Post by karinothing on Mar 11, 2021 11:34:11 GMT -5
Just to add to me bitterness about school. Our start time just got switched from 8am to 9am for next year, which is annoying and will make evenings and activities a cluster.
I don't get how people can be so focused on opening schools when many states have not prioritized vaccinating teachers/staff.
Well that's one thing we're finally doing right! MA made teachers eligible last week (with a big push from Biden) and announced today they are setting up dedicated vax clinics on Saturdays for teachers through March and April. Finally! Several of my friends who are teachers have gotten their shots already (mostly at CVS which made them eligible immediately after Biden's announcement).
ETA melmaria , interesting, the study you shared is out of MA! Makes sense since we never mandated 6' for social distancing, it was always 3'.
Our elementary school said they couldn’t maintain 6 foot and they would have 4.5 feet between k-4 students, the school committee still voted yes back in august and they’ve been going five days since September (8am to noon) Now that they will go back to full day in April, we may save $400 per month on after school care.
We’ve been very lucky with in person school though my friend whose kids attend the same school had a 2 week quarantine for her kindergarten son due to a case in the class and now she’s starting another for her 3rd grader.
In the event of a positive case they send the class home for two weeks and advise everyone be tested, so far there hasn’t been any spread within classrooms at our elementary school so I believe masks and even 4.5 feet of distancing is working well.
Just to add to me bitterness about school. Our start time just got switched from 8am to 9am for next year, which is annoying and will make evenings and activities a cluster.
My kids have a really late start. This year they don't start until 9:30. When we had sports or activities after school, it was really hard to make it happen since they don't get home until 4:30. Usually they had to eat dinner after because there wasn't enough time.
We are all 6 feet apart and the teachers are super vigilant. I (usually 7th and 8th grade humanities) am in a pod with 12 students, all day. The biggest difficulty is that we have a few students who have been podding together this whole time, so they are not as careful about distancing at school.
Our school maintains six feet of distance (with two cohorts) and will maintain four feet of distance when full classes resume.
I can tell you anecdotally though that my second grader’s cohort plays (masked) tag and soccer scrimmages most days at recess, so there are times like that when students are closer together outside for very short periods of time. I have zero concerns about that and definitely think the benefits of playing masked outside for 15 minutes outweigh any proximity risks, but I know it might bother others when the school says students maintain six feet of distance.
DD went to 2nd grade in person on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first time this week. It was great! I think she definitely prefers it to virtual.
It made me so happy to see a bunch of other parents and teachers (everyone wearing masked and distanced) at drop off and pick up. Our school is mostly walkers and it's wonderful to see the community come out again. I missed it so much. Walking my kids to school was something that I missed so much.
DS goes back on Tuesday and it will be quite miraculous to have the house to myself on Tuesday and Wednesday. I got so much work done with just DD being gone.
Post by InBetweenDays on Mar 11, 2021 14:05:50 GMT -5
For public schools that are back in person - were there lots of negotiations between the teachers union and the district? We've been virtual for a full year (today is the 1-year anniversary). PreK-1 and SPED were supposed to go back (hybrid) March 1, but after months of negotiations the teachers union and the district seem like they are no closer to an agreement so that keeps getting pushed. I have no hope of our kids (6th and 9th grade) returning this year. And there is question about the fall (negotiations for the fall haven't even started). Our city has the lowest death rate of the largest 20 metropolitan areas in the country. I'm trying to understand what strategies other cities/school districts have figured out to return safely that we haven't.
Here is what my high school students will be experiencing in terms of distancing. I've made my little bubble around my desk, and I'll be fully vaccinated by the time they all come back the 22nd, but I don't see how it's not going to spread now.
Here is what my high school students will be experiencing in terms of distancing. I've made my little bubble around my desk, and I'll be fully vaccinated by the time they all come back the 22nd, but I don't see how it's not going to spread now.
My ds has been in middle school since August and all of their tables/desks are like this. There have been cases but not spread in school. They got if from parents or other activities. Full attendance, no hybrid. We did go remote the week after Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.
Are schools actually able to maintain 6’ (or even 3’) of distance between the kids? Here, the recommendation is 6’ of distance, but 3’ is the required minimum. From what I’ve seen from pictures on my district’s FB, there is no distancing going on at all.
The private schools here that have been open the entire time (aside from mid-November to mid-January, when cases were at their peak and basically every school decided to close) have not really maintained any distancing, based on photos I've seen online. They do all have mask requirements though. So like...you'll see photos of kids clustered very close together, but they all have masks on. These schools have all been open without issue (meaning there haven't been any large outbreaks).
That's what's really caused consternation in online parent groups online I lurk on lately - that the private schools have been open and the public schools haven't. And these are private schools that, at least in terms of classroom size, student to teacher ratio, and age/quality of facilities, are comparable to the public schools in the same areas (not the $$$$ private schools that recently purchased insane HEPA filtration systems and look like Ivy League colleges, lol). So, frequently cheaper Catholic/parochial schools with older/not updated facilities.
My kids don't go to private school, so I'm not advocating for that, just commenting on what I've seen.
There is a private K-8 school that many kids in my neighborhood attend, and they never shut down when the public schools did mid-November. I would be reminded each day when their busses would still pass by. I know they wear masks, but not sure about distancing.
Here is what my high school students will be experiencing in terms of distancing. I've made my little bubble around my desk, and I'll be fully vaccinated by the time they all come back the 22nd, but I don't see how it's not going to spread now.
My ds has been in middle school since August and all of their tables/desks are like this. There have been cases but not spread in school. They got if from parents or other activities. Full attendance, no hybrid. We did go remote the week after Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.
That's great for them! We continue to have tons of kids on quarantine because of close contact tracing, so honestly, it's a bigger concern for me as a teacher that guess what? We are still effectively hybrid. Which SUCKS and is KILLING ME.
Just to add to me bitterness about school. Our start time just got switched from 8am to 9am for next year, which is annoying and will make evenings and activities a cluster.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
We are able to maintain 6’ in class most of the time (8th grade), though I let them work in groups and partners closer than that for a few minutes at a time or outside (still masked). During non-class times (lunch, break, recess), it’s much harder.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
Here is what my high school students will be experiencing in terms of distancing. I've made my little bubble around my desk, and I'll be fully vaccinated by the time they all come back the 22nd, but I don't see how it's not going to spread now.
Can you put them on the ends of the table instead?
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
Just to add to me bitterness about school. Our start time just got switched from 8am to 9am for next year, which is annoying and will make evenings and activities a cluster.
Meanwhile, I’d kill for that schedule.
Ha. It is just so nice having them home by 3pm. We do a lot (or well did) of after-school stuff that starts at 4pm. We also go to various parks of bike rides after school. For 5pm sports it means they have time to get home, eat a good snack and do HW. Now they will get home after 4pm and everything will be rush.
Also a lot of parents now have to use before care and they didn't before. So added cost. We have a lot of families working in the service industry. 9am start is a real hardship..
Here is what my high school students will be experiencing in terms of distancing. I've made my little bubble around my desk, and I'll be fully vaccinated by the time they all come back the 22nd, but I don't see how it's not going to spread now.
Can you put them on the ends of the table instead?
My first thought is I don't have enough room to spread the tables, but I'll try when we go back from break. Thanks for the thinking!
I normally have two of them together as squares of 4 students, but we aren't allowed to do that.
Twitter thread of data from UK epidemiology statistician. The money quote:
All this evidence shows us that not only do infection rates in children and the community closely track school openings and closure, infection rates in children also track level of attendance, and we can see the impact of even 1 in 4 children attending primary schools clearly.
Here is what my high school students will be experiencing in terms of distancing. I've made my little bubble around my desk, and I'll be fully vaccinated by the time they all come back the 22nd, but I don't see how it's not going to spread now.
My ds has been in middle school since August and all of their tables/desks are like this. There have been cases but not spread in school. They got if from parents or other activities. Full attendance, no hybrid. We did go remote the week after Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.
There was spread. Assuredly. Kids are just more likely to be asymptomatic. Several studies confirmed it throughout the fall and winter.
Post by georgeglass on Mar 14, 2021 9:07:08 GMT -5
I'm the covid point of contact for our school. We have been in person since August. Anyone is welcome to ask questions - DM or here. We require masks but students also eat in classrooms and we can't open windows. We have had a number of kids come to school positive unknowingly and we require quarantine and testing for anyone we determine as close contacts. We have had no known transmission on campus (confirmed by our health department), but I hold my breath every time. I am worried about our return from Spring Break.
A year ago yesterday, the kids came home from school and our world officially flipped upside down. This morning, we were going to take a hike to watch the sunrise, marl the year and embrace the small steps forward we’ve taken (grandmothers are vaccinated, back at school for half days). Maybe scream a bit about the lost year but also celebrate progress.
This morning, DD woke up with a sore throat so we are testing in an hour (that’s a test or stay home two weeks symptom at the girls schools).
A year ago yesterday, the kids came home from school and our world officially flipped upside down. This morning, we were going to take a hike to watch the sunrise, marl the year and embrace the small steps forward we’ve taken (grandmothers are vaccinated, back at school for half days). Maybe scream a bit about the lost year but also celebrate progress.
This morning, DD woke up with a sore throat so we are testing in an hour (that’s a test or stay home two weeks symptom at the girls schools).
Blarg.
My son’s class had an exposure notice for strep throat this week and I was so glad to see strep throat after the small panic from an email subject line of “EXPOSURE NOTICE.”
Twitter thread of data from UK epidemiology statistician. The money quote:
All this evidence shows us that not only do infection rates in children and the community closely track school openings and closure, infection rates in children also track level of attendance, and we can see the impact of even 1 in 4 children attending primary schools clearly.
This makes a lot of sense to me:
People who claim schools don't drive transmission often say that infection rates in schools reflect infection rates in the community. Infection rates in schools will always depend on background community transmission. Why? Schools essentially form a link between households.
When infection in the general population reduces, the probability of outbreaks in schools reduces. This is what happens in lockdown when schools are open. And is expected. It is certainly not evidence that schools don't drive transmission- only that they are part of the community
It seems that we need more asymptomatic testing, but for whatever reason, we still really don’t have it. Our district contracted with a company early this year to analyze our HVAC and look into the feasibility of upgrading. I haven’t seen any results, and schools are supposed to open to hybrid in a few weeks.
I’m somewhat persuaded by all the articles I’m seeing calling for increased mitigation and understanding of risk, not total lockdown, but is that what we’re doing?
Post by aprilsails on Mar 14, 2021 15:29:52 GMT -5
mouse I work for an electrical and mechanical consulting firm and we have about 20 projects in progress to upgrade school ventilation systems. Most of the schools in my area are in person or on hybrid schedules and the work will be done over the summer.
Post by wanderingback on Mar 14, 2021 20:38:05 GMT -5
My mom is a former teacher, retired a couple of years ago. Some of her close friends are also teachers/former teachers. She also lives in a small-ish town that has had something like 5,000 cases the past year and 100 deaths. And something like 75% of those deaths were in nursing homes unfortunately.
Anyway, they were all virtual until about a month ago. Parents had to choose between continuing virtual or in-person. One of her friends told her that in-person classes at the middle school were 2-4 students. They had more students show up the first week, but then the students/parents thought it was too much work so they switched back to virtual I’m sure there are so many students who haven’t done work in a year. I can presume we’re going to see increasing numbers of kids working to make money for their family instead of completing high school. I wonder what GED rates will look like over the next few years.
Ugh all of this is so horrifying. I can’t tell you how many adolescents I’ve talked to with health concerns that they weren’t able to address because they aren’t in school so don’t have an excuse to talk to the school nurse or stop by their doctor on the way home from school or get a pregnancy test for example. So many steps backwards in a variety of ways for youth.
Post by suburbanzookeeper on Mar 14, 2021 20:46:44 GMT -5
We are scheduled to go back to in-person hybrid learning immediately following our Spring Break at the end of the month with TK-K one week, 1-2 starting the next week, 3-4 the next, and finally 5-6. With hybrid we can handle 4-6' spacing with no dining on campus.
I keep telling everyone that once we can baby step this, we can get closer to a regular fall start. We need to prove we can handle this - and I think we can - before we amp it up. I truly believe our community spread it through playdates, sports, and other outside of school socials (which is why I've delayed re-starting in-person Girl Scout meetings despite getting the green light this week). I know my co-leaders are not supportive of masked, socially distanced meetings and I don't want to take it on entirely myself in my backyard.
My mom is a former teacher, retired a couple of years ago. Some of her close friends are also teachers/former teachers. She also lives in a small-ish town that has had something like 5,000 cases the past year and 100 deaths. And something like 75% of those deaths were in nursing homes unfortunately.
Anyway, they were all virtual until about a month ago. Parents had to choose between continuing virtual or in-person. One of her friends told her that in-person classes at the middle school were 2-4 students. They had more students show up the first week, but then the students/parents thought it was too much work so they switched back to virtual I’m sure there are so many students who haven’t done work in a year. I can presume we’re going to see increasing numbers of kids working to make money for their family instead of completing high school. I wonder what GED rates will look like over the next few years.
Ugh all of this is so horrifying. I can’t tell you how many adolescents I’ve talked to with health concerns that they weren’t able to address because they aren’t in school so don’t have an excuse to talk to the school nurse or stop by their doctor on the way home from school or get a pregnancy test for example. So many steps backwards in a variety of ways for youth.
that’s heart breaking. Thank you for being there for them.
My step son could go to a face to face hybrid schedule. Unfortunately I don’t know how any working parents could make it work. They only go to school in person 2 days a week from 8:15-11:00am. Neither my bf nor I can swing the pick-up time, so he will stay virtual.
I hope they go back to regular schedule in the fall.
I am terrible at waiting for symptom based covid test results.
I’m breezy when we do the test - I want to be safe, play by the rules, but the chances are so low since we are careful, blah, blah. But as the day(s) goes on, I convince myself it’s going to be positive and we’ll be on lock down for weeks.