bills.  I am not privileged or rich to be able to hire tutors to teach my kids.  The upper and upper middle class has the luxury of mommy or daddy staying home with the kids to teach them or paying tutors to teach their kids while they work from home no less.  What about the poor.  The families with a single parent who has to go work at the grocery store, or Amazon or food production/packaging plants, etc. that provides you and everyone else food and entertainment, that can't afford to stay home.  There are kids whose only meal is what they get at school.  Kids with learning disabilities that need to go to school.  The rich can opt out and not miss a beat.  Remote learning does not work for a large population of parents. 

How about we actually figure out creative ways to provide in person education in a safe manner.  Temp checks.  6 feet of social distancing in classes.  Plexiglass to protect the teachers.  Year round school with alternating days or weeks so there is in school learning.  Keeping kids in smaller pods and separated so when someone test positive and well the virus does virus and we will have positive cases, we quickly isolate the few.  Masks and shields when in class.  For those that have health issues they can opt out and hopefully they don't get left behind.  These are just some ideas.  I am sure there are better more creative ideas that would work but this stay home and isolate for months and possibly years is not the answer.

There are ways to make in person schooling work.

[The Sultan]

This impacts everyone but I support the return to school.  I would love for all of us to stay home and isolated but how would society survive without essential services.  School is an essential service.  If its not, why make it mandatory. 

Unfortunately, I have to go to work.  I have to pay the bills.  I am not privileged or rich to be able to hire tutors to teach my kids.  The upper and upper middle class has the luxury of mommy or daddy staying home with the kids to teach them or paying tutors to teach their kids while they work from home no less.  What about the poor.  The families with a single parent who has to go work at the grocery store, or Amazon or food production/packaging plants, etc. that provides you and everyone else food and entertainment, that can't afford to stay home.  There are kids whose only meal is what they get at school.  Kids with learning disabilities that need to go to school.  The rich can opt out and not miss a beat.  Remote learning does not work for a large population of parents. 

How about we actually figure out creative ways to provide in person education in a safe manner.  Temp checks.  6 feet of social distancing in classes.  Plexiglass to protect the teachers.  Year round school with alternating days or weeks so there is in school learning.  Keeping kids in smaller pods and separated so when someone test positive and well the virus does virus and we will have positive cases, we quickly isolate the few.  Masks and shields when in class.  For those that have health issues they can opt out and hopefully they don't get left behind.  These are just some ideas.  I am sure there are better more creative ideas that would work but this stay home and isolate for months and possibly years is not the answer.

There are ways to make in person schooling work.

I agree with you.

But I just don't think local districts have the leadership or money to do a lot of these things.

[GooooMarquette]

I agree with you.

But I just don't think local districts have the leadership or money to do a lot of these things.

Agreed. In-person schooling would be great if we could provide all the appropriate safety measures. We can't, and neither the local districts nor the states have the money to do it. The only way we could do it is with appropriate federal funding and leadership, and I'm not holding my breath for that to happen.

Because school districts don't have the resources to provide appropriate safeguards, I think kids should be schooled from home, if only to prevent a catastrophic outbreak even before the fall flu season hits.

[The Sultan]

Agreed. In-person schooling would be great if we could provide all the appropriate safety measures. We can't, and neither the local districts nor the states have the money to do it. The only way we could do it is with appropriate federal funding and leadership, and I'm not holding my breath for that to happen.

Because school districts don't have the resources to provide appropriate safeguards, I think kids should be schooled from home, if only to prevent a catastrophic outbreak even before the fall flu season hits.

I also mean leadership at the district level. Some of the things I'm hearing from my teacher friends and relatives is ...  interesting.

[GooooMarquette]

I also mean leadership at the district level. Some of the things I'm hearing from my teacher friends and relatives is ...  interesting.

Agreed. The federal government would need to provide funding and direction, but it couldn't go very far if we didn't have good leadership at the district level as well. In the absence of both, staying home is the best option. It sucks but that's what it is.

[warriorchick]

I agree with you.

But I just don't think local districts have the leadership or money to do a lot of these things.

Someone on my Facebook feed shared a post where an elementary school teacher created dividers between her students made up of pvc pipe and clear shower curtains. It cost less than $100 for the entire class setup.

If my kids were still school-age, I would gladly pay for the entire classroom.  I realize that not every grade school class may have that type of parent, but even in total, that is a rounding error for your typical school district.

[The Sultan]

Someone on my Facebook feed shared a post where an elementary school teacher created dividers between her students made up of pvc pipe and clear shower curtains. It cost less than $100 for the entire class setup.

If my kids were still school-age, I would gladly pay for the entire classroom.  I realize that not every grade school class may have that type of parent, but even in total, that is a rounding error for your typical school district.

Well the post I was quoting talked about things like year round school. Which means you have to pay the teachers more.

[mu_hilltopper]

I know some school districts have started up .. I've seen a few pics of classrooms, lunchrooms, recess .. want to see more .. but the ones shared on Facebook are preposterously sad.    The plexiglas dividers .. lunchrooms with one kid per table .. recess with each kid 10 feet from the next.

As learning environments go .. it's a joke.  A good chunk of kids don't really like school in the first place .. a ton more are going to hate those types of learning conditions.

[The Sultan]

I know some school districts have started up .. I've seen a few pics of classrooms, lunchrooms, recess .. want to see more .. but the ones shared on Facebook are preposterously sad.    The plexiglas dividers .. lunchrooms with one kid per table .. recess with each kid 10 feet from the next.

As learning environments go .. it's a joke.  A good chunk of kids don't really like school in the first place .. a ton more are going to hate those types of learning conditions.

Yep. Hopefully it's just for a semester.

[jesmu84]

Someone on my Facebook feed shared a post where an elementary school teacher created dividers between her students made up of pvc pipe and clear shower curtains. It cost less than $100 for the entire class setup.

If my kids were still school-age, I would gladly pay for the entire classroom.  I realize that not every grade school class may have that type of parent, but even in total, that is a rounding error for your typical school district.

Why is a teacher paying for that? Why should the responsibility fall on her financially or otherwise? Sad

[Hards Alumni]

Well the post I was quoting talked about things like year round school. Which means you have to pay the teachers more.

School should have moved to year round ever since we moved away from being an agrarian society decades ago.

But ya know, tradition and all.

[GooooMarquette]

Why is a teacher paying for that? Why should the responsibility fall on her financially or otherwise? Sad

Unfortunately, it's the state of education in much of America today. My wife works in a middle school in a relatively wealthy school district...and the teachers still often have to pay for some pretty basic stuff out of pocket. It truly is depressing.

[Jockey]

Unfortunately, it's the state of education in much of America today. My wife works in a middle school in a relatively wealthy school district...and the teachers still often have to pay for some pretty basic stuff out of pocket. It truly is depressing.

So do the teacher's parents.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Why is a teacher paying for that? Why should the responsibility fall on her financially or otherwise? Sad

Because that's what teachers do.

My wife is a teacher and everytime at tax time I ask why'd you buy this or that and it'd always something she needs but the district won't buy or doesn't have the budget for.