APS mask policy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS also has apparently decided there will be no virtual learning program through Arlington next year. I don't know whether the state plans to continue its statewide virtual program.

The parents against universal masking have always said that if you don't feel safe, just keep your kids home with you. So do you have to homeschool to do that now? These parents' desires are now superceding the health issues of marginalized people in the community now. It's everybody for themselves rather than looking out for one another as I thought Christian people believed they should do.

Whatever, man. I will remember this, and I"m sure other parents will as well.

LOL. This just shows how sadly uninformed people in Arlington are.

Virtual Virginia has existed since at least the mid 2000's. There was never any reason for APS to create a virtual program. My guess is someone old like you decided this was sooo cool! and so neat that you can use technology like this now! wow, we have to try that!

Please stop buying into that one guy in Arlington who is insisting that this program is needed. He just doesn't want to have to deal with his own personal situation so he wants the rest of APS to change for him. I can't believe people get sucked into believing him that there are no options, that everything will be terrible, and on and on an on an on and on.

Did the presentation give any insight on to the main reason the kids in virtual virginia are in virtual va? I know they did once at the beginning of the year and I wonder if they have been keeping updated data on that.

I do feel like a lot of the folks in virtual va (at least the ones I have heard from) are doing it due to bullying/special need circumstances/school avoidance and not because of covid. I don't think APS ever created the program to be anything other than a temporary thing due to the unique circumstances presented by covid. I personally, don't understand the need to remain in an APS virtual system if the state has one (largely because I don't understand the benefit, other than maybe it looks better on a dipolma). I would assume the vast majority of virtual students aren't playing school sports or involved in school clubs (but could be wrong).

But if the main issue is that they don't want to lose out on school sports it would seem like some deal could be reached to work that out and provide the education from virtual virginia.

I know this is a random fact and very specific situation, but I read that Torri Huske, the Yorktown swimmer who went to the Olympics last summer, did her senior year (last year) through Virtual Virginia. She also swam for Yorktown at the VA state champs last year, so I don't think VV precludes you from competing in sports for your school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS also has apparently decided there will be no virtual learning program through Arlington next year. I don't know whether the state plans to continue its statewide virtual program.

The parents against universal masking have always said that if you don't feel safe, just keep your kids home with you. So do you have to homeschool to do that now? These parents' desires are now superceding the health issues of marginalized people in the community now. It's everybody for themselves rather than looking out for one another as I thought Christian people believed they should do.

Whatever, man. I will remember this, and I"m sure other parents will as well.

LOL. This just shows how sadly uninformed people in Arlington are.

Virtual Virginia has existed since at least the mid 2000's. There was never any reason for APS to create a virtual program. My guess is someone old like you decided this was sooo cool! and so neat that you can use technology like this now! wow, we have to try that!

Please stop buying into that one guy in Arlington who is insisting that this program is needed. He just doesn't want to have to deal with his own personal situation so he wants the rest of APS to change for him. I can't believe people get sucked into believing him that there are no options, that everything will be terrible, and on and on an on an on and on.

And he’s a teacher in APS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BA.2 gonna make Youngkin look like a fool.

This. The pandemic is done when it’s done, not when we want it to be done. Your odds of surviving an individual case of COVID are pretty good. Your odds of surviving anything else when the hospitals are overloaded aren’t as great.

How many times can you people make this argument. When in this area hospitals have never been overrrun and no such doomsday scenario has materialized here locally. But it seems the thought fills you with glee, so that’s odd.

And why do you think that is? We’re a COVID-conservative people. Most of us do healthy things and it’s served us well. But we are fooling ourselves if we think this is “over” less than a month after the worst wave yet, and new variants keep evolving to avoid prior immunity, natural or vaccine. I’m not for masking forever, I want to get back to normal too, but I’m not ready to celebrate and throw caution to the wind, either. The burnout is real among the health care profession- it’s stupid to assume they will be back to “normal” in time for the next wave. (And there will be one- there’s a whole population of kids that can’t get a shot, along with kids whose parents won’t get the shot, and this virus is evolving at the speed of light).

Great. And during the down periods between variants, people can choose not to wear masks and shouldn’t be shamed for it and screamed at that they are “anti-maskers”.

Also you’re over estimating how much human behavior impacts these waves. A lot of it is community vaccination rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS also has apparently decided there will be no virtual learning program through Arlington next year. I don't know whether the state plans to continue its statewide virtual program.

The parents against universal masking have always said that if you don't feel safe, just keep your kids home with you. So do you have to homeschool to do that now? These parents' desires are now superceding the health issues of marginalized people in the community now. It's everybody for themselves rather than looking out for one another as I thought Christian people believed they should do.

Whatever, man. I will remember this, and I"m sure other parents will as well.

It’s a taxpayer run school system and they need to make the smartest and most efficient choices with the money they have for the greater good. APS running their own home grown virtual option makes zero sense moving forward on any possible level. A virtual option will still be offered.

You sound entitled.

+1000

Sorry, but the world does not owe you a local virtual program for a small percentage of students at the expense of spending on much bigger needs when a perfectly viable option (Virtual Virginia) already exists. And no, the rest of the student population doesn’t owe you universal masking. My special needs kid already lost a year of in-person services and his delays have grown bigger while masking. You can’t use him as a tool to make yourself feel safer anymore. Put your child in a KN94/95 and make sure they are fully vaccinated — those are the choices you’re perfectly welcome to. But you don’t get to use children as pawns anymore to manage your statistically unreasonable fears of this virus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you read your emails? It will be discussed at the School Board Meeting.

Mask Requirement: I know there are questions about next steps with our mask policy. Like other local school divisions, APS has been reviewing the latest health guidance and planning for when we can safely ease our masks requirements. We will present our plan and revised policy at Thursday’s School Board meeting. We have come far together as a community in maintaining safe, open schools, even during the Omicron spike, and we will continue that work together.

They can discuss all they want, the law goes into effect on March 1. What would be really refreshing is if they just sent out an email that says in compliance with the law, on March 1, masks are optional. Also they need to withdraw from that lawsuit right now.

The lawsuit also argued the school districts believe it is unconstitutional under VA state constitution to not allow School Boards to have authority over their own buildings/students, etc. So more a question of whose right is it to set this kind of policy/law.

No idea the merits of that argument.

The argument on the EO was that the GA had left the issue up to school boards with the previous bill (since it just directed them to comply with CDC recommendations as much as possible).

The GA is now directing them explicitly to end mask mandates.

This seems pretty cut and dry under the Virginia constitution unless there is previous case law that somehow limits the authority of the GA.

e) Subject to the ultimate authority of the General Assembly, the Board shall have primary responsibility and authority for effectuating the educational policy set forth in this article, and it shall have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed by law.

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/constitution/article8/section5/

So maybe the lawsuit doesn't go away.

+1

It will go away. DEMs don't need another punch in the face right now.

Wow you sound so "intelligent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS also has apparently decided there will be no virtual learning program through Arlington next year. I don't know whether the state plans to continue its statewide virtual program.

The parents against universal masking have always said that if you don't feel safe, just keep your kids home with you. So do you have to homeschool to do that now? These parents' desires are now superceding the health issues of marginalized people in the community now. It's everybody for themselves rather than looking out for one another as I thought Christian people believed they should do.

Whatever, man. I will remember this, and I"m sure other parents will as well.

For kids with cancer and the like, homebound has existed for a very long time and will continue to exist. There will always be a way for kids who are too medically needy to get sick to receive a public education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BA.2 gonna make Youngkin look like a fool.

This. The pandemic is done when it’s done, not when we want it to be done. Your odds of surviving an individual case of COVID are pretty good. Your odds of surviving anything else when the hospitals are overloaded aren’t as great.

How many times can you people make this argument. When in this area hospitals have never been overrrun and no such doomsday scenario has materialized here locally. But it seems the thought fills you with glee, so that’s odd.

And why do you think that is? We’re a COVID-conservative people. Most of us do healthy things and it’s served us well. But we are fooling ourselves if we think this is “over” less than a month after the worst wave yet, and new variants keep evolving to avoid prior immunity, natural or vaccine. I’m not for masking forever, I want to get back to normal too, but I’m not ready to celebrate and throw caution to the wind, either. The burnout is real among the health care profession- it’s stupid to assume they will be back to “normal” in time for the next wave. (And there will be one- there’s a whole population of kids that can’t get a shot, along with kids whose parents won’t get the shot, and this virus is evolving at the speed of light).

Great. And during the down periods between variants, people can choose not to wear masks and shouldn’t be shamed for it and screamed at that they are “anti-maskers”.

Also you’re over estimating how much human behavior impacts these waves. A lot of it is community vaccination rate.

And my kids won't be wearing masks during variant periods unless it's a variant that actually has much greater than a flu level risk to kids (haven't seen one yet). We never wore one during Delta or Omicron, and plan on doing the exact same thing going forward.

Time to get back to normal. We never did this during the flu. COVID is a less than flu-level risk for vaccinated adults and unvaccinated kids. Never did it for the flu and aren't doing it going forward for anything else.

Most importantly - we follow the science, and masks don't work when you look at studies with actual humans and control groups (not unscientific obersvational "studies" with masks perfectly placed on mannequins).

[Anonymous]

Staff will still be required to mask but kids will not? The APS website doesn't seem to say anything about staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Staff will still be required to mask but kids will not? The APS website doesn't seem to say anything about staff.

We need the staff to be able to unmask too. This mask theater needs to be optional for all people in schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BA.2 gonna make Youngkin look like a fool.

This. The pandemic is done when it’s done, not when we want it to be done. Your odds of surviving an individual case of COVID are pretty good. Your odds of surviving anything else when the hospitals are overloaded aren’t as great.

How many times can you people make this argument. When in this area hospitals have never been overrrun and no such doomsday scenario has materialized here locally. But it seems the thought fills you with glee, so that’s odd.

And why do you think that is? We’re a COVID-conservative people. Most of us do healthy things and it’s served us well. But we are fooling ourselves if we think this is “over” less than a month after the worst wave yet, and new variants keep evolving to avoid prior immunity, natural or vaccine. I’m not for masking forever, I want to get back to normal too, but I’m not ready to celebrate and throw caution to the wind, either. The burnout is real among the health care profession- it’s stupid to assume they will be back to “normal” in time for the next wave. (And there will be one- there’s a whole population of kids that can’t get a shot, along with kids whose parents won’t get the shot, and this virus is evolving at the speed of light).

Great. And during the down periods between variants, people can choose not to wear masks and shouldn’t be shamed for it and screamed at that they are “anti-maskers”.

Also you’re over estimating how much human behavior impacts these waves. A lot of it is community vaccination rate.

And my kids won't be wearing masks during variant periods unless it's a variant that actually has much greater than a flu level risk to kids (haven't seen one yet). We never wore one during Delta or Omicron, and plan on doing the exact same thing going forward.

Time to get back to normal. We never did this during the flu. COVID is a less than flu-level risk for vaccinated adults and unvaccinated kids. Never did it for the flu and aren't doing it going forward for anything else.

Most importantly - we follow the science, and masks don't work when you look at studies with actual humans and control groups (not unscientific obersvational "studies" with masks perfectly placed on mannequins).

If you were “following the science”, then you’d know what you’re saying about the flu being more dangerous is complete BS. More kids have died from COVID. Not a ton, but numerically more. We don’t know how many have experienced complications or longer term damage. Estimates are pretty high in the unvaxxed adult population. Plus, you know, most kids have been getting flu shots for several years. No shots are available for the under 5 set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Staff will still be required to mask but kids will not? The APS website doesn't seem to say anything about staff.

We need the staff to be able to unmask too. This mask theater needs to be optional for all people in schools.

Do you really think anti mask parents are going to be ok with their kids' teacher keeping their mask on? They spout masking "choice," but what they really want is to force everyone to take masks off. Watch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should have to get the form notarized and bring to school in person during school hours.

Huh, why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should have to get the form notarized and bring to school in person during school hours.

Huh, why?

To make it more difficult, duh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BA.2 gonna make Youngkin look like a fool.

This. The pandemic is done when it’s done, not when we want it to be done. Your odds of surviving an individual case of COVID are pretty good. Your odds of surviving anything else when the hospitals are overloaded aren’t as great.

How many times can you people make this argument. When in this area hospitals have never been overrrun and no such doomsday scenario has materialized here locally. But it seems the thought fills you with glee, so that’s odd.

And why do you think that is? We’re a COVID-conservative people. Most of us do healthy things and it’s served us well. But we are fooling ourselves if we think this is “over” less than a month after the worst wave yet, and new variants keep evolving to avoid prior immunity, natural or vaccine. I’m not for masking forever, I want to get back to normal too, but I’m not ready to celebrate and throw caution to the wind, either. The burnout is real among the health care profession- it’s stupid to assume they will be back to “normal” in time for the next wave. (And there will be one- there’s a whole population of kids that can’t get a shot, along with kids whose parents won’t get the shot, and this virus is evolving at the speed of light).

Great. And during the down periods between variants, people can choose not to wear masks and shouldn’t be shamed for it and screamed at that they are “anti-maskers”.

Also you’re over estimating how much human behavior impacts these waves. A lot of it is community vaccination rate.

And my kids won't be wearing masks during variant periods unless it's a variant that actually has much greater than a flu level risk to kids (haven't seen one yet). We never wore one during Delta or Omicron, and plan on doing the exact same thing going forward.

Time to get back to normal. We never did this during the flu. COVID is a less than flu-level risk for vaccinated adults and unvaccinated kids. Never did it for the flu and aren't doing it going forward for anything else.

Most importantly - we follow the science, and masks don't work when you look at studies with actual humans and control groups (not unscientific obersvational "studies" with masks perfectly placed on mannequins).

If you were “following the science”, then you’d know what you’re saying about the flu being more dangerous is complete BS. More kids have died from COVID. Not a ton, but numerically more. We don’t know how many have experienced complications or longer term damage. Estimates are pretty high in the unvaxxed adult population. Plus, you know, most kids have been getting flu shots for several years. No shots are available for the under 5 set.

False! More kids are estimated to have died annual during the 2-3 month flu season prior to COVID than have died annual from COVID. Check the CDC's numbers.

And here you COVIDians go again with LoNg CoVid. Take a look at studies with actual control groups. In kids, it's extremely rare. For unvaccinated adults, that's a risk they're willingly taking as vaccines have been available for a year.

And once again, kids under 5 have less risk with COVID than with the flu or RSV.

So yes, we're following the science. That's why we haven't worn masks since this past summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should have to get the form notarized and bring to school in person during school hours.

Huh, why?

To make it more difficult, duh.

Sounds like an easy lawsuit victory. My kids are getting dropped off by my husband at school on March 1st without any mask on them. They're done.