Cancel Virtual Academy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a lot of physical and mental challengers. VA is a godsend. The fact that you are so dismissive of families like ours says much about your character, and it isn't very kind.

Why do you even care? MYOB.

Keeping your kid imprisoned in your home isn't necessarily helping. Are you planning to keep the kid holed up forever?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all families are in VA for Covid. Some are, some aren’t. vA is part of MCPS. It’s no different from them opening up another in person building.

I am pulling the information from the information we are getting from VA. If you were involved with VA or even spent a few minutes learning about it you would know it.

If you’d like our kids to return in person for families who choose it due to Covid, what are you willing to do to make it safer for them to return.

Even if MCPS does away with VA the state is not going to offer one. How do I know? Because unlike you, I contacted the state and MCPS to look at all our options prior to getting accepted into VA as a back up plan as we decided as a family our kids were not going in person last fall. Some of us actually put effort and research into this. The state of MD approved two programs that are private pay and looked terrible. Those are the only two options they offered. There was no live teaching and it was either self taught or videos with periodic check ins. If you also followed old threads some of us talked about it as we were scrambling on what to do with our kids. You should research this before you rant and want to shut down VA.

But, again, if you aren’t willing to be part of the solution in keeping kids safe in school, then stop critiquing our choice to keep our kids virtual. We checked out in person school. There is no distancing, kids half masked, very limited testing and everything back to normal. It’s an old building and walking through it I did not see the portable air filters as promised.

Nothing beyond vaccinations. Covid is here to stay, and either you learn to exist out in the real world or you don't. We're looking forward to masks coming off by next school year.

Masks can and should stay.

Mandatory masks won't stay. They'll finish out this school year with them, but next school year the policy will change. At most, they'll say that unvaccinated students need to mask as an incentive to get vaccinated.

Vaccines is your criteria for safe. Others of us feel differently and because you will not be part of the solution thank goodness MCPS gave us another option. When you can show me long term studies on the vaccine and that it’s 100% then I’ll agree. But when you keep need more shots in several months time, it’s not even as effective as the flu vaccine.

This is amazing- so you're arguing we need to keep VA for anti-vax families?! Someone ought to take a screenshot of this and send to the BOE, lol.

Yep, PP is competing for ignorant post of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a lot of physical and mental challengers. VA is a godsend. The fact that you are so dismissive of families like ours says much about your character, and it isn't very kind.

Why do you even care? MYOB.

Keeping your kid imprisoned in your home isn't necessarily helping. Are you planning to keep the kid holed up forever?

Again, our choice. Why do you care? How does it impact your life in any way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all families are in VA for Covid. Some are, some aren’t. vA is part of MCPS. It’s no different from them opening up another in person building.

I am pulling the information from the information we are getting from VA. If you were involved with VA or even spent a few minutes learning about it you would know it.

If you’d like our kids to return in person for families who choose it due to Covid, what are you willing to do to make it safer for them to return.

Even if MCPS does away with VA the state is not going to offer one. How do I know? Because unlike you, I contacted the state and MCPS to look at all our options prior to getting accepted into VA as a back up plan as we decided as a family our kids were not going in person last fall. Some of us actually put effort and research into this. The state of MD approved two programs that are private pay and looked terrible. Those are the only two options they offered. There was no live teaching and it was either self taught or videos with periodic check ins. If you also followed old threads some of us talked about it as we were scrambling on what to do with our kids. You should research this before you rant and want to shut down VA.

But, again, if you aren’t willing to be part of the solution in keeping kids safe in school, then stop critiquing our choice to keep our kids virtual. We checked out in person school. There is no distancing, kids half masked, very limited testing and everything back to normal. It’s an old building and walking through it I did not see the portable air filters as promised.

Nothing beyond vaccinations. Covid is here to stay, and either you learn to exist out in the real world or you don't. We're looking forward to masks coming off by next school year.

Masks can and should stay.

Mandatory masks won't stay. They'll finish out this school year with them, but next school year the policy will change. At most, they'll say that unvaccinated students need to mask as an incentive to get vaccinated.

Vaccines is your criteria for safe. Others of us feel differently and because you will not be part of the solution thank goodness MCPS gave us another option. When you can show me long term studies on the vaccine and that it’s 100% then I’ll agree. But when you keep need more shots in several months time, it’s not even as effective as the flu vaccine.

So, in reality, you’re actually the one behaving irresponsibly and are part of the problem. I think we all already knew that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all families are in VA for Covid. Some are, some aren’t. vA is part of MCPS. It’s no different from them opening up another in person building.

I am pulling the information from the information we are getting from VA. If you were involved with VA or even spent a few minutes learning about it you would know it.

If you’d like our kids to return in person for families who choose it due to Covid, what are you willing to do to make it safer for them to return.

Even if MCPS does away with VA the state is not going to offer one. How do I know? Because unlike you, I contacted the state and MCPS to look at all our options prior to getting accepted into VA as a back up plan as we decided as a family our kids were not going in person last fall. Some of us actually put effort and research into this. The state of MD approved two programs that are private pay and looked terrible. Those are the only two options they offered. There was no live teaching and it was either self taught or videos with periodic check ins. If you also followed old threads some of us talked about it as we were scrambling on what to do with our kids. You should research this before you rant and want to shut down VA.

But, again, if you aren’t willing to be part of the solution in keeping kids safe in school, then stop critiquing our choice to keep our kids virtual. We checked out in person school. There is no distancing, kids half masked, very limited testing and everything back to normal. It’s an old building and walking through it I did not see the portable air filters as promised.

Nothing beyond vaccinations. Covid is here to stay, and either you learn to exist out in the real world or you don't. We're looking forward to masks coming off by next school year.

Masks can and should stay.

Mandatory masks won't stay. They'll finish out this school year with them, but next school year the policy will change. At most, they'll say that unvaccinated students need to mask as an incentive to get vaccinated.

Vaccines is your criteria for safe. Others of us feel differently and because you will not be part of the solution thank goodness MCPS gave us another option. When you can show me long term studies on the vaccine and that it’s 100% then I’ll agree. But when you keep need more shots in several months time, it’s not even as effective as the flu vaccine.

This is amazing- so you're arguing we need to keep VA for anti-vax families?! Someone ought to take a screenshot of this and send to the BOE, lol.

Why do you assume we aren't vaccinated? Is that your only talking point? Its not about vaccines for us. Its about school safety. Our kids are vaccinated to protect them against people like you. BUT, that doesn't protect them from getting covid at school given that MCPS is not following CDC guidelines.

So, if you want our kids to return, what are you going to do to make it safe for them to return? We'd love our kids to return. Our kids prefer to stay in virtual though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all families are in VA for Covid. Some are, some aren’t. vA is part of MCPS. It’s no different from them opening up another in person building.

I am pulling the information from the information we are getting from VA. If you were involved with VA or even spent a few minutes learning about it you would know it.

If you’d like our kids to return in person for families who choose it due to Covid, what are you willing to do to make it safer for them to return.

Even if MCPS does away with VA the state is not going to offer one. How do I know? Because unlike you, I contacted the state and MCPS to look at all our options prior to getting accepted into VA as a back up plan as we decided as a family our kids were not going in person last fall. Some of us actually put effort and research into this. The state of MD approved two programs that are private pay and looked terrible. Those are the only two options they offered. There was no live teaching and it was either self taught or videos with periodic check ins. If you also followed old threads some of us talked about it as we were scrambling on what to do with our kids. You should research this before you rant and want to shut down VA.

But, again, if you aren’t willing to be part of the solution in keeping kids safe in school, then stop critiquing our choice to keep our kids virtual. We checked out in person school. There is no distancing, kids half masked, very limited testing and everything back to normal. It’s an old building and walking through it I did not see the portable air filters as promised.

Nothing beyond vaccinations. Covid is here to stay, and either you learn to exist out in the real world or you don't. We're looking forward to masks coming off by next school year.

Masks can and should stay.

Mandatory masks won't stay. They'll finish out this school year with them, but next school year the policy will change. At most, they'll say that unvaccinated students need to mask as an incentive to get vaccinated.

Agreed. We definitely won't have masks next year. But while hate to say it, I think the mask fanatics have been loud enough to screw up the rest of this school year with a mask mandate. At least in MCPS. (I suspect we'll see MSBE tomorrow discuss a plan that would allow individual districts to lift the mandate this school year, but McKnight seems intent to run the school into the ground now that just about everyone hates her.)

Most kids don’t care about masks. It’s the parents who need to make a statement. The same ones screaming about Trump, who is long gone, and cannot set a good example for kids.

But, if you are demanding we send our kids back, then our kids are owed at least cdc guidelines and it to be safe that they return. No masks, no distancing or other precautions makes it unsafe.

How does saying there should be a state-administered virtual education program open to all students across the state mean that I'm "demanding" you send your kids back? It's clearly quite the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all families are in VA for Covid. Some are, some aren’t. vA is part of MCPS. It’s no different from them opening up another in person building.

I am pulling the information from the information we are getting from VA. If you were involved with VA or even spent a few minutes learning about it you would know it.

If you’d like our kids to return in person for families who choose it due to Covid, what are you willing to do to make it safer for them to return.

Even if MCPS does away with VA the state is not going to offer one. How do I know? Because unlike you, I contacted the state and MCPS to look at all our options prior to getting accepted into VA as a back up plan as we decided as a family our kids were not going in person last fall. Some of us actually put effort and research into this. The state of MD approved two programs that are private pay and looked terrible. Those are the only two options they offered. There was no live teaching and it was either self taught or videos with periodic check ins. If you also followed old threads some of us talked about it as we were scrambling on what to do with our kids. You should research this before you rant and want to shut down VA.

But, again, if you aren’t willing to be part of the solution in keeping kids safe in school, then stop critiquing our choice to keep our kids virtual. We checked out in person school. There is no distancing, kids half masked, very limited testing and everything back to normal. It’s an old building and walking through it I did not see the portable air filters as promised.

Nothing beyond vaccinations. Covid is here to stay, and either you learn to exist out in the real world or you don't. We're looking forward to masks coming off by next school year.

Masks can and should stay.

Mandatory masks won't stay. They'll finish out this school year with them, but next school year the policy will change. At most, they'll say that unvaccinated students need to mask as an incentive to get vaccinated.

Vaccines is your criteria for safe. Others of us feel differently and because you will not be part of the solution thank goodness MCPS gave us another option. When you can show me long term studies on the vaccine and that it’s 100% then I’ll agree. But when you keep need more shots in several months time, it’s not even as effective as the flu vaccine.

So, in reality, you’re actually the one behaving irresponsibly and are part of the problem. I think we all already knew that.

How are we behaving irresponsibly? We are vaccinated. But, you can still get and spread covid vaccinated. Which part of that do you not understand?

What is the real issue? Do you feel guilty sending your kids back? Do you feel guilty about your behavior so you have to tell yourself as long as you are vaccinated everything is ok?

Your kids are best in school. Its very clear. Its good you made that choice for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every county, or at least he bigger ones have VA. Googling to see it, even Baltimore City has one. At some point, if you have 10-40K students in VA, you'd have to create a entire new school system, vs. separate schools like each county did now. If that poster wants to go through the state, fine, however they can argue all they want but MCPS has been clear that they are committed to keeping VA.

Doing it through the state makes no sense except if you mandate each county use the same exact curriculum so kids can move in and out of VA to in person easily. Although the state taking over the curriculum may not be a bad thing if they brought textbooks back.

I get why it there might be substantial value to making it easy to go to/from virtual during the pandemic. But we're nearing the end-game on COVID, with the 5-11yo vaccines rolling out. Of the kids whose parents choose to keep them in virtual next fall, I think it is safe to assume *most* will never return to their old in-person schools. So there's very little benefit to keeping the virtual curriculum aligned with the physical schools that happen to be geographically close to the students.

It is striking how little anyone here seems to contemplate the prospect of a vaccine-escaping variant.

The vaccines target the spike protein. The spike protein is the part that engages with the cell. If the spike protein mutates far enough to escape the vaccines, it will no longer engage with the cell.

Naturally acquired immunity, though, can target any part of the virus, and those parts of the virus can mutate away. This is why vaccine acquired immunity is better than infection-acquired.

I would bet money that the COVID spike protein turns out to be more creative than this makes it out to be.

More to the point, I wouldn’t bet our school system that it’s going to happen only the way you suggest and that we’re not going to be right back in March 2020 a lot faster than any of us want to be.

Good luck to all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is too many parents are irresponsible and too few are getting their kids vaccinated, I'm willing to bet Covid infections increase in schools in the coming weeks.

It sucks that we are dependent on MCPS for virtual because they are likely to pull out the rug on us sooner rather than later. A dependable, permanent state option is the ONE thing I envy FL and some other states. Health concerns aside my kids learn better in virtual.

Majority of kids over 12 are vaccinated in MoCo. So screaming about anti-vaccine folks is silly. The high school and middle school positives are probably breakthrough cases as most of them are vaccinated. And, 5-11 vaccine was just released so no child is fully vaccinated. 1 day old to age 5 cannot be vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all families are in VA for Covid. Some are, some aren’t. vA is part of MCPS. It’s no different from them opening up another in person building.

I am pulling the information from the information we are getting from VA. If you were involved with VA or even spent a few minutes learning about it you would know it.

If you’d like our kids to return in person for families who choose it due to Covid, what are you willing to do to make it safer for them to return.

Even if MCPS does away with VA the state is not going to offer one. How do I know? Because unlike you, I contacted the state and MCPS to look at all our options prior to getting accepted into VA as a back up plan as we decided as a family our kids were not going in person last fall. Some of us actually put effort and research into this. The state of MD approved two programs that are private pay and looked terrible. Those are the only two options they offered. There was no live teaching and it was either self taught or videos with periodic check ins. If you also followed old threads some of us talked about it as we were scrambling on what to do with our kids. You should research this before you rant and want to shut down VA.

But, again, if you aren’t willing to be part of the solution in keeping kids safe in school, then stop critiquing our choice to keep our kids virtual. We checked out in person school. There is no distancing, kids half masked, very limited testing and everything back to normal. It’s an old building and walking through it I did not see the portable air filters as promised.

Nothing beyond vaccinations. Covid is here to stay, and either you learn to exist out in the real world or you don't. We're looking forward to masks coming off by next school year.

Masks can and should stay.

Mandatory masks won't stay. They'll finish out this school year with them, but next school year the policy will change. At most, they'll say that unvaccinated students need to mask as an incentive to get vaccinated.

Vaccines is your criteria for safe. Others of us feel differently and because you will not be part of the solution thank goodness MCPS gave us another option. When you can show me long term studies on the vaccine and that it’s 100% then I’ll agree. But when you keep need more shots in several months time, it’s not even as effective as the flu vaccine.

This is amazing- so you're arguing we need to keep VA for anti-vax families?! Someone ought to take a screenshot of this and send to the BOE, lol.

Why do you assume we aren't vaccinated? Is that your only talking point? Its not about vaccines for us. Its about school safety. Our kids are vaccinated to protect them against people like you. BUT, that doesn't protect them from getting covid at school given that MCPS is not following CDC guidelines.

So, if you want our kids to return, what are you going to do to make it safe for them to return? We'd love our kids to return. Our kids prefer to stay in virtual though.

The vaccines are perfect, but they do much more to prevent infection than masks. And they do even more to prevent serious symptoms. Do you really not get that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all families are in VA for Covid. Some are, some aren’t. vA is part of MCPS. It’s no different from them opening up another in person building.

I am pulling the information from the information we are getting from VA. If you were involved with VA or even spent a few minutes learning about it you would know it.

If you’d like our kids to return in person for families who choose it due to Covid, what are you willing to do to make it safer for them to return.

Even if MCPS does away with VA the state is not going to offer one. How do I know? Because unlike you, I contacted the state and MCPS to look at all our options prior to getting accepted into VA as a back up plan as we decided as a family our kids were not going in person last fall. Some of us actually put effort and research into this. The state of MD approved two programs that are private pay and looked terrible. Those are the only two options they offered. There was no live teaching and it was either self taught or videos with periodic check ins. If you also followed old threads some of us talked about it as we were scrambling on what to do with our kids. You should research this before you rant and want to shut down VA.

But, again, if you aren’t willing to be part of the solution in keeping kids safe in school, then stop critiquing our choice to keep our kids virtual. We checked out in person school. There is no distancing, kids half masked, very limited testing and everything back to normal. It’s an old building and walking through it I did not see the portable air filters as promised.

Nothing beyond vaccinations. Covid is here to stay, and either you learn to exist out in the real world or you don't. We're looking forward to masks coming off by next school year.

Masks can and should stay.

Mandatory masks won't stay. They'll finish out this school year with them, but next school year the policy will change. At most, they'll say that unvaccinated students need to mask as an incentive to get vaccinated.

Vaccines is your criteria for safe. Others of us feel differently and because you will not be part of the solution thank goodness MCPS gave us another option. When you can show me long term studies on the vaccine and that it’s 100% then I’ll agree. But when you keep need more shots in several months time, it’s not even as effective as the flu vaccine.

So, in reality, you’re actually the one behaving irresponsibly and are part of the problem. I think we all already knew that.

How are we behaving irresponsibly? We are vaccinated. But, you can still get and spread covid vaccinated. Which part of that do you not understand?

What is the real issue? Do you feel guilty sending your kids back? Do you feel guilty about your behavior so you have to tell yourself as long as you are vaccinated everything is ok?

Your kids are best in school. Its very clear. Its good you made that choice for them.

Guilty? This is always such an weird comment. Feel guilty anoint going to real school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Masks can and should stay.

... For those who want it. Mask away!!! For the rest of us who believe in vaccines and are willing to take the risk of breakthrough cases, I hope your insistence on masking does not impact the freedom of our kids to not wear masks soon.

DP- I am one that will let my DC ditch the mask as soon as they are allowed, BUT being realistic I just don't see them going away this school year. Isn't the vaccination rate among high schoolers pretty high? And yet they are still required to wear them. All I'm saying is don't get your hopes up.

Look at the positives in the high school given the high vaccine rates. There have been several outbreaks in MCPS alone. MCPS will not guarantee families that masks will stay for the remainder of the year and its one reason why we will remain virtual. The other reasons are no distancing, no mandatory testing, and no other precautions in place. And, more importantly, if you get covid or are quarantined, MCPS doesn't have to prove an education and just has check ins. VA is far more stable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Masks can and should stay.

... For those who want it. Mask away!!! For the rest of us who believe in vaccines and are willing to take the risk of breakthrough cases, I hope your insistence on masking does not impact the freedom of our kids to not wear masks soon.

DP- I am one that will let my DC ditch the mask as soon as they are allowed, BUT being realistic I just don't see them going away this school year. Isn't the vaccination rate among high schoolers pretty high? And yet they are still required to wear them. All I'm saying is don't get your hopes up.

Look at the positives in the high school given the high vaccine rates. There have been several outbreaks in MCPS alone. MCPS will not guarantee families that masks will stay for the remainder of the year and its one reason why we will remain virtual. The other reasons are no distancing, no mandatory testing, and no other precautions in place. And, more importantly, if you get covid or are quarantined, MCPS doesn't have to prove an education and just has check ins. VA is far more stable.

Plus, you’re not out the cost of a box of Kleenex from the small chance of a breakthrough infection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every county, or at least he bigger ones have VA. Googling to see it, even Baltimore City has one. At some point, if you have 10-40K students in VA, you'd have to create a entire new school system, vs. separate schools like each county did now. If that poster wants to go through the state, fine, however they can argue all they want but MCPS has been clear that they are committed to keeping VA.

Doing it through the state makes no sense except if you mandate each county use the same exact curriculum so kids can move in and out of VA to in person easily. Although the state taking over the curriculum may not be a bad thing if they brought textbooks back.

I get why it there might be substantial value to making it easy to go to/from virtual during the pandemic. But we're nearing the end-game on COVID, with the 5-11yo vaccines rolling out. Of the kids whose parents choose to keep them in virtual next fall, I think it is safe to assume *most* will never return to their old in-person schools. So there's very little benefit to keeping the virtual curriculum aligned with the physical schools that happen to be geographically close to the students.

It is striking how little anyone here seems to contemplate the prospect of a vaccine-escaping variant.

The vaccines target the spike protein. The spike protein is the part that engages with the cell. If the spike protein mutates far enough to escape the vaccines, it will no longer engage with the cell.

Naturally acquired immunity, though, can target any part of the virus, and those parts of the virus can mutate away. This is why vaccine acquired immunity is better than infection-acquired.

I would bet money that the COVID spike protein turns out to be more creative than this makes it out to be.

More to the point, I wouldn’t bet our school system that it’s going to happen only the way you suggest and that we’re not going to be right back in March 2020 a lot faster than any of us want to be.

Good luck to all.

This post perfectly illustrates my point. For some people the pandemic will never end, and they'll never consider in-person schools safe. To someone like the pp, terrified of breakthrough infections, hesitant to get vaccine boosters, and convinced the other shoe is going to drop, there's plausible path back to in-person learning. And that's her right. But let's structure virtual learning around the false belief that students in these families are coming back. We'll need a large number of students return next fall after getting vaccination. But the ones that are kept home after that are going to stay home for a long, long time. And when/if they return to in-person school, I suspect will end up in private schools rather than public schools. Only a small percentage will end up ever stepping foot in an MCPS school again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

How are we behaving irresponsibly? We are vaccinated. But, you can still get and spread covid vaccinated. Which part of that do you not understand?

What is the real issue? Do you feel guilty sending your kids back? Do you feel guilty about your behavior so you have to tell yourself as long as you are vaccinated everything is ok?

Your kids are best in school. Its very clear. Its good you made that choice for them.

DP. By insisting that your children can't go to school until it's 100% safe, which it will never be (and which it also previously wasn't). But it's your right as a parent to make that decision for your children who are younger than 18.