Schools with positive cases thread - post here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I would like to see (and DCPS does not seem to be doing), is testing of all of the kids in the positive person's classroom. This way we could get some real hard data on how well the school's mitigation measures work. And schools could make decisions about things like future quarantines and whether additional mitigation measures should be added, based on those data. I realize that it is hard for DCPS to have that data now, since school just started 100% in person less than 2 weeks ago, but if we start collecting it now, DCPS will be much better informed a month or two from now. And as a parent I would feel much more comfortable with all of this.

While I like this idea, I think logistically it's really challenging because DCPS's testing capacity is still ramping up. Plus, any child placed in quarantine, DCPS has to rely on families to get them tested. Families have different means to do so. I like the goal and would LOVE to see this data, but I just think it's not a reasonable expectation.

One thing that I think is feasible and I would like to see is for schools to send DC's Test Yourself kits home with students in their backpacks and encourage families to administer the test at home and drop off. They could do this periodically (weekly, twice a month) or in response to a positive case or multiple positives in the school as a way to gather info about spread. Obviously not all families would return the test, but if they provided a drop box at school drop-off, I think a significant portion would and it could be really useful information. And also make things really easy for families with limited resources in terms of getting their kid tested -- the test takes about 3-5 minutes to administer to your child and can be done on the way out the door for school.

This is how UK schools are accomplishing widespread testing in primary schools, and one benefit is that it enables them to allow younger children to go to school without masks. I don't think we are ready to lose masks yet (it would just freak people out too much), but I think anything we can do to boost testing across the district with help us make informed decisions about everything from quarantines to cohorting to masks and social distancing.

Last year when 4 kids tested positive at LT at once (3 were siblings), the school provided free outdoor testing in the playground to all kids in the affected classrooms and their LT student siblings. Something like 75% of affected kids took advantage and tested. No spread at all was detected. Why not do that kind of testing for each class with a positive?

[Anonymous]

You can add Oyster ES to the list. A person who was in the building last Friday tested positive. We received an email from the principal.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You think it’s in bad faith? That’s a lot of your website constituency that you seem to think has an agenda.

I am painfully aware.

Have you considered that they don’t have an ulterior motive and you just disagree with them?

Of course I've considered it. Their own actions have convinced me that they irrationally blame teachers for everything.

And your own actions have convinced many of us that you are probably on the teachers union payroll.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will be interesting to see how many outbreaks are caused by teachers vs. students

Why is the attack line always “teachers”. You do realize there are other people who work in school buildings and interact very closely with students don’t you?

Let’s talk about what percentage of DCPS adult Covid cases in the entirety of 2021 were caused by TEACHERS and not other support staff.
You can say you’re generalizing, but assumptions like yours are part of the problem

most of the adults in schools are teachers, and most of the people interacting with kids are teachers. but the problem with adults in schools being unvaccinated goes beyond teachers, definitely. all adults in schools should be required to be vaccinated.

Current data at vaccinate.dc.gov for DCPS shows that 42.4% of covid cases involve students, 46.4% involvement non-teaching staff, and only 11.2% are teachers. I have felt for a while that the continued focus in this forum on teachers is not in good faith. Whether that is true or not, the focus is not supported by the data.

This is a really bizarre interpretation of the data. Not to point out the obvious, but students vastly outnumber adults. So if half of the cases are coming from adults, that means adults are vastly overrepresented in coronavirus cases. Which means they are the problem. Also, not to point out the other obvious thing but vaccines are freely available to these adults. So more than half of the cases could be eliminated overnight if these dopes would just get vaccinated.

But, sure, let's blame the children.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You think it’s in bad faith? That’s a lot of your website constituency that you seem to think has an agenda.

I am painfully aware.

Have you considered that they don’t have an ulterior motive and you just disagree with them?

Of course I've considered it. Their own actions have convinced me that they irrationally blame teachers for everything.

And your own actions have convinced many of us that you are probably on the teachers union payroll.

LOL. Everyone who doesn't blame teachers for everything from covid to the Nat's batting average is on the WTU payroll. That's why I don't think you folks are arguing in good faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will be interesting to see how many outbreaks are caused by teachers vs. students

Why is the attack line always “teachers”. You do realize there are other people who work in school buildings and interact very closely with students don’t you?

Let’s talk about what percentage of DCPS adult Covid cases in the entirety of 2021 were caused by TEACHERS and not other support staff.
You can say you’re generalizing, but assumptions like yours are part of the problem

most of the adults in schools are teachers, and most of the people interacting with kids are teachers. but the problem with adults in schools being unvaccinated goes beyond teachers, definitely. all adults in schools should be required to be vaccinated.

Current data at vaccinate.dc.gov for DCPS shows that 42.4% of covid cases involve students, 46.4% involvement non-teaching staff, and only 11.2% are teachers. I have felt for a while that the continued focus in this forum on teachers is not in good faith. Whether that is true or not, the focus is not supported by the data.

This is a really bizarre interpretation of the data. Not to point out the obvious, but students vastly outnumber adults. So if half of the cases are coming from adults, that means adults are vastly overrepresented in coronavirus cases. Which means they are the problem. Also, not to point out the other obvious thing but vaccines are freely available to these adults. So more than half of the cases could be eliminated overnight if these dopes would just get vaccinated.

But, sure, let's blame the children.

Don't forget schools haven't even begun testing adults yet. They're only testing kids at the moment. Those adult numbers are going to get a lot worse once they start actually testing them.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You think it’s in bad faith? That’s a lot of your website constituency that you seem to think has an agenda.

I am painfully aware.

Have you considered that they don’t have an ulterior motive and you just disagree with them?

Of course I've considered it. Their own actions have convinced me that they irrationally blame teachers for everything.

And your own actions have convinced many of us that you are probably on the teachers union payroll.

LOL. Everyone who doesn't blame teachers for everything from covid to the Nat's batting average is on the WTU payroll. That's why I don't think you folks are arguing in good faith.

I would not be surprised if you were being paid by the teachers union but I mostly just think you are pretty uninformed about coronavirus but, yet, have very fixed views about it that you are happy to impose on everyone else.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will be interesting to see how many outbreaks are caused by teachers vs. students

Why is the attack line always “teachers”. You do realize there are other people who work in school buildings and interact very closely with students don’t you?

Let’s talk about what percentage of DCPS adult Covid cases in the entirety of 2021 were caused by TEACHERS and not other support staff.
You can say you’re generalizing, but assumptions like yours are part of the problem

most of the adults in schools are teachers, and most of the people interacting with kids are teachers. but the problem with adults in schools being unvaccinated goes beyond teachers, definitely. all adults in schools should be required to be vaccinated.

Current data at vaccinate.dc.gov for DCPS shows that 42.4% of covid cases involve students, 46.4% involvement non-teaching staff, and only 11.2% are teachers. I have felt for a while that the continued focus in this forum on teachers is not in good faith. Whether that is true or not, the focus is not supported by the data.

This is a really bizarre interpretation of the data. Not to point out the obvious, but students vastly outnumber adults. So if half of the cases are coming from adults, that means adults are vastly overrepresented in coronavirus cases. Which means they are the problem. Also, not to point out the other obvious thing but vaccines are freely available to these adults. So more than half of the cases could be eliminated overnight if these dopes would just get vaccinated.

But, sure, let's blame the children.

My "interpretation" of the data -- which is actually just posting the data without any interpretation -- shows that covid cases among non-teachers vastly outnumbers cases among teachers. So, blaming teachers makes no sense. If you want to rail against the non-teaching staff, the data support you. But, your attempt to obfuscate the data is another case of the bad faith arguments repeatedly made by the anti-teacher posters here.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I would not be surprised if you were being paid by the teachers union but I mostly just think you are pretty uninformed about coronavirus but, yet, have very fixed views about it that you are happy to impose on everyone else.

Again, you are simply demonstrating the irrationality of the anti-teacher posters here. You should go the the Website Feedback forum and read the posts complaining that I allow anti-teacher posts. The WTU must not be getting much for their money. But, sure, you believe that teachers are the root of all evil but I'm the one with fixed views. If you own a mirror, you must not have looked in lately.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a really bizarre interpretation of the data. Not to point out the obvious, but students vastly outnumber adults. So if half of the cases are coming from adults, that means adults are vastly overrepresented in coronavirus cases. Which means they are the problem. Also, not to point out the other obvious thing but vaccines are freely available to these adults. So more than half of the cases could be eliminated overnight if these dopes would just get vaccinated.

But, sure, let's blame the children.

Don't forget schools haven't even begun testing adults yet. They're only testing kids at the moment. Those adult numbers are going to get a lot worse once they start actually testing them.

So now you are replying to your own posts? Interesting behavior from someone who things I'm paid off to present a certain view. Because you are the most informed person on earth with regard to covid, I am sure that you are aware that student testing has only just gotten underway and very few have been tested. Numbers for everyone are going to get worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will be interesting to see how many outbreaks are caused by teachers vs. students

Why is the attack line always “teachers”. You do realize there are other people who work in school buildings and interact very closely with students don’t you?

Let’s talk about what percentage of DCPS adult Covid cases in the entirety of 2021 were caused by TEACHERS and not other support staff.
You can say you’re generalizing, but assumptions like yours are part of the problem

most of the adults in schools are teachers, and most of the people interacting with kids are teachers. but the problem with adults in schools being unvaccinated goes beyond teachers, definitely. all adults in schools should be required to be vaccinated.

Are they? I'm not so sure that assumption is correct. There's a lot more non-teachers working at schools than you seem to realize. For instance, instructional aides, nurses, custodial staff, maintenance, administrative staff, principals, cafeteria staff, and behavioral support staff.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You think it’s in bad faith? That’s a lot of your website constituency that you seem to think has an agenda.

I am painfully aware.

Have you considered that they don’t have an ulterior motive and you just disagree with them?

Of course I've considered it. Their own actions have convinced me that they irrationally blame teachers for everything.

And your own actions have convinced many of us that you are probably on the teachers union payroll.

LOL. Everyone who doesn't blame teachers for everything from covid to the Nat's batting average is on the WTU payroll. That's why I don't think you folks are arguing in good faith.

I don’t think you’re on the WTU payroll, but you do seem to be defensive of teachers in a way that suggests personal investment. Nothing untoward, but perhaps like a close family member who is a teacher or something. It’s understandable but not objective n

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not be surprised if you were being paid by the teachers union but I mostly just think you are pretty uninformed about coronavirus but, yet, have very fixed views about it that you are happy to impose on everyone else.

Again, you are simply demonstrating the irrationality of the anti-teacher posters here. You should go the the Website Feedback forum and read the posts complaining that I allow anti-teacher posts. The WTU must not be getting much for their money. But, sure, you believe that teachers are the root of all evil but I'm the one with fixed views. If you own a mirror, you must not have looked in lately.

Like it’s these things, framing these arguments as calling teachers “the root of all evil.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Knowing that schools are quarantining broadly - at least when they first identify a positive - I am not at all concerned about the "numbers in quarantine" from news articles or otherwise. And I think it's disingenuous to report on it because schools and school systems are using WILDLY different thresholds to identify a need to quarantine.

The schools are in an impossible position, with some families clamoring for the narrowest possible definition of close contact so that all kids can stay in person as much as possible and there are no/few quarantines.

And then middle ground families are ok with broad-ish quarantines because, at some cost to in-person school, they may help stop spread and school-based outbreaks.

And then the most risk averse families hanging on every positive case as if it spells doom for their children, and wanting to limit school attendance in general so that not 1 person gets COVID.

It's impossible.

NP. Not a single case? Our school has had a new case (or two) at least every other day since school started.
exactly. I’m really reallt tired of the sh*t reporting on schools and covid in this region, which seems to be limited to elevating the voices of people with anxiety disorders and reporting data completely out of context.

Yes and unfortunately these seem to be some of the louder voices on twitter. Lots of reporting on one case and then saying things like "NONE OF THIS IS OK." My IB Ward 4 school has completely full classes of in person students, including PK, which is not mandatory. Parents wear masks at drop-off and obviously people worry about thier kids but they are sending them without these histrionics that you see from the loudest complainers.

And FWIW, those kids are getting COVID.

Which kids? I am the PP and there has not been a case at my school since school started. And even if there was, so what? One kid getting Covid is not a policy failure as some of the more vocal twitter detractors seem to think it is. I have a friend who is a teacher in CA and one of her kids got Covid back in February and she was HYSTERICAL about it. Even though no other kids got it because they were wearing masks and distancing. But she was trying to use this one Covid case as a reason for why schools should not be open. I just can't agree with that approach.

[Anonymous]

Sorry typo.
NP. Have there really been schools without a single case? Our school has had a new case (or two) at least every other day since school started.