Post by irishbride2 on Jan 22, 2021 8:11:33 GMT -5
We also have had zero community spread that we know of. We do extensive tracing and testing.
I do think its possible to open schools safely. It is just that many districts do not have the money (or the desire) to do so. It also helps us that we are in Florida and are able to eat outside every single day. We also have teachers who are nervous and teach their classes outside.
RoxMonster, in our experience most if not all of the spread in high schools have come from sports and the locker rooms associated with it. Football, volleyball, and now basketball have been the main culprits. Outside of that masks are worn at all times except for lunch and things have gone very well. I hope everything goes better for you than you are expecting.
I think it will be open five days and I think we will continue to throw substitute teachers to the wolves.
I honestly do not want to see schools open interim there is a plan to deal worth a lack of substitute teachers and healthcare for said teachers. I can see that they would be given the vaccine but that is not a guarantee of my catching it.
Even in normal years the sub pool is far too small because it pays ship poorly that a job at a grocery store nets your more income and is more predictable.
I want to see a plan that treats substitute teachers as true employees but I don't see districts doing so.
For those who are saying there is no spread in your schools, how often and how many people are being tested?
Without any testing, I don't understand we can say there is absolutely no spread. A lot of times, young people are asymptomatic. We have no idea if they spread it. Or they may have mild symptoms and not get tested. In my district, if you are quarantined due to being a close contact, you are not required to ever get tested. You just stay home for two weeks. So those people may be positive and we will just never know. Hell you could HAVE symptoms after being quarantined and we still aren't requiring a test because you are staying home, so those positives never get counted.
I am asking because this is something I keep seeing mentioned all over the Internet: "There is no spread in schools." But then when asked if they are requiring people in quarantine to test or doing regular testing of everyone in the building, they say no. So I don't understand how we can say there is no spread?
They randomly test 10% of the in person students in our school district every week.
I think it will be open five days and I think we will continue to throw substitute teachers to the wolves.
I honestly do not want to see schools open interim there is a plan to deal worth a lack of substitute teachers and healthcare for said teachers. I can see that they would be given the vaccine but that is not a guarantee of my catching it.
Even in normal years the sub pool is far too small because it pays ship poorly that a job at a grocery store nets your more income and is more predictable.
I want to see a plan that treats substitute teachers as true employees but I don't see districts doing so.
Our schools have been putting the call out for subs anywhere they can. Finally got the bright idea to pay more. They upped it by $40/day. Someone asked on FB and they did admit this is for the current situation and they are not committed to keeping the pay at that rate.
Post by starburst604 on Jan 22, 2021 15:36:32 GMT -5
I think it's likely we will be back to near-normal in the fall. Our district started out the year with kindergarten doing 4 full days a week, the rest of the grades in cohorts of 2 days in and 3 days remote, with all schools remote on Wednesdays. Full remote was also offered. After the Christmas break they brought the first graders back in 4 days, and next month the second graders will do the same. We live in a smallish town with 4 elementary, 2 middle and 1 high school. DD's elementary school has only had 9 students test positive this school year, same as the full remote students in fact! All were traced to have gotten infected outside of school, either from a family member or extracurricular, and no one in the classrooms became positive. I don't think I know any families with kids in school that haven't had some kind of exposure or near-exposure though. Individual classrooms have had to go full remote when someone tested positive, and the numbers are pretty high at the high school- where again they are getting it outside of the school. I think it will come down to how much physical distancing is still needed and how much space the schools have to accomodate it.
I teach in a 6-8 private and have a kindergartner in public. Our incidence of cases both places has been very low (under 10 student cases reported since August at his public elementary) although other county schools with smaller and older facilities are reporting a lot higher numbers. Staff members are testing positive for sure. I'm most concerned about my kid getting it from a teacher.
In 7th grade with 60 students there were 2 cases that both came from the same place (a dance class outside of school). We have the privilege of having very strict policies with most families on board. The other known cases around the school have come from family members infecting the student. Our student absences are almost always due to exposure to a positive family member (often a teen sibling) and no classes have had to quarantine yet.
But the hybrid/concurrent model is not sustainable. I lose so much class time trying to do 2 things at once. I have to do planning at a level that is not realistic for a first year teacher. Members of our staff who are exposed and miss school put an incredible strain on everyone since we don't have subs, so I'm often covering during my planning and other breaks. I've been that staff person because my kids' daycare had 2 positive cases (1 family) and shut down for a week. Some of our families definitely take advantage of the liberal policy on virtual learning and go to their lake house or whatever because they can.
My son in public is ok with virtual being done at daycare, but it is ridiculous how they give less than 24 hours notice that they're closing the county schools and now have done it twice this way so far. I think it will take an actual act of God to close my school/go 100% virtual This strain isn't sustainable at all. His teachers are real heroes for how fast they pivot and how good they are at it all.
Post by luv2rn4fun on Jan 23, 2021 23:22:05 GMT -5
DS1 is in Kindergarten this year. We are in SoCal with strict mandates and high cases but schools here have been open since Sept with masks and social distancing. They even have a full time option (another local district does not) where kids are 50% with teacher and 50% with paraeducater.
We saw our pediatrician Thursday for a well appointment and he is optimistic schools will be back to normal in the fall since teachers will have had the chance to get vaccinated. I really hope he’s right but also fully prepared to KOKO for at least another year. DS2 also starts TK in the Fall and I am fully prepared he will be wearing a mask while there.
Post by fancynewbeesly on Jan 24, 2021 6:44:39 GMT -5
I know our district wants to go back. Right now we are hybrid. However I think it would depend on vaccine distribution. Many many teachers want to be vaccinated (or maybe just my friends) before we go back full time. But we aren’t eligible in NJ yet.
I do think it would be frustrating going back full time now when WW may have access to the vaccine in a few weeks.