Post by goldengirlz on Sept 2, 2021 12:26:16 GMT -5
At our school, they would make the entire class quarantine if one student got sick. I don’t know of any public health guidelines (at least in my state) that say it doesn’t count as an exposure if you’re masked. Masks are better than nothing, but not an impenetrable shield. So … I’d say not reasonable.
Ours worked this way last year except it was within 6 ft instead of 3. I didn’t have a problem with it. Due to the contact tracing being done everyone knew who tested positive anyways. There were few cases and no in school spread all year. If we still had this policy I’d be thrilled.
We get a dashboard now telling us if there was a case in your school that day or not. That’s it. Not that i matters because quarantines for exposure aren’t allowed.
What would be the purpose of you knowing??? I know that might sound snarky, but I am actually serious. I assume you are evaluating for symptoms daily anyway so it shouldn't matter.
I’m all for anything that doesn’t force my kid into quarantine for a school exposure. My DD1 had 2 back to back quarantines last fall due to exposure at school. Didn’t get covid. The best thing about her eventually actually having covid was not having to quarantine for 90 days afterward. She was so happy to have it over with and to stop all the quarantines.
Also, the data in my area showed that less than 2 kids per 1000 quarantined after school exposure actually went on to contract covid. I think the risk is really low so I would be fine with it.
I have no idea what reasonable anymore, lol. Delta is changing everything on us again.
Our school is quarantining the whole classroom for elementary level exposure, which seems reasonable to me. They did this last year as well.
We started the year with masks optional. There were immediately two cases in what looks like two separate classrooms (they don’t tell us but it’s 40 kids and 2 staff so I’m speculating). Of the quarantined people, 55% have now tested positive, excluding the original two cases. The good news is we have a mask mandate because of this.
ETA: our elementary had zero in classroom spread last year. But we had a mask mandate and it also wasn’t delta. Everything feels different this year.
Post by sillygoosegirl on Sept 2, 2021 12:43:49 GMT -5
I think it's bullshit. If you can get sick together unmasked for 15 minutes within 24 hours, then you can certainly also get sick in 5 hours masked (assuming 95% effectiveness from the mask--which seems optimistic for children, even if they were wearing N95s).
However, it's also what our local school district is doing, and apparently what the local health department is saying to do. I asked the staff for our local homeschool co-op about it, as they haven't yet said what they intend to do, and they say they are still trying to figure out if they are requiring to follow what the health department says (which is basically never notify anybody, because masking+eating outside 6 ft apart), or if they are legally allowed to notify more broadly of positives. We're supposed to start on September 10th.
I wish I was half as confident that this policy will keep kids safe as I am about it keeping kids from quarantining. I understand they want to keep kids in school as much as possible, but for an example of why this is problematic, our VT is severely immunocompromised and doesn't have antibodies after 3 shots. I'm scared for her and people like her, as her patients aren't even going to get notified if the kid next to them in class has COVID. I also worry that if parents think kids can't get COVID at school (which is basically exactly what the health department is telling us), parents will not see any need to keep sick kids home.
What would be the purpose of you knowing??? I know that might sound snarky, but I am actually serious. I assume you are evaluating for symptoms daily anyway so it shouldn't matter.
It's a reasonable question and I don't know the answer, other than to say that "contact tracing" has been a big thing all along in covid and it seems weird to throw it out the window now. I also have a second unvaccinated child at home and I'd probably do my best to keep them separated if I knew of a true exposure.
I think it's bullshit. If you can get sick together unmasked for 15 minutes within 24 hours, then you can certainly also get sick in 5 hours masked (assuming 95% effectiveness from the mask--which seems optimistic for children, even if they were wearing N95s).
However, it's also what our local school district is doing, and apparently what the local health department is saying to do. I asked the staff for our local homeschool co-op about it, as they haven't yet said what they intend to do, and they say they are still trying to figure out if they are requiring to follow what the health department says (which is basically never notify anybody, because masking+eating outside 6 ft apart), or if they are legally allowed to notify more broadly of positives. We're supposed to start on September 10th.
I wish I was half as confident that this policy will keep kids safe as I am about it keeping kids from quarantining. I understand they want to keep kids in school as much as possible, but for an example of why this is problematic, our VT is severely immunocompromised and doesn't have antibodies after 3 shots. I'm scared for her and people like her, as her patients aren't even going to get notified if the kid next to them in class has COVID. I also worry that if parents think kids can't get COVID at school (which is basically exactly what the health department is telling us), parents will not see any need to keep sick kids home.
Post by plutosmoon on Sept 2, 2021 13:19:13 GMT -5
Since my school has weekly testing and stay and test, I'd be ok with this policy. My school will basically have no quarantine if you opt into testing. Without the testing, I'd be unhappy about it and want a class quarantine. I really have no idea what makes sense anymore.
Since my school has weekly testing and stay and test, I'd be ok with this policy. My school will basically have no quarantine if you opt into testing. Without the testing, I'd be unhappy about it and want a class quarantine. I really have no idea what makes sense anymore.
It's somehow gotten more confusing over time and not less. I did not anticipate that.
Post by ilikedonuts on Sept 2, 2021 13:22:32 GMT -5
I mean my county isn’t even requiring quarantines. That ‘recommend’ that parents ‘should’ quarantine their kids. It’s ‘up to the parents to decide if they will follow the policy.’ Basically all the kids are sitting ducks…
Our school does this, and did all of last year as well. There were more quarantines last year than you would think, but zero school spread. We've been back 3 weeks and have had 4 emails i think of people (staff or students) testing positive but no one has had to quarantine as there have been no close contacts. Again no spread.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Sept 2, 2021 13:28:58 GMT -5
If I understand our policy correctly (big if LOL), we would be notified our kid was within 3 ft of someone positive for at least 15 min regardless of mask usage. Masks are required here.
It’s interesting, because it’s different even within a state. I’m in California, and not only does the whole class not quarantine, but a close contact, which includes the kids they sit next to in class and masked, can do a modified quarantine where they continue coming to class while testing periodically.
We’ve been in school two full weeks, and our weekly dashboard update showed that the number of positives and in quarantine doubled. 🤦♀️
Love of my life baby boy born 11/11. One and done not by choice; 3 years of TTC yielded 4 MMC and 2 CPs, through 4 IUIs and 2 IVFs. Focusing on making the world a better place instead...and running.
Here the rule is "< 6 feet without masks, or < 3 feet with masks", and they send those contacts home until they test negative rather than just a notification. I think "notification plus getting your kid tested ASAP" is enough. But notification is important, if someone in the household is unvaccinated or at higher risk (over 60, immunocomprimised, etc.).
"In the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time."
"In the K–12 indoor classroom setting, the close contact definition excludes students who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student (laboratory-confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time."
Post by redpenmama on Sept 2, 2021 14:27:45 GMT -5
I agree -- I think you should be notified whether or not they were masked. Our policy is similar to yours -- but masks don't make a difference. So, within 3 feet for 15 minutes or more (masked or unmasked) results in a quarantine. So, we're going to get quarantined by their tables at lunch or in the classroom. Full-class quarantines only happen in kindergarten (because they can't maintain distance...but apparently a 1st grader can?) or if there are multiple cases in a class. We've had two partial class quarantines so far with 6-8 kids out for 10 days (or 8 if they test out of it).
What would be the purpose of you knowing??? I know that might sound snarky, but I am actually serious. I assume you are evaluating for symptoms daily anyway so it shouldn't matter.
To quarantine!
For example, my mom is high risk. She’s vaccinated but in a group with less robust immunity. She lives on the other side of the country, so I don’t see her often, but if we were, say, a multigenerational household, I’d want to know if my child were exposed at school. We’d isolate and test. (Cases can also be asymptomatic, remember, and masks do not guarantee protection.)
I seriously do not understand how quickly people have forgotten pandemic protocols. I think OP has previously said that her child is in an age group too young to be vaccinated so the old rules still apply. You get exposed, you quarantine. Other than mass mandatory vaccinations, this is the best response we have right now. I guess this is why delta is spreading like wildfire.
We are noticed of a close contact exposure, but as long as kids were masked and continue to mask, there is no quarantine unless symptomatic. They are supposed to test twice during the next 10 days, but it’s self-atestation. I live in a red pocket, so I’m guessing most parents aren’t testing.
Even if there’s no policy for quarantine, I’d still expect to be informed and able to make my own choices for exposure, even if just to be extra aware and maybe test a few times.
For example, my mom is high risk. She’s vaccinated but in a group with less robust immunity. She lives on the other side of the country, so I don’t see her often, but if we were, say, a multigenerational household, I’d want to know if my child were exposed at school. We’d isolate and test. (Cases can also be asymptomatic, remember, and masks do not guarantee protection.)
I seriously do not understand how quickly people have forgotten pandemic protocols. I think OP has previously said that her child is in an age group too young to be vaccinated so the old rules still apply. You get exposed, you quarantine. Other than mass mandatory vaccinations, this is the best response we have right now. I guess this is why delta is spreading like wildfire.
but it sounds like the school policy is within CDC guidelines. If people are expecting more than that, then they may not want to have their child in person.
My co workers son quarantined 5 times last year because of exposure on the bus, so i get it.
I’m on the CDC website now. They say that their quarantine guidelines are “irrespective of whether the person with COVID-19 or the contact was wearing a mask.” So, no, this is NOT within CDC guidelines if they’re only counting unmasked exposures as an exposure.
ohgillian, that is the same policy we are being told will happen. But then they announced masked free recess yesterday which in my book says the whole class could be exposed as they have 2-15 minute recess times plus lunch time.
goldengirlz the CDC has separate quarantine guidelines for K-12 schools, because they are acknowledging that constant quarantines also have downsides for child health. From the CDC website:
"See the added exception in the close contact definition for the exclusion of students in the K-12 indoor classroom who are within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student with masking. See the Department of Education’s Protecting Student Privacy FERPA and the Coronavirus Disease 2019external icon for more information."
I'm in California and think the "modified quarantine" process they're using is a reasonable middle ground. We always get notified of a case in our kid's class and in the school, even though all kids are masked all the time indoors. Other kids who were in a class with a kid who tested positive can still come to school as long as they are asymptomatic and get tested on days 1, 4, and 7. Parents provide the testing proof to the school and you sign something saying kids will only come to school - no aftercare and no extracurriculars. My DD is just at the end of this "modified quarantine" window after a classmate tested positive last week, and luckily there was zero spread. But I'm glad they told us so that we could watch carefully for symptoms.
Post by goldengirlz on Sept 2, 2021 19:35:33 GMT -5
I’m definitely a big proponent of “keep the schools open.” If this is what it takes, well …
I don’t know. What can I say. I’m glad our school is stricter than the state. But the truth is, I’d probably still send her back, regardless. If we had an immunocompromised household member, however, this would be really scary. I feel for everyone in this situation.
ETA: I guess I was responding to the comment that parents wouldn’t use that information. I feel like it IS relevant to people. And maybe those people would indeed be better served with distance learning but it still sucks all around that they’re forced to make that choice.
It’s interesting, because it’s different even within a state. I’m in California, and not only does the whole class not quarantine, but a close contact, which includes the kids they sit next to in class and masked, can do a modified quarantine where they continue coming to class while testing periodically.
We’ve been in school two full weeks, and our weekly dashboard update showed that the number of positives and in quarantine doubled. 🤦♀️
Same policy (CA as well). I actually feel our school isn’t doing a great job this year (and it’s terrifying since my youngest has asthma and gets really sick with just a cold). So far there was a girl coughing every morning the first week, just this week a kid had a fever and out Tues/Weds and back yesterday, my oldest was in social skills in the library unmasked (during lunch so they were eating), and another mom who is sending her kids to school a day after being sick (so no testing being done). The school requires masks while inside but not outside…I ask my boys to wear them unless eating or drinking. Even so I feel we are just a ticking time bomb before someone is sick.