Teachers should be given N-95 masks. Have they been purchased?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school gave us a KN95 every day. I’m no longer teaching in person, but I wouldn’t work in a cloth mask or a surgical mask. The kids wear masks but not with fidelity, and they take them off to eat both breakfast and lunch (effectively negating any benefit from masking the rest of the day). Our building has no ventilation system at all (it’s over 100 years old) and windows only open a crack. It is not possible to stay distanced from the kids because they need help opening milks, managing spills, tying shoes, zippering coats, writing properly, etc. Wearing two masks while redirecting small children and delivering instruction for hours at a clip is totally unrealistic. People who talk a big game about the many layers of safety precautions in schools always reveal themselves to have exactly zero experience working in one.

Not to mention that most of the students are wearing masks that are so poorly fitting that they are gaping open at the sides and constantly slipping below the nose, making them pretty much useless.

Yes. I teach third grade and the kids show up in adult masks that are constantly falling off, or that have a valve filter. Or one of the gaiter “masks”. It’s hilarious how parents say kids are so amazing at masking and then every morning watching them take their masks off to sneeze or talk. It requires constant monitoring and prompting. It’s unreasonable to expect that teachers can convince a class full of small children to successfully mask all day, especially since we aren’t allowed to discipline students for not complying in any way.

Where in VA public schools are third graders going in person?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school gave us a KN95 every day. I’m no longer teaching in person, but I wouldn’t work in a cloth mask or a surgical mask. The kids wear masks but not with fidelity, and they take them off to eat both breakfast and lunch (effectively negating any benefit from masking the rest of the day). Our building has no ventilation system at all (it’s over 100 years old) and windows only open a crack. It is not possible to stay distanced from the kids because they need help opening milks, managing spills, tying shoes, zippering coats, writing properly, etc. Wearing two masks while redirecting small children and delivering instruction for hours at a clip is totally unrealistic. People who talk a big game about the many layers of safety precautions in schools always reveal themselves to have exactly zero experience working in one.

Not to mention that most of the students are wearing masks that are so poorly fitting that they are gaping open at the sides and constantly slipping below the nose, making them pretty much useless.

Yes. I teach third grade and the kids show up in adult masks that are constantly falling off, or that have a valve filter. Or one of the gaiter “masks”. It’s hilarious how parents say kids are so amazing at masking and then every morning watching them take their masks off to sneeze or talk. It requires constant monitoring and prompting. It’s unreasonable to expect that teachers can convince a class full of small children to successfully mask all day, especially since we aren’t allowed to discipline students for not complying in any way.

Where in VA public schools are third graders going in person?

Loudoun was hybrid in fall. So was Chesterfield County near Richmond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in person until winter break.

We were given:
1 cloth mask
1 face shield
1 disposable gown
1 box of gloves per month (we help students eat and use the restroom daily, so I was buying my own boxes weekly)

In december they brought in lab coats that we could wear each day.

Meanwhile I teach at an ES that has not yet had any students in school. There are boxes of cloth masks sitting on shelves. We have boxes of gloves sitting in storage that most of us won't need.

It’s time for schools to donate those supplies to local hospitals. Such waste. We have kids in public and private. The Private school teachers are in person with masks but no gloves or gowns. There have been zero outbreaks at our two private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school gave us a KN95 every day. I’m no longer teaching in person, but I wouldn’t work in a cloth mask or a surgical mask. The kids wear masks but not with fidelity, and they take them off to eat both breakfast and lunch (effectively negating any benefit from masking the rest of the day). Our building has no ventilation system at all (it’s over 100 years old) and windows only open a crack. It is not possible to stay distanced from the kids because they need help opening milks, managing spills, tying shoes, zippering coats, writing properly, etc. Wearing two masks while redirecting small children and delivering instruction for hours at a clip is totally unrealistic. People who talk a big game about the many layers of safety precautions in schools always reveal themselves to have exactly zero experience working in one.

Not to mention that most of the students are wearing masks that are so poorly fitting that they are gaping open at the sides and constantly slipping below the nose, making them pretty much useless.

Yes. I teach third grade and the kids show up in adult masks that are constantly falling off, or that have a valve filter. Or one of the gaiter “masks”. It’s hilarious how parents say kids are so amazing at masking and then every morning watching them take their masks off to sneeze or talk. It requires constant monitoring and prompting. It’s unreasonable to expect that teachers can convince a class full of small children to successfully mask all day, especially since we aren’t allowed to discipline students for not complying in any way.

Where in VA public schools are third graders going in person?

The majority of VA public schools have at least hybrid learning going on:
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/health_medical/office/reopen-status.shtml

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in person until winter break.

We were given:
1 cloth mask
1 face shield
1 disposable gown
1 box of gloves per month (we help students eat and use the restroom daily, so I was buying my own boxes weekly)

In december they brought in lab coats that we could wear each day.

Meanwhile I teach at an ES that has not yet had any students in school. There are boxes of cloth masks sitting on shelves. We have boxes of gloves sitting in storage that most of us won't need.

It’s time for schools to donate those supplies to local hospitals. Such waste. We have kids in public and private. The Private school teachers are in person with masks but no gloves or gowns. There have been zero outbreaks at our two private schools.

The gloves and gowns are for classrooms where students need help with eating and using the bathroom. Some are also medically fragile or have mask exemptions. A regular Gen Ed classroom does not use these supplies. Unless your children attend a private school for children with special needs, they do not need it either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in person until winter break.

We were given:
1 cloth mask
1 face shield
1 disposable gown
1 box of gloves per month (we help students eat and use the restroom daily, so I was buying my own boxes weekly)

In december they brought in lab coats that we could wear each day.

Meanwhile I teach at an ES that has not yet had any students in school. There are boxes of cloth masks sitting on shelves. We have boxes of gloves sitting in storage that most of us won't need.

It’s time for schools to donate those supplies to local hospitals. Such waste. We have kids in public and private. The Private school teachers are in person with masks but no gloves or gowns. There have been zero outbreaks at our two private schools.

We also have hundreds of gallons of hand sanitizer in addition to the gallon that has already been distributed to each ES classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in person until winter break.

We were given:
1 cloth mask
1 face shield
1 disposable gown
1 box of gloves per month (we help students eat and use the restroom daily, so I was buying my own boxes weekly)

In december they brought in lab coats that we could wear each day.

Meanwhile I teach at an ES that has not yet had any students in school. There are boxes of cloth masks sitting on shelves. We have boxes of gloves sitting in storage that most of us won't need.

It’s time for schools to donate those supplies to local hospitals. Such waste. We have kids in public and private. The Private school teachers are in person with masks but no gloves or gowns. There have been zero outbreaks at our two private schools.

We also have hundreds of gallons of hand sanitizer in addition to the gallon that has already been distributed to each ES classroom.

Then why are some PTAs asking for Clorox wipes?