NYT Op Ed from a pediatrician - again arguing against schools closures
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Anonymous
So, all the videos, tv, apps are ok, just not school. Got it. |
Anonymous
Well, the resources were not provided to "make it happen." And we now have widespread community transmission, so the point is moot. We can keep arguing about what should have happened in September through mid-November but after 42 million go-rounds about it here, it seems that may not bear fruit. How about we focus on what we are going to have to do in an environment of widespread transmission, since that is where we are now? |
Anonymous
Yup. They parrot all these OPINION pieces as if it means anything. Pro tip: It doesn't. |
Anonymous
Did you miss the list of credible public health experts in favor of opening schools that another PP posted? Here it is again: how about the Dean of the Brown School of Medicine? "There’s no doubt in my mind that schools need to be bolder than they’re being. " https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/11/03/scho...be-bolder-about-reopening.html how about the policy lab a the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania? "In addition to protecting children and families from the damaging health effects of this virus, it is also imperative that we continue to safely reopen society, prepare for a potential resurgence of COVID-19 this fall and winter, and address the humanitarian impacts resulting from social distancing and disruptions to caregivers’ abilities to work and youth school attendance.: https://policylab.chop.edu/project/responding-covid-19 how about these experts published in the New England Journal of Medicine? "We believe that safely reopening schools full-time for all elementary school children should therefore be a top national priority ... Even under conditions of moderate transmission (<10 cases per 100,000 people),12 however, we believe that primary schools should be recognized as essential services — and school personnel as essential workers — and that school reopening plans should be developed and financed accordingly." https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2024920 How about the medical director of Children's Hospital here in DC? ""As a pediatrician, I am really seeing the negative impacts of these school closures on children," Dr. Danielle Dooley, a medical director at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., told NPR. She ticked off mental health problems, hunger, obesity due to inactivity, missing routine medical care and the risk of child abuse — on top of the loss of education. "Going to school is really vital for children. They get their meals in school, their physical activity, their health care, their education, of course." https://www.npr.org/2020/10/21/925794511/were-the-...-reopening-schools-exaggerated How about these other experts published in JAMA? "Given the limited resources of public schools, in the event of reopening, school districts should devote efforts to interventions that are well supported by public health officials and feasible to implement. First, mask requirements should be enforced for all staff and students for grade levels K-12 through new dress code policies. Second, districts should implement the practice of cohorting, a strategy for keeping small groups of students together, which in effect limits the exposure of students and staff to other contacts.8 Because school districts may not have the resources or budget to make extensive changes to their facilities, this practice coupled with modified scheduling could allow all students to have at least some in-person instruction each week while ensuring physical distancing. At a minimum, districts should prioritize offering in-person instruction to K-5 students, students with disabilities, students who might not be able to access remote instruction,3 and perhaps to students who were already having difficulty attaining proficiency at their grade level." https://jamanetwork.com/channels/health-forum/fullarticle/2769782 How about this research from Europe? "Nowhere, the research found, was there a spike that coincided with reopening: "What we found is that the school [being opened] makes absolutely no difference," Álvarez told NPR." https://jamanetwork.com/channels/health-forum/fullarticle/2769782 |
Anonymous
The thing this guy calls for (whom I ageee with, by the way) is that schools should have massive virus testing regimes to protect teachers, a la universities. That would take a few billion dollars investment, but it’s worth it. I’m hopeful as we transition to Biden Harris, that sensible solution will come to the fore.i just feel like this school year is already too far gone. My kids are great students, 8 and 11, but so depressed. They barely go anywhere in a school day. Maybe a short wallk in the neighborhood. It’s really taking a toll. My 3rd grade cries regularly and has started having daily migraines. We do see friends on occcassion, at a park, masked, etc., and kids play tennis, but it is not enough. And as it gets colder, the isolation gets worse. |
Anonymous
Does your opinion post mean anything? Expert tip: It doesn't. |
Anonymous
DCUM gotta DCUM 
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Anonymous
+1! This is exactly what infuriated me about MCPS’ approach. We didn’t start from the question of “how can we make this safe” but “can we -ever- reopen”. This difference is hugely important because the PP’s school’s approach leads to creativity, solutions, energy, movement. MCPS’s approach does not. I know that DL is going to be the only that that works sometimes, for some populations, but MCPS owns enough real estate, and the weather was fine this fall, that they could have done something. Instead we have shrugs and head shakes and over the top concern and worry about ridiculous health metrics. We didn’t frame the question right from the beginning and we got inertia. |
Anonymous
Exactly. MCPS doesn't even know what will work and what won't work (along with iterations along the way) because they've been unable to pull their thumbs out of their butts. They're no closer to bringing a student back now than they were in spring. So instead, they set up impossible-to-meet metrics barriers so they can sit around with their stupid "woe is me" expressions. |
Anonymous
Drives.Me.Crazy. Yes. |
Anonymous
They print this garbage because it gets page views. The guy's opinion carries little weight except with low IQ parents. |
Anonymous
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So far, there are only 34,000 responses to the MCPS parent preference survey. I'm going to assume that the response group is disproportionately western/wealthy/white, as previously.
And of those 34,000 responses, only a bare majority (56%) opted for hybrid. That's not a public consensus for having school. When there's a public consensus for school, there will be school. That's what will change things. Not an op ed in the New York Times, and not endless repetition on DCUM of the same arguments DCUM has been having since June. |
Anonymous
What a dumb post on your part. |
Anonymous
As opposed to the "pandemic experts" (what the hell is that??) who are at the health department? You have zero clue what you are talking about. Meanwhile, European countries are starting to see pretty rapid declines in infection rates by shuttering sources of high exposure and risk while keeping schools open. The US has taken the exact opposite approach and cases are increasing rapidly in 86% of counties, including in areas where schools are closed and have been closed the whole time. SCHOOLS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM -- You guys literally don't know how to interpret data and has led to irrational and, frankly, idiotic decisions that is not only leading to more deaths but will lead to long-term issues in our economy, society, and individual lives. |
Anonymous
Welp, Florida pulled it off and their cases went down throughout the fall. They are actually in better shape than other parts of the country right now. There honestly isn't much correlation at all between where schools are open and where they aren't and where COVID is raging because schools aren't driving it one way or the other. |