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WTU is demanding a "plan & policy for next week & Jan"
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Anonymous
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WTU tweet: https://twitter.com/WTUTeacher/status/1472342688649338890
They are "are actively reaching out to" DCPS leaders and the council "to demand a plan & policy for next week & Jan." Any guesses about what they want that "plan and policy" to be? In entirely unrelated news a petition is circulating that is demanding schools "pivot to virtual" next week. The petition says: "Last year we all learned how to learn virtually. Let’s use this knowledge and technology to keep us safe." This petition was created by a WTU member and a look at the names on the petition suggests that the signatories are overwhelmingly DCPS staff. https://www.change.org/p/chancellor-ferebee-and-mayor-bowser-dcps-needs-to-pivot-to-virtual-learning-for-all-schools-for-monday-tuesday-and-wednesday?fbclid=IwAR2h8HIfXtQvTaFSFaLsr6PZBf9US3A8TyLKueA-t3yA_DyA-PhuvlUgrmk https://truthout.org/authors/crystal-sylvia/ |
Anonymous
| The plan and policy is to stay open. That’s it. These people don’t care one iota about children |
Anonymous
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Nope. I saw that petition and almost lost my mind. What’s the point of vaccines then? This shit is the same as it’s been. Shame on the media for creating a circus around what’s essentially a predictable spike in cases around the holidays. We know this. We did it already.
Everyone old enough to be in Kindergarten-12th grade is approved to receive a vaccine. Enough. |
Anonymous
Can I ask a hypothetical? Co worker tested positive. I found out this morning, and despite my best efforts (10 stores, 4 different pay places), couldn’t find anywhere to get a rapid test. Got a nice scratch in my throat, but this week is a leave restriction week. I have a class of 25, maybe 1/2 are vaxxed. What seems like the best choice from a public health standpoint? |
Anonymous
There’s many variables here. You and your coworker only interact in masks? You don’t stand next to each other all day? You and your coworker are vaccinated? The class is all masked? And to be honest IDGAF about the 1/2 of the class who aren’t vaccinated because at this point they’ve had the opportunity and that’s on them. And if they’re children and their parents didn’t vaccinate them, well see also know covid is not a statistically huge threat to children. In a perfect world you’d have found a test. It’s abysmal that our systems cannot provide enough tests 20 months into this pandemic. That is a failure. |
Anonymous
| WTU has asked for test to return in January. Which makes all kinds of sense and will help us keep the schools open. |
Anonymous
Excellent. |
Anonymous
Reasonable. What do they want this week? |
Anonymous
It was an incredibly demoralizing day |
Anonymous
Sure. That’s fine. Not fine with closing schools. Ever again unless everything else is closed and the vaccine and booster is required. Schools close last not first. But sure, happy to test to return. |
Anonymous
We get it |
Anonymous
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The policy is for all staff to be fully vaccinated. Get your boosters folks, it will protect you. And also for sick kids to stay home, positive cases and close contacts quarantine, everyone wears masks, outdoor lunch and snack wherever possible. That's been the policy, it's still the policy.
Now, if WTU wants to suggest we expand the definition of close contacts, I'd back that up -- a lot of schools are clearly defining them too narrowly and with omicron we can't do that. Let's get behind that. And I'd also be in favor of a much more specific testing plan that embraces rapid tests and ideally invests in them. Right now families and teachers are being left to figure out testing for themselves with no guidance. It sucks. Especially because the DC Health tests are just too slow to be at all helpful. So people are left to find appropriate testing on their own and the options available are not sufficient. This is something that DC Health needs to get on, not just DCPS. We need better, faster, more convenient testing to keep people safe. But I'm not loving this rhetoric from WTU because, along with that petition floating around signed by a ton of DCPS teachers and staff, there's definitely an air of "let's shut this thing down again" in the air and I am NOT here for it. I don't like the rumblings. Closing school and "pivoting to virtual" should be a last resort and we're not there. |
Anonymous
| Who would do the testing? Schools? |
Anonymous
I am fully on board with this. CDC has just endorsed test-to-stay as a policy, implementing a test-to-return is a great idea. Just tell me what I need (PCR in advance, day of rapid test, if PCR how close to the date of return do we need the results, etc.) and I'm in. |
Anonymous
+1 But with Omicron I'd like to see all kids tested every other day. I know it's not gonna happen in Public, at least until we get subsidized tests (Binax Now are $4 in the UK and $22 here). :/ |