For those in school already

[moonpie]

How’s it going so far? Are the kids getting settled in? How’s covid impacting everything? Anything you want to brag or complain about? Anyone starting on Monday?

[edwardo123]

Well, my younger daughter goes to a Catholic school that started the week of the 16th. Masks were optional, but parents signed a waiver saying any unmasked, unvaccinated kids would quarantine regardless of vicinity to a positive case in their class. Of course, only half wore masks. Now 8 kids have tested positive and over 50 kids are in quarantine. Masks are required for all starting tomorrow.

My oldest goes to public school. She started the same week with masks required preschool through grade 6. Over 80 positive cases and many in quarantine, so masks for all starting tomorrow.

[magpie]

We've been back for about three weeks. I work at the elementary school my kids go to, so the three of us go together. The kids are doing great so far (DD is 2nd grade, DS is liner kindergarten). They are both happy to go to school every morning. I'm doing pretty well, but I do feel like it's extremely stressful to work in school right now. We're a little short staffed between people being sick (not necessarily with covid, but since you can't come to work with a cold, it feels like more of us are out), quarantined and regular absences (and but having a ton of subs available). It hasn't been to the point where we're unable to meet the needs of the kids, but it has been scramble after scramble for coverage. I really wish they would mandate the vaccine for staff because there's like two or three people on staff who haven't been vaccinated and they have to quarantine every time they have close contact. It's really frustrating and irresponsible and it puts the burden on everyone else.

We've had two kids test positive so far this year (not related to school transmission that we know of) and one (fully vaccinated) staff member. We have about 400 students, masked. A lot of kids are quarantined. Some from those two student cases, but a lot from household/outside of school close contacts. I don't *think* we've had any cases transmit at school, but it's probably too soon to be sure. Plus, we're surging so bad in my area right now, it feels like covid is everywhere. I feel like we are sending a steady stream of kids home every day for symptoms though (cough is probably the main one I've seen). I fully expect this year to be one with distribution in terms of quarantines for our family, though I'm hopeful that we can avoid covid until the kids are vaccinated. It's a risk we're willing to take for the benefit of school, where my kids thrive.

[dcn]

So far there’s only been one case at my kids’ school, they started the 18th. Masks are mandated by the county but not the school district (bc of a state budget proviso). But, my kids said all but 1 or 2 in their class wear masks.

Otherwise it’s been pretty smooth, which is a surprise bc my oldest did virtual last year so he’s adjusting back to being in school all day. My youngest started kindergarten so he’s been exhausted and lots of meltdowns in the evening but he’s hanging in there and seems to really enjoy going.

[luv2rn4fun]

My boys started 8/17 (1st grade and TK, public school in CA). Masks are required indoors and optional outdoors. I have asked my boys to wear them unless eating or drinking and I believe they are. My oldest did have social skills during lunch (unmasked) in the library…not too happy about that but not sure what else I can do. So far there has been one communication the first week that one or more persons were on campus with COVID the first day of school and I over heard the nurse talking to a mom about her daughter having to quarantine.

In general, school seems as much back to normal as possible. No social distancing, symptom checking (there is a girl in TK who coughs most mornings..this would not have been ok last year and makes me anxious since DS2 is high risk), assemblies, etc

ETA: both boys are loving school so that’s a huge plus. DS2 has the same TK teacher DS1 had (even though DS1 was at private school and DS2 is in public- huge win!!)! My only complaint is DS1 teacher doesn’t communicate, which is frustrating when you have a kiddo with an IEP and want to make sure he’s doing ok, especially socially. We are in the midst of doing all his assessments and will have another IEP meeting in a couple weeks so that’s a positive!

[ellipsis]

We've been back for 3 full weeks and DD's vaxxed teacher tested positive on Friday. Masks are required but quarantining is not unless you're symptomatic. This week should be interesting.

[winemaker06]

Aug 29, 2021 13:23:03 GMT -5 ellipsis said:

We've been back for 3 full weeks and DD's vaxxed teacher tested positive on Friday. Masks are required but quarantining is not unless you're symptomatic. This week should be interesting.

:-O

You don't have to quarantine after vaccination if considered a close contact to a positive case. But someone with an actual COVID breakthrough case better be quarantining!

My kids were supposed to start K & 2nd grade on Monday. But they were both exposed in their last week of daycare, sooooo no school for them. The daycare is up to 5 cases now too, which feels like a lot for me! I have a very disappointed Kindergartner who just wanted to meet her new teacher :-(

[ilikedonuts]

We’ve had 2 days. I hate it. My kids love being back (be picked full virtual last year). I cry every day. We have a mask mandate But day one my fourth graders music teacher didn’t wear her mask the entire class.

Lunch also is kids at every other seat but both sides of the table facing each other and I’m just not comfortable with that. So I literally drive to both schools and have my kids eat in my car.

Our school board is under attack by the insane crazy Q anon anti-maskers and they already succeeded in getting the health director of our county fired. We are only one of two schools in the county that I actually have a mask mandate and as of now it’s through the end of first quarter.

[boiler717]

Just finished Week 4. We’ve had 4 cases in our K-8 building and they just quarantined grades 6-8 for one case.
My son has a 101 temp, cough, and runny nose and we are our on our way for a PCR test now.

[steamboat185]

We have been back for 1 week and my kids are in K and 3rd. So far it is so much better than last year and my oldest is so much happier. We have a mask mandate and everyone is very good about wearing one in the building, but they are able to have specials in person this year (and for 45 minutes vs 30 last year), the school day is the full day (last year they shortened it), they are allowed to move around the classroom, have lunch in the cafeteria (spaced out one grade at a time), they can have recess outside as an entire grade vs one class per area, and they are allowed to use the bathroom when they need to vs having a specific time per grade. It feels like a decent mix of Covid precautions and having the kids be in school.

[jewel]

We’ve been in for 3 weeks.

It’s going ok. Masks are required, but really nothing else. No quarantines for direct exposure, which is (very predictably) causing domino cases. Our specific school seems very low on cases, but I’m also sure that a good portion of parents around here just aren’t testing or reporting results. It’s a big “let them breath/anti-muzzle” crowd.

My kid is in 1st grade and was fully online for kinder, so it’s a huge change. He’s SO SO happy to be back at school. But now I’m at home with only the 3 year old and he doesn’t have a playmate and I can’t take him anywhere indoors because of covid and we can’t go anywhere outside because there’s ash falling from the sky, so...I wouldn’t say it’s gotten any easier for me, lol.

[mrsGreeko]

My kids have been in for a week and a half. Pre-K through 6th have to wear masks. 7th and up can if they want.

My HSer goes to a school with 2000+ kids. She does not wear a mask (she’s fully vaccinated and already had covid). Says that very few kids are wearing masks. I think we are at around 60-80% if teens vaccinated. So far haven’t heard anything so I assume it’s going fine.

My MSer goes to a school with probably 700-800 kids. She doesn’t wear a mask (fully vaxxed). I think it’s half and half kids wearing masks in her grade. The 6th graders in her school have to mask. Haven’t heard anything so also assume it’s been fine.

My ES kid goes to a school with a few hundred kids. Masks required, although he has said that his teacher allows them to take them off in the classroom at times so I guess it’s one of those feel good measures. Anyway, also haven’t heard anything so I assume it’s going fine there too.

Our district isn’t releasing covid numbers to the wider audience this year which is probably good considering the amount of anxiety it causes people. They aren’t quarantining after school exposures either unless it’s an outbreak of 5+ cases so I’m not sure we will be notified otherwise. I’m guessing not. I’m fine with all of this. Also, vaccinated kids don’t have to quarantine so my older 2 are set. Youngest might still have to quarantine, but I’m hopeful we can make it through the next couple months until he’s likely to be fully vaxxed. Last year the elementary school only had 3 or 4 cases in students the entire school year and a few cases in the pre-k staff.

My kids are thrilled to be back to school. And my older 2 are thrilled that school is basically back to normal with masks optional and all of that. Their mental health has improved dramatically since school started.

[waverly]

Back to school for 2.5 weeks. We have a k-12 mask mandate for my state, and recently a mandate for everyone to wear masks indoors including college.

So far the dashboard only shows 3 cases which is great. We have a test to stay option so hopefully that will help keep hundreds out if quarantine.

Today we got our flu shots. I decided to get them a bit earlier due to the Covid surge and the lack of ICU beds in our area.

[redpenmama]

We've been in for 3 weeks (5th and 2nd grades) -- masked and compliant with all CDC guidelines. We have had some cases in our school but little spread (I have only heard of one presumed student-to-student spread in a 3rd grade class). Part of a 3rd grade class and an entire 5th grade class got quarantined pretty quickly, so the school quickly adapted to break classes down into pods to minimize the number of kids who need to quarantine.

Our district (44,000 students) has had between 50-60 cases per day, resulting in 300-500 quarantines. Middle schools seem to be hit the hardest so far. I presume it's the combination of unvaxxed 6th graders + changing classes. Vaccinated students do not have to quarantine unless they show symptoms, so I'm assuming that's why high schools haven't been hit as hard.

From a non-COVID perspective, my kids are loving it. They are used to masks and come home happy every day. We only went to school from March to May last year, so they are thrilled to be back. I know a quarantine is inevitable, so I told them we just have to count on some disruptions until they can get vaccinated (and keep our fingers crossed until then...).

[redpenmama]

waverly, what's your test to stay option? 5 rapid tests at school to stay? Our district is considering it, and I'm hopeful it's implemented because quarantines are already become disruptive.

[ellipsis]

Aug 29, 2021 13:31:01 GMT -5 winemaker06 said:

Aug 29, 2021 13:23:03 GMT -5 ellipsis said:

We've been back for 3 full weeks and DD's vaxxed teacher tested positive on Friday. Masks are required but quarantining is not unless you're symptomatic. This week should be interesting.

:-O

You don't have to quarantine after vaccination if considered a close contact to a positive case. But someone with an actual COVID breakthrough case better be quarantining!

My kids were supposed to start K & 2nd grade on Monday. But they were both exposed in their last week of daycare, sooooo no school for them. The daycare is up to 5 cases now too, which feels like a lot for me! I have a very disappointed Kindergartner who just wanted to meet her new teacher :-(

COVID positive teacher with symptoms is obviously in isolation, but close contacts (e.g. the whole class) is allowed to return to school, masked, as long as they don't have symptoms. Last year they would have been sent home for 14 days to quarantine. Apparently our state health department missed the memo about asymptomatic spread.

[waverly]

Aug 29, 2021 15:52:08 GMT -5 redpenmama said:

waverly, what's your test to stay option? 5 rapid tests at school to stay? Our district is considering it, and I'm hopeful it's implemented because quarantines are already become disruptive.

The school tests them on day 1,3,5, and 7. The school has saliva shield test and Binax Now tests, or something similar. The tests are provided from the state and/ or local health department.

[lilac05]

5 days in. They’re thrilled to be back in school. No idea how many cases because they’re not announcing them. <30% wearing masks. No mandatory quarantines unless symptomatic/positive. No contact tracing.

DS1 mentioned today he has a little bit of a sore throat. (But played outside all afternoon and seems totally normal.)

It’s FINE. I’m FINE. Everything’s FINE.

[devonpow]

Anyone have experience from areas with high levels of vaccine and mask wearing? We are in MA and start on Wednesday. While our numbers are surging just like all states it’s lower than most, and we gave high vaccine rates for our town/teachers. We will have universal indoor masking (they don’t need to wear them at recess), lunch outside as much as possible, and we have good ventilation systems. Last year there was zero in school transmission with these precautions, but I know Delta has changed everything. I’m wondering how much…

[statgirl]

3 weeks in. 5% currently quarantined. No close contact for either of my kids yet, but one COVID scare. Negative test, so probably a run-of-the-mill virus. No masks for anyone (but my kids wear them and the little one is doing better with it because the three COVID/flu/strep tests traumatized him so much).

[macmars45]

My DS starts kinder this week. He's basically been in isolation for 18 months due to being an only child, moving and covid.

I'm fine, he's fine, it's all fine.

ETA: there is a mask mandate for everyone and a vaccine mandate for all staff.

[steamboat185]

Aug 29, 2021 18:05:42 GMT -5 devonpow said:

Anyone have experience from areas with high levels of vaccine and mask wearing? We are in MA and start on Wednesday. While our numbers are surging just like all states it’s lower than most, and we gave high vaccine rates for our town/teachers. We will have universal indoor masking (they don’t need to wear them at recess), lunch outside as much as possible, and we have good ventilation systems. Last year there was zero in school transmission with these precautions, but I know Delta has changed everything. I’m wondering how much…

We are in Denver roughly 93k students and have over 79% of the eligible population with one shot and 73% fully vaccinated. We also are requiring all teachers, volunteers, and staff to be vaccinated by the middle of October. One week in we have one school with more than one case and I’d guess that it’s probably a sibling group (although I could be wrong). Last year we had about 15 cases in the school and they were able to trace back to none of them getting spread at school. Who knows what will happen with delta, but hopefully it will be ok.

[ssmjlm]

Today is our first day, everyone has to be masked.

The bus was over 30 mins late, so we rushed to do pics and then, it didn't show up on time. So there's that. This is her first time riding the bus since DH is still WFH.

We'll see how things go. I was at open house for PTA and there was one set of parents unmasked, but the kid was. I'm not sure how the parents even got into the building honestly.

[moonpie]

Dd is in first grade. She is happy to be back in school and her best friend from last year in her class. She mostly complains that they don’t get enough recess, lol.

I’m not in love with her teacher yet, so hopefully we start to get to know and like her soon. It’s little things, like she said no homework until after Labor Day and then assigned three projects in the first week. I hope she’s not a big homework teacher, because I am not a homework parent.

The district is melting down over covid and it’s a shitshow. They made the decision to not require masks and remove most of the covid protocols during the summer. Which, I thought was wayyyy too early because we all know how fast covid can change. Then they doubled down on those decisions for the next board meetings. Finally a few days before school started they decided to go back to cohorting the classrooms for easier contact tracing and required masks any time kids were in the hallways. The largest pediatric practice in our area publicly shamed them for not following science and the advice of the medical community. We completed our first week and there was apparently classroom spread, so they’ve swung they entirely opposite direction and masks are required indoors and are strongly recommended on the playground. Which, I’m happy about because only 8/21 kids in DDs class were masking. But, it’s been a whirlwind to keep up with and they handled it all really poorly. I feel like if they would have just waited to make the decision until closer to school they would have required them still and it wouldn’t have upset so many anti-maskers. Now of course parents are wanting to pull their kids to go to schools that aren’t masking. Which, another administrator in another school basically said that masks are like snow days - no one wants to be the first school to call it but everyone will follow suit. Hopefully today is a smooth day for the teachers and staff, because this is causing a lot of unnecessary stress on them. I was really impressed with our district last year so this has been disappointing.

[moonpie]

I wanted to add - the teacher has already sent us photos and it looks like that might be a regular thing. I’m very pleased about that!

Dd is also a super picky eater who would only try one school meal last year. This year she’s already tried two, and agreed to two this week! I’m so happy with this progress and hope it helps open up new meals for home.

[pooh8402]

So far so good for E1. Starting the 3rd week of 1st grade.

One announced covid case at school, but they use contact tracing to determine who needs to quarantine. No impact on us so far. But we're only at about 40% fully vaccinated and almost no one wears masks, so I feel like it's a matter of time.

[game blouses]

Aug 29, 2021 18:05:42 GMT -5 devonpow said:

Anyone have experience from areas with high levels of vaccine and mask wearing? We are in MA and start on Wednesday. While our numbers are surging just like all states it’s lower than most, and we gave high vaccine rates for our town/teachers. We will have universal indoor masking (they don’t need to wear them at recess), lunch outside as much as possible, and we have good ventilation systems. Last year there was zero in school transmission with these precautions, but I know Delta has changed everything. I’m wondering how much…

I'm from a high vaccine, mask mandate part of CA and so far so good (knock on wood). The school has had two cases in 3 weeks of school (siblings) and no spread. The district just approved weekly pooled testing for all classes, but some parents are already trying to opt their kids out, so that seems to defeat the purpose? Hopefully they'll come to their senses as we get further into fall.

[aspentosh]

We just started on Thursday, so only three days in. But DD is loving it and I am trying to ride her energy. Thankfully everyone is all masked and she does well with it.

[shaynaatl]

Both kids have gotten sick, but had negative Covid tests. So probably just a virus. No confirmed cases in either classroom, but DD1 did say today a bunch of kids were missing in her classroom. It is all quite stressful.

[sdlaura]

Aug 29, 2021 18:05:42 GMT -5 devonpow said:

Anyone have experience from areas with high levels of vaccine and mask wearing? We are in MA and start on Wednesday. While our numbers are surging just like all states it’s lower than most, and we gave high vaccine rates for our town/teachers. We will have universal indoor masking (they don’t need to wear them at recess), lunch outside as much as possible, and we have good ventilation systems. Last year there was zero in school transmission with these precautions, but I know Delta has changed everything. I’m wondering how much…

Our county has high levels of vaccine uptake and we have strict mask wearing and we're two weeks in. There have been a lot of cases already in our district, but no signs of spread. We didn't have any cases in my two kids' classes last year, and this year my daughter was in "modified quarantine" within the first two weeks due to a case in her class. That's been a common experience for a lot of other families.

She has to be tested on day 1, 4, and 7 to stay in school, but the frustrating thing is that they require PCR tests and the district isn't set up to do them yet. So that's about a 6-hour time commitment right now for parents to get the 3 tests (county PCR testing sites are about a half hour away). The great news is that she can stay in school, but no aftercare (we get out at 2:20 Mon-Thurs and 12:45 Fridays, and no buses in our district). You also have to sign something that your kid won't do any sports/extracurriculars during the 10-day modified quarantine period - even though many of the sports leagues are fine with say, a kid who has been exposed but is asymptomatic and has tested negative. I expect lots of non-compliance with that rule/people deciding to keep their kids out of school and do homework packets if their kids do activities and have to constantly be out because of modified quarantine.

So anyway, I'm thrilled that my kids can stay in school and that the COVID mitigation measures seem to be working such that even this more contagious variant doesn't seem to be spreading in our schools with strong mitigation measures. But it's still shaping up to be a very disruptive/disrupted year for families, even if your kids don't get sick at all.