APS - School on Monday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If there arenlt enough teachers to teach, there will be even more learning loss from cancelled classes like in NYC. You don't seem to have a plan for that besides let it rip through, which isn't a plan.

It seems like letting it rip through schools is better for kids than the quarantine measures in their place.

With quarantining, unvaccinated kids can be quarantining for months, worst case scenario. They quarantine for 10 days, someone in the classroom tests positive, we go back into quarantine. Then we go back to school and someone else is positive. And on and on for like 25 kids x 10+ days of quarantining.

If we just let it take it’s course, that seems better. Maybe a teacher gets sick and we have to be out five days, like we might if a teacher had a cold. Then we can get back to learning the rest of the year. If kids get sick, they are just out until they are 24 hrs without a fever, like a cold. Its the unvaccinated, elderly, and cancer patients that are at risk and filling up hospitals. Let them quarantine. Don’t ask extremely low risk kids to quarantine consecutively.

I know it seems cavalier, but we were pretty cavalier about the cold and even the flu for healthy kids before covid. The data shows covid presents less risk than the flu for vaccinated adults and even unvaccinated kids. I thought the end goal was to get this point—covid will be another endemic illness like the cold and flu and we just live with those risks without even considering policies that may result in kids out of class for half a year.

Except nothing is that tidy. It’s a dumb plan.

[Anonymous]

PP — yes I agree. But it doesn’t seem any dumber or less convenient to kids than the current dumpster fire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If there arenlt enough teachers to teach, there will be even more learning loss from cancelled classes like in NYC. You don't seem to have a plan for that besides let it rip through, which isn't a plan.

It seems like letting it rip through schools is better for kids than the quarantine measures in their place.

With quarantining, unvaccinated kids can be quarantining for months, worst case scenario. They quarantine for 10 days, someone in the classroom tests positive, we go back into quarantine. Then we go back to school and someone else is positive. And on and on for like 25 kids x 10+ days of quarantining.

If we just let it take it’s course, that seems better. Maybe a teacher gets sick and we have to be out five days, like we might if a teacher had a cold. Then we can get back to learning the rest of the year. If kids get sick, they are just out until they are 24 hrs without a fever, like a cold. Its the unvaccinated, elderly, and cancer patients that are at risk and filling up hospitals. Let them quarantine. Don’t ask extremely low risk kids to quarantine consecutively.

I know it seems cavalier, but we were pretty cavalier about the cold and even the flu for healthy kids before covid. The data shows covid presents less risk than the flu for vaccinated adults and even unvaccinated kids. I thought the end goal was to get this point—covid will be another endemic illness like the cold and flu and we just live with those risks without even considering policies that may result in kids out of class for half a year.

All kids 5+ can get vaccinated. 12+ can get boosted if over 5 months.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Hoping for virtual for HS as soon as possible. Most kids can manage themselves, AP students have an opportunity to not fall behind (because fewer teachers will get infected and be out), and working parents shouldn’t need to take a day off from work to supervise them (they should be able to fix their own lunch at this point).

It would be great if APS could be proactive and do that. But their hands are tied by 1303. Thanks, APE and OpenFCPS.

As someone with early elementary kids, I'm enormously grateful that APS is pressured to stay open. Virtual is worthless.

Yup. I’m another one who won’t have my early elementary child participate if it’s virtual. What are they going to do? Nothing.

But maybe they could ensure ES stays home by directing scarce staff resources (subs, bus drivers, etc.) to the ES. They could do that if they had authority to place MS and/or HS in virtual mode. But they lack that authority.

There is zero reason to believe they would do that. It didn’t happen last year, it wouldn’t happen this year.

It would be totally consistent with SB1303. The only reason it won't is because Duran and Loft are incompetent and don't care about educating early elementary. They've gotten the shift since the beginning.

WTF is wrong with you? Why are you so out of touch with reality & hostile?

Instead of attacking me, perhaps reply to the facts? What is Duran's plan for ensuring learning for K-2 kids who can't meaningfully access virtual learning? Having seen the terrible test scores, have you seen any evidence that he's going to do anything differently from last year? That is the source of a great deal of frustration. His equitable solution is no learning for those students, plus no plan for learning recovery.

Basically this. My first grader missed half a year of preschool (ours closed overnight like many others in March 2020), spent the bulk of his K year in virtual school with only a few months of 2-day per week hybrid, and was just now in a pretty good place with in-person 1st grade. It has taken Herculean efforts and an incredible amount of privilege (being able to hire a pod teacher, educated parents who can supplement, etc.) to even be in this position at all and now I’m worried the solution to the inevitable staffing issues will once again be to treat these young kids as if they’re the same as teenagers who can engage in distance learning.

And I’m tired of being gaslighted by a segment of society who thinks this continues to be ok because the infinitesimal risk of death/serious disease for vaccinated adults. Must be nice to be able to wring your hands over tiny hypothetical risks while parents of young kids have suffered actual harm over the last 2 years. I don’t even have the energy anymore to care about what could happen if sick with COVID because I’ve been so busy dealing with the actual damage of the pandemic response to COVID. Yes, I know hospitals are getting full. But like so many on here use as a refrain “it’s not the job of the schools to fix society’s problems.” Why don’t we let the politicians, private sector, healthcare workers, etc. figure out how to get community spread down and have the school systems focus on actually educating kids, which is, you know their entire.freaking.purpose.

If elementary schools go virtual, I hope all parents of young kids boycott this mess. I honestly don’t think APS should get to count this toward academic hours because they’re not actually educating students. If the test scores drop even more, then perhaps Duran will have to finally come up with a solution or get booted.

So because you're unhappy and can't competently manage your family, you're willing to throw all of this at doctors and nurses to fix for you? And you want us to feel sorry for you while you do it? No can do. Get your act together. Stop complaining. I hope you do "boycott this mess." It will serve you right to have your kids at home for the rest of the year. I cannot wait to see that!

Not PP; but I share PP's sentiment that entities other than schools need to do their part. If you really think school is the incubator and spread of all the cases that are happening, you have no sense at all. Schools have been closed for 3 weeks. None of the new cases over the past 3 weeks have come from schools. Stores, restaurants, bars, gyms, public transit, etc. are all open. Adults are going to work and shopping and working out at the gym and socializing. It doesn't make sense - and isn't fair or right - to shut down schools if nobody else is going to do their part. I can think of no other occupation for which the employer shuts down to accommodate employees' personal schedules like schools do to accommodate teachers who live in other jurisdictions and have kids whose schools closed. Where is the compassion and understanding for parents who can't keep taking time off for all the school closures?

Yet every announcement from APS stated that maintenance staff had to report for work, particularly during the snow days. Of course they are needed at the schools, but it smacked more of the teacher privilege. The low paid workers could travel from the outer reaches of the area but not the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alright, I need someone to give it to me straight. What are we thinking for Monday re staffing? Please tell me my kids will be in school..

100% chance they will be in school early in the week. Later in the week, who knows. Depends how bad it goes w/ substitutes.

Agree. And next week is totally up in the air once those masks come off in the cafeteria!

They should eat outside.

It's not supposed to get above freezing on Tuesday. You know there's no way they'll let them eat outside...

Here’s an idea. They can eat at their desks. The laziest parent can whip up a sandwich and fruit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alright, I need someone to give it to me straight. What are we thinking for Monday re staffing? Please tell me my kids will be in school..

100% chance they will be in school early in the week. Later in the week, who knows. Depends how bad it goes w/ substitutes.

Agree. And next week is totally up in the air once those masks come off in the cafeteria!

They should eat outside.

It's not supposed to get above freezing on Tuesday. You know there's no way they'll let them eat outside...

Here’s an idea. They can eat at their desks. The laziest parent can whip up a sandwich and fruit.

That’s not the point. In fact at our elementary school they don’t eat in the cafeteria even when they eat inside, they already eat in their classroom. Some parents do not want their students eating inside at all. That’s where the freezing temperatures come in to play. Kids are able to go to the cafeteria to pick up their lunches and return to the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alright, I need someone to give it to me straight. What are we thinking for Monday re staffing? Please tell me my kids will be in school..

100% chance they will be in school early in the week. Later in the week, who knows. Depends how bad it goes w/ substitutes.

Agree. And next week is totally up in the air once those masks come off in the cafeteria!

They should eat outside.

It's not supposed to get above freezing on Tuesday. You know there's no way they'll let them eat outside...

Here’s an idea. They can eat at their desks. The laziest parent can whip up a sandwich and fruit.

My kid is in middle school so no available classroom for lunch.

We always send lunch. ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alright, I need someone to give it to me straight. What are we thinking for Monday re staffing? Please tell me my kids will be in school..

100% chance they will be in school early in the week. Later in the week, who knows. Depends how bad it goes w/ substitutes.

Agree. And next week is totally up in the air once those masks come off in the cafeteria!

They should eat outside.

It's not supposed to get above freezing on Tuesday. You know there's no way they'll let them eat outside...

Here’s an idea. They can eat at their desks. The laziest parent can whip up a sandwich and fruit.

That’s not the point. In fact at our elementary school they don’t eat in the cafeteria even when they eat inside, they already eat in their classroom. Some parents do not want their students eating inside at all. That’s where the freezing temperatures come in to play. Kids are able to go to the cafeteria to pick up their lunches and return to the classroom.

DP. Those parents can sign their kids out for lunch or keep them home entirely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hoping for virtual for HS as soon as possible. Most kids can manage themselves, AP students have an opportunity to not fall behind (because fewer teachers will get infected and be out), and working parents shouldn’t need to take a day off from work to supervise them (they should be able to fix their own lunch at this point).

It would be great if APS could be proactive and do that. But their hands are tied by 1303. Thanks, APE and OpenFCPS.

As someone with early elementary kids, I'm enormously grateful that APS is pressured to stay open. Virtual is worthless.

Yup. I’m another one who won’t have my early elementary child participate if it’s virtual. What are they going to do? Nothing.

But maybe they could ensure ES stays home by directing scarce staff resources (subs, bus drivers, etc.) to the ES. They could do that if they had authority to place MS and/or HS in virtual mode. But they lack that authority.

There is zero reason to believe they would do that. It didn’t happen last year, it wouldn’t happen this year.

It would be totally consistent with SB1303. The only reason it won't is because Duran and Loft are incompetent and don't care about educating early elementary. They've gotten the shift since the beginning.

WTF is wrong with you? Why are you so out of touch with reality & hostile?

Instead of attacking me, perhaps reply to the facts? What is Duran's plan for ensuring learning for K-2 kids who can't meaningfully access virtual learning? Having seen the terrible test scores, have you seen any evidence that he's going to do anything differently from last year? That is the source of a great deal of frustration. His equitable solution is no learning for those students, plus no plan for learning recovery.

Basically this. My first grader missed half a year of preschool (ours closed overnight like many others in March 2020), spent the bulk of his K year in virtual school with only a few months of 2-day per week hybrid, and was just now in a pretty good place with in-person 1st grade. It has taken Herculean efforts and an incredible amount of privilege (being able to hire a pod teacher, educated parents who can supplement, etc.) to even be in this position at all and now I’m worried the solution to the inevitable staffing issues will once again be to treat these young kids as if they’re the same as teenagers who can engage in distance learning.

And I’m tired of being gaslighted by a segment of society who thinks this continues to be ok because the infinitesimal risk of death/serious disease for vaccinated adults. Must be nice to be able to wring your hands over tiny hypothetical risks while parents of young kids have suffered actual harm over the last 2 years. I don’t even have the energy anymore to care about what could happen if sick with COVID because I’ve been so busy dealing with the actual damage of the pandemic response to COVID. Yes, I know hospitals are getting full. But like so many on here use as a refrain “it’s not the job of the schools to fix society’s problems.” Why don’t we let the politicians, private sector, healthcare workers, etc. figure out how to get community spread down and have the school systems focus on actually educating kids, which is, you know their entire.freaking.purpose.

If elementary schools go virtual, I hope all parents of young kids boycott this mess. I honestly don’t think APS should get to count this toward academic hours because they’re not actually educating students. If the test scores drop even more, then perhaps Duran will have to finally come up with a solution or get booted.

So because you're unhappy and can't competently manage your family, you're willing to throw all of this at doctors and nurses to fix for you? And you want us to feel sorry for you while you do it? No can do. Get your act together. Stop complaining. I hope you do "boycott this mess." It will serve you right to have your kids at home for the rest of the year. I cannot wait to see that!

Not PP; but I share PP's sentiment that entities other than schools need to do their part. If you really think school is the incubator and spread of all the cases that are happening, you have no sense at all. Schools have been closed for 3 weeks. None of the new cases over the past 3 weeks have come from schools. Stores, restaurants, bars, gyms, public transit, etc. are all open. Adults are going to work and shopping and working out at the gym and socializing. It doesn't make sense - and isn't fair or right - to shut down schools if nobody else is going to do their part. I can think of no other occupation for which the employer shuts down to accommodate employees' personal schedules like schools do to accommodate teachers who live in other jurisdictions and have kids whose schools closed. Where is the compassion and understanding for parents who can't keep taking time off for all the school closures?

Yet every announcement from APS stated that maintenance staff had to report for work, particularly during the snow days. Of course they are needed at the schools, but it smacked more of the teacher privilege. The low paid workers could travel from the outer reaches of the area but not the teachers.

Maintenance staff is needed to clear the sidewalks and parking lots of snow and ice. Maybe check the building to make sure heating is working and there aren't any burst pipes or such. That's not "teacher privilege." Other than that, I don't know why they would have to show up on inclement weather days.

[Anonymous]

Thank you SB1303 (and APE who lobbied the VA state government hard for it) for my kids going to school this morning!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are at least two different groups in here: (1) People who don't want schools to close and, since omicron, are taking precautions by not eating in indoor restaurants, getting groceries delievered or wearing good masks when going indoors, etc. and (2) People who don't want schools to close but have gone close to back to normal and say that covid is endemic at this point, risks are low, and folks just need to get back to normal.

Because of omicron, the (2) people are failing to recognize that they are putting open schools at risk. Because if APS runs out of teachers who are not quarantined, schools will have to close or we will have a NYC situation where teacherless kids are held in auditoriums until they have a class with a present teacher.

If there arenlt enough teachers to teach, there will be even more learning loss from cancelled classes like in NYC. You don't seem to have a plan for that besides let it rip through, which isn't a plan.

I'd love to close restaurants and bars and gyms temporarily, also. Anyway, I don't go to any of those places so I'm doing my part.

I signed my kid up for testing and think you should, too, because asymptomatic kids can still spread covid and infect teachers causing learning loss for whole classes. But even if you don't, at least don't send your kids in if they have symptoms or you know they have covid.

Enough with binaries. There are MANY MANY kinds of people. You think ordering groceries will keep schools open? Who is shopping for you? You don't think they have children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hoping for virtual for HS as soon as possible. Most kids can manage themselves, AP students have an opportunity to not fall behind (because fewer teachers will get infected and be out), and working parents shouldn’t need to take a day off from work to supervise them (they should be able to fix their own lunch at this point).

It would be great if APS could be proactive and do that. But their hands are tied by 1303. Thanks, APE and OpenFCPS.

As someone with early elementary kids, I'm enormously grateful that APS is pressured to stay open. Virtual is worthless.

Yup. I’m another one who won’t have my early elementary child participate if it’s virtual. What are they going to do? Nothing.

But maybe they could ensure ES stays home by directing scarce staff resources (subs, bus drivers, etc.) to the ES. They could do that if they had authority to place MS and/or HS in virtual mode. But they lack that authority.

There is zero reason to believe they would do that. It didn’t happen last year, it wouldn’t happen this year.

It would be totally consistent with SB1303. The only reason it won't is because Duran and Loft are incompetent and don't care about educating early elementary. They've gotten the shift since the beginning.

WTF is wrong with you? Why are you so out of touch with reality & hostile?

Instead of attacking me, perhaps reply to the facts? What is Duran's plan for ensuring learning for K-2 kids who can't meaningfully access virtual learning? Having seen the terrible test scores, have you seen any evidence that he's going to do anything differently from last year? That is the source of a great deal of frustration. His equitable solution is no learning for those students, plus no plan for learning recovery.

Basically this. My first grader missed half a year of preschool (ours closed overnight like many others in March 2020), spent the bulk of his K year in virtual school with only a few months of 2-day per week hybrid, and was just now in a pretty good place with in-person 1st grade. It has taken Herculean efforts and an incredible amount of privilege (being able to hire a pod teacher, educated parents who can supplement, etc.) to even be in this position at all and now I’m worried the solution to the inevitable staffing issues will once again be to treat these young kids as if they’re the same as teenagers who can engage in distance learning.

And I’m tired of being gaslighted by a segment of society who thinks this continues to be ok because the infinitesimal risk of death/serious disease for vaccinated adults. Must be nice to be able to wring your hands over tiny hypothetical risks while parents of young kids have suffered actual harm over the last 2 years. I don’t even have the energy anymore to care about what could happen if sick with COVID because I’ve been so busy dealing with the actual damage of the pandemic response to COVID. Yes, I know hospitals are getting full. But like so many on here use as a refrain “it’s not the job of the schools to fix society’s problems.” Why don’t we let the politicians, private sector, healthcare workers, etc. figure out how to get community spread down and have the school systems focus on actually educating kids, which is, you know their entire.freaking.purpose.

If elementary schools go virtual, I hope all parents of young kids boycott this mess. I honestly don’t think APS should get to count this toward academic hours because they’re not actually educating students. If the test scores drop even more, then perhaps Duran will have to finally come up with a solution or get booted.

So because you're unhappy and can't competently manage your family, you're willing to throw all of this at doctors and nurses to fix for you? And you want us to feel sorry for you while you do it? No can do. Get your act together. Stop complaining. I hope you do "boycott this mess." It will serve you right to have your kids at home for the rest of the year. I cannot wait to see that!

Not PP; but I share PP's sentiment that entities other than schools need to do their part. If you really think school is the incubator and spread of all the cases that are happening, you have no sense at all. Schools have been closed for 3 weeks. None of the new cases over the past 3 weeks have come from schools. Stores, restaurants, bars, gyms, public transit, etc. are all open. Adults are going to work and shopping and working out at the gym and socializing. It doesn't make sense - and isn't fair or right - to shut down schools if nobody else is going to do their part. I can think of no other occupation for which the employer shuts down to accommodate employees' personal schedules like schools do to accommodate teachers who live in other jurisdictions and have kids whose schools closed. Where is the compassion and understanding for parents who can't keep taking time off for all the school closures?

Yet every announcement from APS stated that maintenance staff had to report for work, particularly during the snow days. Of course they are needed at the schools, but it smacked more of the teacher privilege. The low paid workers could travel from the outer reaches of the area but not the teachers.

Maintenance staff is needed to clear the sidewalks and parking lots of snow and ice. Maybe check the building to make sure heating is working and there aren't any burst pipes or such. That's not "teacher privilege." Other than that, I don't know why they would have to show up on inclement weather days.

Most of the "essential" jobs that were done in person throughout this entire pandemic were lower-income and more likely to be filled by a black or brown person. Meanwhile a certain set of hysterical white ladies lecture everyone else about how the only acceptable way to behave is to stay at home and let all these people bring things to your home. If you don't do this, you are selfish and don't care about the community and what has become of the world.

It is the most tone deaf sack of privileged bullshit I have ever heard in my life, but these types are clueless.

[Anonymous]

^^ NP. I bet they also have BLM signs in the yard of their McMansions in their non-diverse UMC neighborhoods and expected their nannies and house cleaners to come to work in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ NP. I bet they also have BLM signs in the yard of their McMansions in their non-diverse UMC neighborhoods and expected their nannies and house cleaners to come to work in person.

Yes. They originally wrung their hands about whether to allow the cleaning lady to return but finally it was just too much! Of course, the cleaning crew has to stay masked the whole time while doing the manual labor and keep all the windows open regardless of the temperature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ NP. I bet they also have BLM signs in the yard of their McMansions in their non-diverse UMC neighborhoods and expected their nannies and house cleaners to come to work in person.

Yes. They originally wrung their hands about whether to allow the cleaning lady to return but finally it was just too much! Of course, the cleaning crew has to stay masked the whole time while doing the manual labor and keep all the windows open regardless of the temperature.

And they only get takeout, which as we know is prepared by magic fairies, who get to work definitely not on public transportation.