MCPS closed Tuesday, 1/4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s this about a press conference? Where did PP obtain this information?

How can Dr. McKnight have a 8am press conference? Administrative offices don’t open till 10am. Today they were supposed to be open at 10am but either staff didn’t get the memo or they have COVID because no one was answering phones. MCPS is just a joke at this point.

Perhaps she has new information to share about what she did over Winter Break or the arrest of the employee at Northwood? Perhaps she has a solution to the staffing shortages? Perhaps - but probably not. Close schools because actually educating students is not important.

She's a total screw up no matter what side of the argument one finds themself supporting.
We need her out. Now.

Shrug. Not going to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re also holding a press conference at 8 am tomorrow. $10 says they have building closures to announce.

+1

Based on self reported positives over break. How scientific. This is why you don’t report positives over break people. Force MCPS to start counting in January. By the time you are close to 5% peak will have passed, thus avoiding a closure. Stop letting MCPS get away with closing schools people.

This lean towards self-interest over societal well-being from a significant percentage of the population is why they should have used a statistical proxy for the 5% litmus, one based on the percentage of MCPS students/staff reporting status and the test positivity rate in the county, overall, to compensate for those who would game the system to keep schools open by not testing/reporting in the first place.

+1,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re also holding a press conference at 8 am tomorrow. $10 says they have building closures to announce.

+1

Based on self reported positives over break. How scientific. This is why you don’t report positives over break people. Force MCPS to start counting in January. By the time you are close to 5% peak will have passed, thus avoiding a closure. Stop letting MCPS get away with closing schools people.

This lean towards self-interest over societal well-being from a significant percentage of the population is why they should have used a statistical proxy for the 5% litmus, one based on the percentage of MCPS students/staff reporting status and the test positivity rate in the county, overall, to compensate for those who would game the system to keep schools open by not testing/reporting in the first place.

+1,000

That wouldn’t be any more accurate.

I suppose with a little bit of demographic information they could pull a representative sample from the student and staff in the school. PCR positives rates are naturally going to increase over time because they’ll pick up prior infections for an extended period of time. Assuming they’re not going to get the lab to try to culture the virus in each sample to see if it contained live virus, you would want them to switch to antigen tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is indeed a blessing in disguise. Covid rates are so high. I don’t understand why they refuse to pivot to virtual for 2 weeks.

because 2 weeks isn't sufficient time for the rates to drop.

It’s enough to contain the spread from all the vacations, travel, family gatherings and large indoor parties people went to during break. Incubation averages for Omicron are quicker.

You think Omicron only spreads when you’re traveling or in schools? But not when you’re in the community? Not when kids are getting together because they don’t have school? Or when they’re going into all sorts of unstructured child care settings?

2 weeks won’t do anything. I think we might see cases drop, because there will be fewer people testing as we get away from the holidays, but I have little doubt that true cases will be just as high two weeks from as today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is indeed a blessing in disguise. Covid rates are so high. I don’t understand why they refuse to pivot to virtual for 2 weeks.

because 2 weeks isn't sufficient time for the rates to drop.

It’s enough to contain the spread from all the vacations, travel, family gatherings and large indoor parties people went to during break. Incubation averages for Omicron are quicker.

You think Omicron only spreads when you’re traveling or in schools? But not when you’re in the community? Not when kids are getting together because they don’t have school? Or when they’re going into all sorts of unstructured child care settings?

2 weeks won’t do anything. I think we might see cases drop, because there will be fewer people testing as we get away from the holidays, but I have little doubt that true cases will be just as high two weeks from as today.

Really what a disconnect between some posters and what’s happening around the entire country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re also holding a press conference at 8 am tomorrow. $10 says they have building closures to announce.

+1

Based on self reported positives over break. How scientific. This is why you don’t report positives over break people. Force MCPS to start counting in January. By the time you are close to 5% peak will have passed, thus avoiding a closure. Stop letting MCPS get away with closing schools people.

This lean towards self-interest over societal well-being from a significant percentage of the population is why they should have used a statistical proxy for the 5% litmus, one based on the percentage of MCPS students/staff reporting status and the test positivity rate in the county, overall, to compensate for those who would game the system to keep schools open by not testing/reporting in the first place.

+1,000

Can you imagine being mentally ill enough to think there's a vast conspiracy of school employees and parents who want to keep schools closed?

Let's just take a moment to laugh at the troll. And their paragraph that looks like it's been cribbed from a bad freshman essay. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, one of the Trump administration's finest!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re also holding a press conference at 8 am tomorrow. $10 says they have building closures to announce.

+1

Based on self reported positives over break. How scientific. This is why you don’t report positives over break people. Force MCPS to start counting in January. By the time you are close to 5% peak will have passed, thus avoiding a closure. Stop letting MCPS get away with closing schools people.

This lean towards self-interest over societal well-being from a significant percentage of the population is why they should have used a statistical proxy for the 5% litmus, one based on the percentage of MCPS students/staff reporting status and the test positivity rate in the county, overall, to compensate for those who would game the system to keep schools open by not testing/reporting in the first place.

+1,000

Can you imagine being mentally ill enough to think there's a vast conspiracy of school employees and parents who want to keep schools closed?

Let's just take a moment to laugh at the troll. And their paragraph that looks like it's been cribbed from a bad freshman essay. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, one of the Trump administration's finest!

PAGES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is just as well. I’m a HS teacher and I had 5 emails already today about kids being out with Covid for the next several days. The next few weeks will be a mess trying to teach in person kids and trying to work with kids who are out. I’m going to have to keep it light for my own sanity. And I’m worried I might come down with Covid myself after being exposed to so many people at school. There are kids who eat in my classroom at lunch. What do I do - kick them out?

Yeah (

Take them outside to eat.

I have a wonderful dedicated teacher at my daughter's high school who lets the kids eat in her classroom, volunteers her time, does so much!! I am so impressed with her dedication and yet I also want to scream a little at the thought of the kids all sitting there with their masks off eating. What's the alternative? I know. There isn't one. Tar is one of the many many many horrible rotten no good things about all of this.

Seriously, thank you so much for your service.

[Anonymous]

Tar -- should read This., Typo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh God, my anxiety just jumped to 298!!! I literally cannot stand one more day with these 3 kids driving me nuts!!! I went back to work Monday like teachers and everyone should have. I am literally getting deja vu with this weather and I bet they are going to close schools indefinitely and say they will reevaluate when it is safe to open and it will be like, July! I am going to go and drink a whole bunch until I cannot remember being on this forum.

So it's not about their health, it's about your mental health. Got it.

Oh please. It’s a stressful time. Let PP vent- she is joking.

Agreed- I am looking forward to thursday when I will finally be alone in our house for the first time in two weeks. Only have two kids but our preschooler is finishing up a 14 day quarantine for exposure, which thwarted our plans to visit my parents over the break, and ES student is still home too. I roll my eyes at a lot of MCPS weather closures but this one seemed necessary, lots of unplowed streets (including ours,, which usually gets plowed pretty early on as it's a bus route). Hopefully the county can make some headway on plowing today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why on Earth not virtual school tomorrow? I understood today with needing to figure out subs.

Parents had a fit about virtual... next time think before you speak.

This is true. There are parents who will not allow their children to participate in virtual learning of any kind. There are parents who kept their children home the few days before break and would not come to school to pick up Chromebooks or curriculum materials.

~MCPS Teacher

Those are the parents (as you read here in comments) who also don't report when the students have Covid and are likely to send them to school no matter what. They have no concern for the safety of their fellow students or the teachers and staff. The numbers are way under reported and McNight seems to want it that way. McNight is letting these selfish parents dictate the health and safety of our students and teachers (and community).

As a parent - I hope teachers know that we support you and really empathize with what you are going through. You didn't sign up for this mess. Why are teachers the ones who have to clean up the mess everyone else creates (students, admin, parents, local and state government)? I don't know how you are all hanging in there but thank you.

What about the opposite - students and teachers reporting they have COVID when they really don’t? A positive test result is not asked to document. Everything is on the honor system so numbers can be way over reported to try to get MCPS to go virtual.

Incorrect. Teachers need to submit test results or a doctors letter in order to receive Covid leave rather than use there own sick leave. -a teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh God, my anxiety just jumped to 298!!! I literally cannot stand one more day with these 3 kids driving me nuts!!! I went back to work Monday like teachers and everyone should have. I am literally getting deja vu with this weather and I bet they are going to close schools indefinitely and say they will reevaluate when it is safe to open and it will be like, July! I am going to go and drink a whole bunch until I cannot remember being on this forum.

So it's not about their health, it's about your mental health. Got it.

Oh please. It’s a stressful time. Let PP vent- she is joking.

Agreed- I am looking forward to thursday when I will finally be alone in our house for the first time in two weeks. Only have two kids but our preschooler is finishing up a 14 day quarantine for exposure, which thwarted our plans to visit my parents over the break, and ES student is still home too. I roll my eyes at a lot of MCPS weather closures but this one seemed necessary, lots of unplowed streets (including ours,, which usually gets plowed pretty early on as it's a bus route). Hopefully the county can make some headway on plowing today.

This is the crazy poster of the original text that should have not had 3 kids and should be on birth control and who is a horrible person. I could rely on DCUM to light the fire under my stake. I was venting. Duh! My kids are 3 energetic, crazy boys who fight and wreck the house all the time but I do love them. I try to lay out activities but nothing ever goes as planned. My husband travels a lot for his job and I have family but far away. I can want them out of the house without being abusive. My gosh! I do not ay a finger on them but admit I do yell. As I suspected, my kids' school closed for 2 of my kids (Hallie Wells) but the youngest still goes to school. That makes no sense as I will still need to WFH to make sure the middle school boys go to virtual school and stay on task and get fed. I knew it was something bad, so I was right with going virtual. Nothing else but this kind of news comes out at 8am when offices supposedly open at 10 am. By the way, MCPS does not answer phones or emails. WTF is going on in that office? Are they really even there? Good gosh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh God, my anxiety just jumped to 298!!! I literally cannot stand one more day with these 3 kids driving me nuts!!! I went back to work Monday like teachers and everyone should have. I am literally getting deja vu with this weather and I bet they are going to close schools indefinitely and say they will reevaluate when it is safe to open and it will be like, July! I am going to go and drink a whole bunch until I cannot remember being on this forum.

So it's not about their health, it's about your mental health. Got it.

Oh please. It’s a stressful time. Let PP vent- she is joking.

Agreed- I am looking forward to thursday when I will finally be alone in our house for the first time in two weeks. Only have two kids but our preschooler is finishing up a 14 day quarantine for exposure, which thwarted our plans to visit my parents over the break, and ES student is still home too. I roll my eyes at a lot of MCPS weather closures but this one seemed necessary, lots of unplowed streets (including ours,, which usually gets plowed pretty early on as it's a bus route). Hopefully the county can make some headway on plowing today.

Hate to break it to you but it’s been forecasted that there will be more snow on Thursday...vent away

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh God, my anxiety just jumped to 298!!! I literally cannot stand one more day with these 3 kids driving me nuts!!! I went back to work Monday like teachers and everyone should have. I am literally getting deja vu with this weather and I bet they are going to close schools indefinitely and say they will reevaluate when it is safe to open and it will be like, July! I am going to go and drink a whole bunch until I cannot remember being on this forum.

So it's not about their health, it's about your mental health. Got it.

Oh please. It’s a stressful time. Let PP vent- she is joking.

Agreed- I am looking forward to thursday when I will finally be alone in our house for the first time in two weeks. Only have two kids but our preschooler is finishing up a 14 day quarantine for exposure, which thwarted our plans to visit my parents over the break, and ES student is still home too. I roll my eyes at a lot of MCPS weather closures but this one seemed necessary, lots of unplowed streets (including ours,, which usually gets plowed pretty early on as it's a bus route). Hopefully the county can make some headway on plowing today.

Hate to break it to you but it’s been forecasted that there will be more snow on Thursday...vent away

It’s true. This is from NOAA weather …

There is a slight winter storm threat Wednesday morning. Light freezing rain or freezing drizzle is possible. If this threat materializes, it may cause travel disruptions, including during the Wednesday morning commute.

There is an enhanced winter storm threat Thursday night into Friday. Accumulating snow is likely. There is an increased potential of more significant travel impacts and closures.

[Anonymous]

The reason why virtual learning did not go well last year for many is not so much the format. It is due to grade inflation, the fact that teachers can not give less than 50% even when students are cheating or not doing the work, the fact that they don't have to attend a class more than a minute to be officially present, that they did not have to turn their camera on, the lack of deadlines except for the last day of the marking period...