What is your district’s plan?

[timorousbeastie]

As schools are starting or are releasing their plans for the school year around the country, I’m curious to see what different districts are doing.

For those who can’t see polls, what is your district’s plan for 2021/2022?
Masks optional
Masks mandatory
Screening testing optional
Screening testing mandatory
No screening testing
Quarantines will be enforced
No quarantines
Fully in person
Fully virtual
Hybrid
In person and virtual options
Masks mandatory on buses
Masks optional on buses
Plans haven’t been announced/finalized yet

[timorousbeastie]

Our district just announced their plan yesterday. They are currently going with optional masks and no testing. They will enforce quarantines for anyone who isn’t vaccinated; if both people are masked, close contact is defined as 3 feet. If only one person is masked, close contact is 6 feet. Everything is in person, no virtual option. So far they haven’t said anything about buses, but given what the other districts in the area are doing, I’m assuming masks won’t be required there either, even though it is mandated by the CDC.

[abs]

LOL.

Our district’s plan is 2019 school.

Masks optional, no contact tracing, and you only quarantine if you disclose a positive test to the school. No quarantines for exposure. Old sick days apply.

[maudefindlay]

We started school Friday August 6th, masks optional despite pleas from our local medical experts to make them mandatory. Monday August 9th masks made mandatory after 31 positive cases.

[Susie]

It's still TBD, the kids aren't due back until 9/9.  They say they're aiming for full in person K-12 though.

I expect masks required, but nothing is firm.  Since DD attended in person all last year for K, I don't expect major changes from that, since none of the kids in her K-5 building will be 12+ and able to be vaccinated.

[sillygoosegirl]

Masks required inside except during band (if playing a mouthed instrument), eating, and some indoor PE activities (not specified). Masks not required outdoors.

Quarantine required, but only adjacent kids in the classroom are considered exposed. Because apparently they didn't get the memo about COVID being airborne.

They are making it abundantly clear (just like last year) that they will take the absolute minimum possible COVID precautions required by the governor. So I have doubts about enforcement and common sense, since they apparently are only doing this because it's required, not because the people in charge believe in it being important.

There is a virtual option, but it's a full year commitment (although I bet a lot will sign up and then attempt to transfer out mid-year after kids can get vaccinated). The virtual school has nothing to do with COVID... it's been in the works for many years. This year was supposed to be it's first year, but they opened a year earlier than planned (last fall) due to the pandemic.

My kid will not be attending either one.

[lessel]

Masks are required, but that only changed like a week before the school year kicked off. (Not required outside, which I'm okay with.)

If a kid in a class tests positive, the rest of the class isn't considered close contacts if they're wearing masks. But if a kid is exposed outside school, they're a close contact and have to either quarantine for 14 days or 7 days with negative test on day 5.

Digital was an option if you chose it for the full year. And it's like digital campus, not teachers at your local school.

And because I'm currently experiencing this, if your kid is quarantined as a close contact, they're just excused absences... no way to switch to digital learning. So my kid went to school for 3 days and is missing the next 2 and a half weeks. It's a big bummer.

We also have a 90-day 'immunity pass'--if you get a positive test and complete your quarantine, you aren't considered a close contact if exposed within 90 days.

[af1212]

I said masks required for my answer but that so the plan at this very minute and could change if the numbers go into the next tier. School doesn’t begin for almost a month.

[scm1011]

Fully in-person
Masks required
Vaccination for all staff required
Mandatory weekly testing for staff and students
Rapid tests for symptomatic students between weekly testing

I'm very pleased.

[pooh8402]

masks are optional and not allowed to be required in all government facilities, including public schools and buses. thanks to my governor.
screening testing is optional but is offered by the school district on weekends.
quarantines will be enforced.
100% in person learning--the district said that they evaluated last year, and those who did all virtual or hybrid learning had lower results/worse outcomes than those that were 100% in person, so they did away with virtual learning. if a kid is home sick/quarantined, then usual makeup work policy just like pre-covid applies.  (seems to me like they ought to evaluate how they provided the virtual learning, but I guess that's not my business [/kermit sipping tea] )

[egishere]

they were optional but became mandatory per email on Fri. School started yesterday. I was going to have my kids masked regardless.

[UMaineTeach]

Masks yes

Testing not available, but there are talks with the local hospital about various other health things. It might come up.

Quarantine yes

Full in person

I think the masks are hanging by a thread. It’s literally the only thing people care about in the reopening plan. Almost zero schools around us and further north are requiring them. As cases rise.

It was agreed to debate it every month at the school board meeting as a compromise to start conservative with masks.

[aspentosh]

Fully in person except for certain people can apply for virtual. Masks mandated everywhere for everyone. No idea on quarantine yet.

[secretagent]

Masks mandatory; otherwise no info. Teachers have been told to prep for remote & hybrid (supposedly for quarantines but the governor's orders could change), so I expect they'll keep the super strict quarantine policies. I'm incredibly anxious as last year was extremely difficult for our kids and our workplaces are increasingly not understanding. School starts in 2 weeks. We haven't seen a full day since March 2020.

[tarajane]

Masks mandatory

I think contract tracers on staff. No idea on the rest...

[noodleoo]

I'm starting to get really frustrated with the lack of information from our school district. We have received a letter that masks will be required for all students (yay and phew!). But that's pretty much it! No info on anything else otherwise and school starts in less than 2 weeks. They did a great job last year and I expect the same this year, but I really hoped they'd provide more info proactively. There's a SC meeting tonight I plan to watch and I really hope it has more details. The last one a few weeks ago was a lot of "that will be decided later". <head explodes>

[boiler717]

We are on Week 3 of school. Nothing has changed about our plan since school began:
- Fully in person with a virtual option that requires releasing your seat at your assigned school (big deal because we have a lottery system)
- Masks for all except when eating, including outside and buses (originally unvaccinated students were optional but changed before the school year began)
- 3’ distancing in classrooms
- Contact tracing with subsequent 14 day quarantine (I believe asymptomatic vaccinated students may still be allowed to attend but not for sure)
- Our school is eating outside and in classrooms but lunch is allowed in the cafeteria per district
We did learn that virtual learning during quarantine will be mostly asynchronous like pre-Covid times unless the entire class is in quarantine. It is teacher discretion on how much will be synchronous but they said likely just morning meeting and then they will have asynchronous assignments to do. I think this is much better than having a teacher manage in-person and remote synchronous learning.
So far we’ve had 2 cases in the building out of 450 students (K-8) and no spread. However the other K teacher is currently symptomatic and awaiting test results so FX she doesn’t have it! She is vaccinated but exposed to someone last week.
We were 1 of 2 districts in our 9 county metro area that required masks from the beginning. The rest of the districts have had a lot of cases (I’m seeing up to 10%+ of the district in quarantine) and now are reversing to make masks mandatory. I’ve heard of 2 districts switching to fully virtual due to the number of cases.

[cherry1111]

Our districts plan is to be a coward and refuse to protect our children from a governor who seems hell bent on competing with Florida for who can run out of hospital beds the fastest. #FuckAbbott

[turkletsmom]

We started 8/6. Masks mandatory K-12 inside and on buses. Everything else is back to before- no temp checks, no social distancing and classes are mixing for lunch indoors. Last year we got a robocall every time anyone in the school was positive. We haven't received any calls yet, so my guess is they stopped that since I live in the land of covid deniers/anti-maskers. Either that or people are just not testing their kids.
I'm about 40 mins from New Orleans fwiw.

[abs]

Aug 17, 2021 14:24:03 GMT -5 cherry1111 said:

Our districts plan is to be a coward and refuse to protect our children from a governor who seems hell bent on competing with Florida for who can run out of hospital beds the fastest. #FuckAbbott

Anyone but Abbott 2022! God I HATE him,

[sporklemotion]

I answered for my DDs’ district. The district where I worked hasn’t announced anything. I will wear masks regardless, but am hoping they’ll mandate it now that more districts in my area are making this call.
Masks mandatory. No official distancing, but attempts to do 3’ when masked and more at lunch.
I’m not sure about quarantines, but my state has previously said that hybrid/remote is not an option for students enrolled in person. There are online academies and those are allowed, but you would unenroll from your school and enroll there FT.
It is similar to what they had at the end of last year, so I’m hoping it will be OK. I realize Delta is more transmissible, but our state has pretty high vaccination rates so I am hoping the two things sort of cancel out. I’m quite anxious, but we really can’t homeschool as DH and I have jobs that require us to work outside of our homes.

[sdlaura]

I like our district's quarantine policy for 1 or 2 positive cases in a class - as long as everyone in the class was masked (which they are - masks are mandatory), the class doesn't shut down for two weeks. Any kid who tests positive of course has to quarantine. As long as the other students are asymptomatic, they can continue to come to school, and the school will test them twice a week. They are supposed to quarantine outside of school from sports, etc. If there are 3 cases in a class, the class shuts down. If a kid is exposed outside of school, they are not supposed to come to school.

I think this plan is a good compromise to limit disruptions while still seeking safety.

[ssmjlm]

I voted based on the Governor's health order that all people in K-12 schools must mask. My actual BOE voted for optional, 3-2. Thankfully the Governor, who is also a pediatrician, took matters into his own hands.

We are FT in person. The state has a virtual option, but per FB, it's full. So I guess you would have to withdraw and homeschool if you didn't want to go in the building.

[redheadbaker]

It hasn't been formally voted on, but masks will be mandatory, 3 feet of social distancing while inside, and contract tracing.

[ilikedonuts]

Fully in person with no virtual option (booooooo we wanted virtual). Masks required indoors and on buses. Quarantines for close contacts (within 3 feet only).

I’m unhappily sending mine back as of now. I wanted a virtual option. My kids want to go back though so I’m not going to fight it now that they mandated masks. If I could drive up and have my kids eat lunch in my car every day I would but they are at two different schools. I’m just super uncomfortable with them needing to be unmasked indoors for any reason.

[186momx]

They say in person 5 days a week as of now but we don't know what those 5 days will look like. Masks required indoors via government mandate. We start 9/7.

With how numbers look right now if any of this happens I will be surprised.

[thebreakfastclub]

My district is masks required K-6, optional above that, required for all kids on busses.

I am happy we got that far.

[dcn]

The district isn’t issuing a mask mandate, but the county just did for schools. So, technically I guess they are optional, as the school can’t enforce a consequence. I am hoping people follow the county’s mandate. The district has said masks are enthusiastically encouraged.

Masks are required on buses and in health areas. Visitors must wear masks.

They are limited to 5% of kids in virtual, so pretty much all in person.

Quarantines are mandatory. 10 days for positive. 14 for exposure, can test at 7 days and return if negative. I don’t think vaccinated need to quarantine.

No screening testing, I wish there was.

They are doing the best they can in the limits of what the state has put out.

[redpenmama]

We started last Wednesday. Masks required for teachers, students, and staff regardless of your vaccination status. There is a 30-day state mask mandate for schools (that will surely be extended), but our district was requiring masks even before that.

We are fully in-person -- the only virtual option is through the district's academy. There is no school-specific virtual school. This poses a problem when classes go into quarantine because you essentially just miss a week plus of school and are given busy work to complete. But I also recognize that schools don't have the capacity to have virtual teachers on call to oversee quarantined students.

Students are kept with only their classes—no mixing on the playground and no all-grade or all-school events or assemblies. Full classes are not being quarantined (except for kindergarten); instead, they will use contact tracing to identify who needs to quarantine. Half of a 3rd grade class at our school got exposed on day 3 and is already out. I hope the masks limit the spread, but time will tell.

There is no ongoing testing, but school nurses have rapid tests and can administer them (with a parent present) for any student showing symptoms. 

[lilac05]

The only thing I feel like we're doing "right" is mandatory masks on buses...and that's only because our district says that the federal mandate for public transportation applies to school buses, too. I'm sure if our Governor could find a way to ruin that, too, she would.

I feel a bit like I'm throwing my children to the wolves next week, but I don't feel like we have a better option. They need to be back in school, for their development/mental health and my own.