So, how do you reopen schools? (Preschool to High School & even College)

[tshile]

28 minutes ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

How many people are currently working in industries that have hundreds of people gathering together indoors in close proximity with a ****load of kids who can’t be reasonably expected to wear masks, wash their hands, etc? 

are you following proposals at all?

 

cause almost no one is proposing they open schools like nothing is going on. At least not anyone with any power/intelligence/responsibility in the situation around here. 
 

if your argument is that we shouldn’t open schools like normal than you’re not arguing with anyone here. 
 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by tshile

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Not a black & white issue. We need schools but even with strong leadership, this would be a major challenge. The way it looks to me right now is that we’re going to have a mess on our hands and when we look back on this a year from now, if I had used a more hyperbolic word than “mess”, there’s a good chance I won’t appear to have been overly dramatic.

[Jumbo]

if this threat is as real as you lefties keep saying then the thing to do is arm the kids

 

 

[SkinInsite]

25 minutes ago, dfitzo53 said:

The current proposal from my school system is to have the students grouped into cohorts that stay in a room together. If someone in a cohort tests positive, the whole cohort stays home. The school does not actually close though.

 

We'll see whether that plan survives the next few months.

 

Does the students in the same cohorts ride the same school bus?

[dfitzo53]

Just now, SkinInsite said:

 

Does the students in the same cohorts ride the same school bus?

Well this is Baltimore City Public Schools so there aren't school buses. Lots of kids would walk and lots (especially in middle and high school) would be riding the regular city bus system.

[Renegade7]

18 minutes ago, tshile said:

That’s naive and no one here is suggesting we follow the presidents opinions on this. 
 

the aap was pretty clear in what they said.

 

What's naive? 

 

I posted early about the lack of testing concerning kids dealing from heavy inflammation likely from COVID-19.  

 

Adults are barely getting tested, so do we really know how badly this is spreading among kids even though the asymptomatic word keeps getting thrown around?  

 

This is APP's full statement, in context that title of article you said was clear said "Top Pediatrician Says States Shouldn't Force Schools To Reopen If Virus Is Surging", which it is.

 

https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Renegade7

[techboy]

30 minutes ago, Bacon said:

The states will decide what happens, not Donald J Trump

 

I wish I could be as sanguine as you about this, but I think you are seriously underestimating the (potential) power he has here. Federal funding is a REALLY big stick, especially for smaller and poorer counties that might already have problems marshalling the resources to deal with this.

 

IDEA, for example, is the federal law that covers how special education is delivered. The trick is that it can't be enforced directly, and districts don't really want to follow it... it's really expensive. They only do it because there's federal funding tied to it (and as I recall, one state for a long time actually didn't follow it anyway).

 

He'd be challenged in court if he actually tried, but I promise you, he has the attention of the policy makers.

[Bacon]

14 minutes ago, techboy said:

 

I wish I could be as sanguine as you about this, but I think you are seriously underestimating the (potential) power he has here. Federal funding is a REALLY big stick, especially for smaller and poorer counties that might already have problems marshalling the resources to deal with this.

 

IDEA, for example, is the federal law that covers how special education is delivered. The trick is that it can't be enforced directly, and districts don't really want to follow it... it's really expensive. They only do it because there's federal funding tied to it (and as I recall, one state for a long time actually didn't follow it anyway).

 

He'd be challenged in court if he actually tried, but I promise you, he has the attention of the policy makers.

 

I am a teacher and more than comprehend the importance of federal funding to the survival of public education, even if it only accounts for around 8% of the average school budget. Title I schools would be screwed. I just have not gotten the impression that this matter is a sticking point for Republican congressmen in an election year in the same manner that it appears to be for Trump. He won't receive the support he needs to make this a reality. We've seen it before. 

 

Defunding public schools for not carrying out daily activities the way you like in a pandemic is a profoundly bad idea and, perhaps more importantly, carries with it some nasty optics. Republican senators would be putting their heads in a noose. 

 

It sure got people talking though. 

 

A couple articles on this matter:

 

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/trump-wants-defund-schools-wont-174203880.html

 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/08/politics/donald-trump-threat-to-cut-school-funding-fact-check/index.html

Edited July 9, 2020 by Bacon

[dfitzo53]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-baltimores-schools-reopening-20200708-2rfwn3vi3fa6zolcph6no5wq3m-story.html?outputType=amp

[tshile]

1 hour ago, Sacks 'n' Stuff said:

Not a black & white issue. We need schools but even with strong leadership, this would be a major challenge. The way it looks to me right now is that we’re going to have a mess on our hands and when we look back on this a year from now, if I had used a more hyperbolic word than “mess”, there’s a good chance I won’t appear to have been overly dramatic.

I agree

 

and just to be clear, I started the conversation from the context of: I’m not sure if it’s better to skip a year and try next year or deal with whatever this year winds up looking like

 

i have zero anticipation nor do I want this school year to look “normal”

 

but I also can’t help but wonder what the long term impact on my child is

 

and I’ve yet to see any of the school board members pitching a non-5 day a week schedule address how those kids being in daycare settings on “off days” is less risky than being in the school every day

 

if I was a teacher that had to choose between those two options I would think I would want my kids in my class all day every day, and hope the parents are social distancing their family outside of school. 
 

I would not feel safer if on 2-3 workdays a week those kids were in some random daycare, then coming back to my classroom for the other 2-3 days. That makes no sense to me. 
 

I do understand how the states guidance of cutting down class room size encourages a part week, or an every other week approach. It just doesn’t feel like anyone is factoring in where those kids will likely be during those day’s, they’re working on the assumption they will be at home. I don’t think that’s true. Mine won’t be... 

Edited July 9, 2020 by tshile

[The Evil Genius]

1 hour ago, tshile said:

To do so at an attempt to be clever even moreso. 

 

Well tbh I've never been clever (just ask my wife) in my life so that's fair.

Edited July 9, 2020 by The Evil Genius

[tshile]

1 hour ago, SkinInsite said:

 

Does the students in the same cohorts ride the same school bus?

Virginia’s guidance is no more than 10 children on a bus at a time , unless they recently changed it

 

im assuming I’ll be dropping and picking mine up. I don’t understand how any county can accommodate the 10 child limit and would be perfectly accepting of a drop off and pick up only policy (though I imagine that would be a clown show every morning and afternoon)

[SkinInsite]

4 minutes ago, tshile said:

Virginia’s guidance is no more than 10 children on a bus at a time , unless they recently changed it

 

im assuming I’ll be dropping and picking mine up. I don’t understand how any county can accommodate the 10 child limit and would be perfectly accepting of a drop off and pick up only policy (though I imagine that would be a clown show every morning and afternoon)

Seems ambitious, 10 child per bus, but I always drop mine off (major pain in the best of times).

 

 

[tshile]

Finally - if I were to place blame on anyone for this it’s the people who don’t take proper precautions 

 

I think most of the people that are at odds with me are simply looking out for teachers best interest - and teachers hardly have enough people looking out for their best interest in general much less right now. So I get and actually respect that. 
 

if we had proper buy-in from the community this would be a significantly easier conversation. Still hard and complicated, but at least it would resemble adults trying to solve a complicated problem with everyone’s best interests at heart. 
 

for me it feels like, where I live, no one is looking out for my 5 year olds best interest. They either think this is a hoax or they think teachers should not be required to be in a classroom. To me those are extreme options and extreme with no room for discussing something in between. 
 

Edited July 9, 2020 by tshile

[bearrock]

What we really need is a proper shutdown and restart after spread is under control, not reopening businesses and schools in any capacity while we are breaking records on a daily basis.  But we only have so many shutdowns in the chamber and we blew one in the Spring because the president is a moron.

 

[Xameil]

3 minutes ago, bearrock said:

What we really need is a proper shutdown and restart after spread is under control, not reopening businesses and schools in any capacity while we are breaking records on a daily basis.  But we only have so many shutdowns in the chamber and we blew one in the Spring because the president is a moron.

 

Well...where I am in NY, it's under control and decreasing. School also doesnt start until September so....as long as the 16 cursed states keep out of my state...we should be fine to go back to school

[SkinInsite]

America went with door #3

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by SkinInsite

[dfitzo53]

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/506360-states-say-education-department-is-diverting-pandemic-relief-to?__twitter_impression=true

 

A coalition of blue states sued the Department of Education on Tuesday, saying that coronavirus aid has been illegally diverted by department officials toward private schools, some of which have already received assistance during the pandemic.

The Associated Press reported that five states led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) allege that the Education Department is using $13.2 billion in Title I funding set aside for low-income areas and attempting to distribute it based on total population, instead of targeting schools that need the aid the most.

The result, the attorneys general argue, is that some private schools that have already received aid through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which public schools are ineligible to use, will now get assistance twice, while some public schools are left starved for resources during the pandemic.

“Some of those private schools have already been able to access hundreds of billions of dollars from the CARES ACT Paycheck Protection Program unlike California public schools that can’t,” Becerra said, adding, “Today’s announcement is about stopping the Trump administration’s latest effort to steal from working families to give it to the very privileged."

California schools, according to Becerra, would lose out on more than $1.5 billion in funding as a result of the department's policy.

A spokeswoman for the Education Department maintained that Secretary Betsy DeVos had been clear that aid should reach all students, including private school students, but did not comment on the states' lawsuit specifically.

Edited July 9, 2020 by dfitzo53

[Elessar78]

12 hours ago, Xameil said:

Well...where I am in NY, it's under control and decreasing. School also doesnt start until September so....as long as the 16 cursed states keep out of my state...we should be fine to go back to school

Yep. This is a regional thing and we need to limit travel aggressively, State-to-State, county-to-county. Epidemiologists say so as well: if numbers are very low in your area kids can go back to school if safety protocols are followed.

[purbeast]

My sister in law is a teacher in Montgomery County and made a post today stating that there will be school news about MCPS by tomorrow.  She doesn't know what it is but she knows that it's coming and said they don't tell teachers before they tell everyone.

[SkinInsite]

54 minutes ago, purbeast said:

My sister in law is a teacher in Montgomery County and made a post today stating that there will be school news about MCPS by tomorrow.  She doesn't know what it is but she knows that it's coming and said they don't tell teachers before they tell everyone.

 

That seem to be stupid, not getting your workforce onboard first.

[youngestson]

3 minutes ago, SkinInsite said:

 

That seem to be stupid, not getting your workforce onboard first.

We are seldom told anything in advance. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by youngestson
typo

[dfitzo53]

Another doctor's perspective:

https://www.vox.com/2020/7/9/21318560/covid-19-coronavirus-us-testing-children-schools-reopening-questions

 

tl;dr: We should put measures in place so that we can re-open on time in order to prevent educational and social-emotional losses. However, in order to do that we have to have robust testing and contract tracing in place.

[PleaseBlitz]

It's amazing that FOUR MONTHS into this thing, our ability to test is still garbage.  Opening schools safely in August or September was contingent on things happening months ago.  Very few of those things happened.  

[justice98]

16 hours ago, bearrock said:

What we really need is a proper shutdown and restart after spread is under control, not reopening businesses and schools in any capacity while we are breaking records on a daily basis.  But we only have so many shutdowns in the chamber and we blew one in the Spring because the president is a moron.

 

 

100%

 

I mean, it wasnt enough that he botched it the first go around, now he's coming for the children.  There's just no way opening schools under the current climate wont result in total disaster.