Call to Action: Help create a safe learning environment for medically fragile students

[Anonymous]

Montgomery County parents,
I need your help to advocate with MCPS for a cohort within the county for medically fragile students and teachers, and for those who have medically fragile family members. This cohort will provide safe access to a full education for many kids who have otherwise been unable to safely attend school.
I have a 5 year old daughter with a genetic condition that makes her vulnerable to severe complications from COVID infections. This has prevented her from being able to attend school for her Kindergarten year, and instead she only receives 4 hours of online instruction a week. Unfortunately MVA is phasing out the lower grades and so she cannot attend it this year or next. She is such an eager student and it is heartbreaking to see these important years go by without her having access to a full, safe education.
I cannot believe she is the only student or family in the county in this situation. I know there are families struggling to give their kids safe access to education, either by keeping them out of school or by reluctantly risking their health to attend in person. Those kids, like my daughter, deserve to be able to attend school and not worry about becoming ill with life-threatening or debilitating diseases. And there is a simple solution, to let those that need enhanced medical safety to group up and attend school together.
That’s where you can help! I am working with the Board of Education, the Superintendent’s office, and the MCPS office of well-being to create a cohort of students and teachers that voluntarily mask and that are in classrooms that have enhanced air filtration and ventilation. I have drafted form letters for MoCo families to “sign” and email to BoE members and the Superintendent. All you have to do is put your info in and send it. The letter does not say that you want your kid to join the cohort (though they could when it is created), it just states that you support the creation of one.
Please look at this BoE Map if you need to find out what BoE district you’re in. Then download the letter for your BoE member (District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4, District 5), the BoE at large members, and the Superintendent. Fill out your info and email it to the address listed in the letter.
Thank you so much for your consideration to help out. Your small action could mean the world to our daughter and her education. Please reach out if you have any questions or thoughts on this. There is much to do, but we can work together to make this a reality!

Sterling High
Takoma Park

[Anonymous]

If your child is that much at risk that you have kept them home when most everyone else is back in school, it is hard to believe that masking and improved ventilation will make it safe for your child. When your child inevitably gets COVID despite this measures, then what?

Secondarily, there are numerous operational issues with the plan you propose. Where will that class eat lunch, for example? Kids currently eat all together in the cafeteria and there are not additional staff to supervise a special lunch location. What about if your child needs a different reading group? Classes get mixed at the lower levels for reading intervention. I appreciate that you are attempting to create a new pathway and think outside the box, but it seems like there will be numerous hurdles to this being implemented. Sounds like homeschooling is for you.

[Anonymous]

OP, I have a lot of sympathy for you as we live with a grandparent undergoing chemo. It is very sad that the virtual academy is ending for young kids - that would be the best option, truly. I will download+ email the letter.

Practically speaking I am not sure about establishing a cohort. It turns out that people even within the high risk group that have very differing approaches to risk. During COVID, we always masked, and we did not meet with people indoors socially (only outdoors). My kids ate outside at school for lunch. However, we still sent them to school. Meanwhile, a friend of mine with a newborn decided to keep her elementary kids at home and did virtual school. How will you establish that consistency in practices in the cohort?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child is that much at risk that you have kept them home when most everyone else is back in school, it is hard to believe that masking and improved ventilation will make it safe for your child. When your child inevitably gets COVID despite this measures, then what?

Secondarily, there are numerous operational issues with the plan you propose. Where will that class eat lunch, for example? Kids currently eat all together in the cafeteria and there are not additional staff to supervise a special lunch location. What about if your child needs a different reading group? Classes get mixed at the lower levels for reading intervention. I appreciate that you are attempting to create a new pathway and think outside the box, but it seems like there will be numerous hurdles to this being implemented. Sounds like homeschooling is for you.

They will make it *safer*. COVID infection is highly dependent on quantity of exposure to virus particles, so anything that can reduce exposure will help somewhat - it isn't all or nothing.

Wheelchair access isn't perfect and can't make all spaces fully accessible either, but in both cases doing our best to try is far better than relegating them to a life stuck at home. All people have value and we should all want to make our world as accessible as possible to all. If *you* didn't want to stay home during COVID, why is it okay for you to tell others that's the best they get?
Hurdles are not insurmountable. It is worth it to try.

[Anonymous]

People won’t go along. Whether they should or not, they won’t.

You need a new plan.

[Anonymous]

We barely have enough teachers for the students as is, you want to pull more because your daughter has a rare condition? Sorry, no.

[Anonymous]

While I sympathize with you, and I do think VA should be available at the lower grade levels, I think you might want to look at home-schooling. Public schools aren't built to create and sustain the kind of small, specialized cohorts you're asking for.

I wonder if rather you can lobby for the VA to keep serving lower grades. Did they explain why they would no longer be serving the lower grades?

[Anonymous]

I'm so sorry the lower school VA is closing! It saved us in 2021-2022.

I would also support keeping the VA open for all grades permanently, OP. Do you know if there is a campaign already established to do that? I would gladly join.

I hope your daughter receives the education she deserves. You are a good parent to fight for her rights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I sympathize with you, and I do think VA should be available at the lower grade levels, I think you might want to look at home-schooling. Public schools aren't built to create and sustain the kind of small, specialized cohorts you're asking for.

I wonder if rather you can lobby for the VA to keep serving lower grades. Did they explain why they would no longer be serving the lower grades?

I'm guessing it's because VA does not work for that age. Not developmentally appropriate. So they want to force kids that age into something more appropriate or they are stuck attempting to address the learning loss and how far behind they are by 3rd or 4th grade.

[Anonymous]

I would also support keeping virtual academy open for all grades but only if the kids with recurring behavioral problems (especially those who are safety issues) also get assigned there so everyone else can learn.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate the constructive comments, both supportive and challenging to this notion. I fully understand that this is an unorthodox approach, but given the road my family, as well as others, have been on to get here, it's almost literally the only safe path forward.

Yes, it is difficulty for the school to figure this problem out.
Yes, there is a lot of leg work for us to do in order to build support within the community and with MCPS administration.

But it is demonstrable that schools are currently ill-equipped to mitigate the spread of COVID (and other airborne diseases). It is also the case that kids are affected by this disease and it's complications, including disability and death. Furthermore, there are an estimated 30% of households dealing with the complications of long-COVID which directly correlates with the rise in chronic absenteeism in MCPS.

My point is, it is actually imperative that the school begins to address this issue lest we as a county/society choose to accept the medical burden we are placing on our kids for literally their entire lives.

But more specifically to my daughter, she is guaranteed, by law, free and safe access to a full education in the least-restrictive manner possible. In-person schooling is currently NOT safe; at home IIS services currently are not a full education; virtual schooling is currently not an option (nor will it be next year). It is upon the school to ensure that access, that is what this cohort is trying to achieve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I appreciate the constructive comments, both supportive and challenging to this notion. I fully understand that this is an unorthodox approach, but given the road my family, as well as others, have been on to get here, it's almost literally the only safe path forward.

Yes, it is difficulty for the school to figure this problem out.
Yes, there is a lot of leg work for us to do in order to build support within the community and with MCPS administration.

But it is demonstrable that schools are currently ill-equipped to mitigate the spread of COVID (and other airborne diseases). It is also the case that kids are affected by this disease and it's complications, including disability and death. Furthermore, there are an estimated 30% of households dealing with the complications of long-COVID which directly correlates with the rise in chronic absenteeism in MCPS.

My point is, it is actually imperative that the school begins to address this issue lest we as a county/society choose to accept the medical burden we are placing on our kids for literally their entire lives.

But more specifically to my daughter, she is guaranteed, by law, free and safe access to a full education in the least-restrictive manner possible. In-person schooling is currently NOT safe; at home IIS services currently are not a full education; virtual schooling is currently not an option (nor will it be next year). It is upon the school to ensure that access, that is what this cohort is trying to achieve.

I already knew you were one of those parents but this confirms it. Good luck to you. You're gonna need it.

[Anonymous]

This doesn’t strike me as feasible. I suspect the intended pupils are too geographically dispersed and too heterogeneous for this to make sense as an option. I agree that virtual instruction should be made available, but failing that I would look into the many homeschooling options. For sure there are better curricula out there than MCPS in any case.

[Anonymous]

If you haven’t already considered this, maybe you should get a lawyer. Your advocacy is impressive but I cannot imagine you will have any sort of success without litigation. You’re asking for a lot. And to be successful you can’t rely on volunteers. There will need to be a mandate. It’s going to take years to achieve.

[Anonymous]

I am not quite sure if your plan would work for a cohort of medically fragile due to risk of infectious disease students especially since the masking would be voluntary. I do think MCPS is lacking in providing services to students at elevated risk of illness. I wonder if you can get MCPS to pay for a suitable virtual homeschool program since it sounds like you can prove that due to your child’s documented medical condition, your child cannot safely attend school. The public school legally has to provide a suitable education for children with documented special needs and if you can prove the school cannot due so, they legally must pay to send your child elsewhere. Also, I do not know your child’s condition, but would having your child wear properly fitted through the doctor’s office n95 and then eat in a properly ventilated room with a masked attendant fit the bill for keeping your child safe? This seems safer then relying on other kids to mask and also then having to navigate how to provide food. I also have a child with chronic illness and have not found MCPS very helpful so would not rely on them to properly mask other children who are voluntarily masking.