Schools back in-person in 2022 due to mass-vaccine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am completely repulsed by the teachers responding to this thread. Can you not see how you are turning the entire country against you? You have lost any respect you may have previously had.

We are currently looking to move our kids to private as soon as possible, and will not look back.

This comes across as “Teachers, hardly anyone respected you before. And now, no one respects you. You just need to shut up and be willing to die so we can get our kids out of the house already.”

Not very a persuasive approach.

Nothing is going to persuade the teachers. As a group they're not acting or negotiating in good faith. Focus on persuading the Boards of Education and administrators to force the issue so individual teachers can make the choice for themselves: return teaching, or find a different job.

Then who will teach your children? There aren't enough teachers as it is. There will be even fewer if you try to force them when we know and you know and they know that it isn't safe for them. Why is there such an intensity and fervor for this particular group of adults to literally be committing suicide because you didn't plan ahead and you aren't good at managing your children and your family?

They're not really teaching them now, so what's the difference? If there's really a shortage, something will change to attract more. It's the sort of thing that can work itself out after a year or two.

Would you really describe doctors and nurses going to work as "committing suicide"? Or grocery store workers? Or meat packers? Or bus operators?

And yes, I'm sorry I didn't get a special education degree so that I'd be prepared when I had an autistic son and special education programs shut down and half the private therapists closed and the other half were overbooked to the point of not even putting new patients on a wait list. Definitely should have foreseen that.

You decided to be a parent and now that it isn't cracked up to what you thought it would be you are foisting your child off on other people because you don't want to deal with him. Not everyone gets to go to Italy. A lot of people end up in Holland. We don't get mad about it, we deal with it. I don't understand why you don't understand that.

NP here but PP please ignore this poster who is always harping on about how everyone should have known the country would shut down before they had kids. And it’s clear they are fortunate enough to not have a child with special needs because if they did they would show compassion and realize no one wishes that on their child.

And also to the PP likening teachers returning to school as suicide is ridiculous. If it were that dangerous I would hope someone would take leave. I am a teacher in her 30s who would love to go back and would not feel like it was suicidal.

You plan for emergencies. You are lucky if you live such a privileged life and have never had them but we have and have a SN child whose needed a lot of therapies the school system failed. I don't count on anyone to help us anymore and know we are on our own so we plan. Stay blessed as one day you may not be and have our lives and you'll learn really quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am completely repulsed by the teachers responding to this thread. Can you not see how you are turning the entire country against you? You have lost any respect you may have previously had.

We are currently looking to move our kids to private as soon as possible, and will not look back.

This comes across as “Teachers, hardly anyone respected you before. And now, no one respects you. You just need to shut up and be willing to die so we can get our kids out of the house already.”

Not very a persuasive approach.

Nothing is going to persuade the teachers. As a group they're not acting or negotiating in good faith. Focus on persuading the Boards of Education and administrators to force the issue so individual teachers can make the choice for themselves: return teaching, or find a different job.

Then who will teach your children? There aren't enough teachers as it is. There will be even fewer if you try to force them when we know and you know and they know that it isn't safe for them. Why is there such an intensity and fervor for this particular group of adults to literally be committing suicide because you didn't plan ahead and you aren't good at managing your children and your family?

They're not really teaching them now, so what's the difference? If there's really a shortage, something will change to attract more. It's the sort of thing that can work itself out after a year or two.

Would you really describe doctors and nurses going to work as "committing suicide"? Or grocery store workers? Or meat packers? Or bus operators?

And yes, I'm sorry I didn't get a special education degree so that I'd be prepared when I had an autistic son and special education programs shut down and half the private therapists closed and the other half were overbooked to the point of not even putting new patients on a wait list. Definitely should have foreseen that.

You decided to be a parent and now that it isn't cracked up to what you thought it would be you are foisting your child off on other people because you don't want to deal with him. Not everyone gets to go to Italy. A lot of people end up in Holland. We don't get mad about it, we deal with it. I don't understand why you don't understand that.

NP here but PP please ignore this poster who is always harping on about how everyone should have known the country would shut down before they had kids. And it’s clear they are fortunate enough to not have a child with special needs because if they did they would show compassion and realize no one wishes that on their child.

And also to the PP likening teachers returning to school as suicide is ridiculous. If it were that dangerous I would hope someone would take leave. I am a teacher in her 30s who would love to go back and would not feel like it was suicidal.

You plan for emergencies. You are lucky if you live such a privileged life and have never had them but we have and have a SN child whose needed a lot of therapies the school system failed. I don't count on anyone to help us anymore and know we are on our own so we plan. Stay blessed as one day you may not be and have our lives and you'll learn really quickly.

And you plan for losing nearly all special education/therapy resources how exactly?

[Anonymous]

(And I do realize 2:28 is a troll. I'm just curious what they'll say.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(And I do realize 2:28 is a troll. I'm just curious what they'll say.)

I don't think they are a troll because I didn't write that post but I wholly agree. You -do- have to plan for emergencies. Granted the pandemic was unforeseeable; however school shutdowns have occurred because of the flu or fire or other circumstances. You're a dumb and careless parent if you don't consider your backup plan for that. Or if your childcare falls through unexpectedly.

In the case of the pandemic, I don't think anyone could have predicted the spring circumstances a year prior; however, this fall was completely predictable. In April and May members of my friends and family group began talking about what we would do if school didn't reopen in-person in the fall.

Just because you're an ostrich with its head in the sand doesn't mean the rest of us were or are. If you're scrambling right now, the end of October, because of your ineptitude and failure to anticipate what you needed to do to support DL for your kids then that's on you for not being a good parent and caretaker of your child/ren, special needs or otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Just because you're an ostrich with its head in the sand doesn't mean the rest of us were or are. If you're scrambling right now, the end of October, because of your ineptitude and failure to anticipate what you needed to do to support DL for your kids then that's on you for not being a good parent and caretaker of your child/ren, special needs or otherwise.

You are either an awful person or an idiot living in a bubble, I can't tell which. We planned and are fine, but we're a two parent, affluent, white collar, English-speaking family. What did you expect people who aren't in that situation to do, even with advance planning? Many people were barely hanging on as it was before. Our county offers free child care for the most impoverished families at certain Title I schools, but what are families supposed to do who don't fall into that category but are still fairly poor?

[Anonymous]

If DC schools don't go back next year you will see a mass exodus of people from this area to red states where they have gone back to school. We are already discussing moving for good if school isnt back in person next year. We were fortunate enough to get into a private K that has been back 5 days since August.

[Anonymous]

Before you all get too excited about the vaccine there are things about which you need to think. There are 350 million people in this country and 7 billion in the world even if we have enough supply the real obstacle is the administration.

Even though the vaccine will be free they still need to track to whom it was given and when and will have to follow other health protocols. So think about when you get your flu shot: You needed to give your name and other basic info. Then you need to answer basic questions about health status and allergy history and then you get your shot. This is massively time consuming. Then add in that the provider will need to follow covid PPE protocols AND the vaccine is likely to require TWO doses. So it isn't just the vaccine itself that is a stumbling block but the administration itself both from a human resource perspective but also from a cost level. No way is this gonna be sorted soon. NO WAY. So adjust your expectations accordingly. Oh and we still don't know what kind of efficacy the vaccines will have and thus what level of vaccination we need to ensure that we can reasonably function.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If DC schools don't go back next year you will see a mass exodus of people from this area to red states where they have gone back to school. We are already discussing moving for good if school isnt back in person next year. We were fortunate enough to get into a private K that has been back 5 days since August.

I agree with this. I have no faith that DCPS will reopen next year. I'm on Redfin daily, tracking "affordable" private schools elsewhere, and submitting applications. People will leave DC. Not enough to force the hand of DCPS to reopen, but those with means will leave, and DCPS will be worse off for it.

[Anonymous]

Another option is for people to form micro schools or for those with PODs to just got to a homeschool curriculum and let the PODS teacher monitor/help set curriculum etc... Home school only takes about 3 hours a day. As someone posted above due to equity even when they go back the range of ability in the grade will be large. Those students who did learn will be left on their own or have to sit and repeat work as the teacher will need to catch up those who were unable to learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If DC schools don't go back next year you will see a mass exodus of people from this area to red states where they have gone back to school. We are already discussing moving for good if school isnt back in person next year. We were fortunate enough to get into a private K that has been back 5 days since August.

You're not a real poster, but what do you define as "red states"? States that will be voting R in the upcoming elections? Or just Georgia?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If DC schools don't go back next year you will see a mass exodus of people from this area to red states where they have gone back to school. We are already discussing moving for good if school isnt back in person next year. We were fortunate enough to get into a private K that has been back 5 days since August.

You're not a real poster, but what do you define as "red states"? States that will be voting R in the upcoming elections? Or just Georgia?

Get out of your bubble. Schools are open in states throughout the country, not just in Georgia. I live in one of them. And yes, it’s a red state. And while I have always voted for Democrats in the past, the fact that Republicans got my kids back in school while many blue states are still dithering away is making me reconsider (at least at the state and local level). And the prior poster is not a troll-our real estate market is going crazy with all the people trying to move here from the states that haven’t reopened schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Before you all get too excited about the vaccine there are things about which you need to think. There are 350 million people in this country and 7 billion in the world even if we have enough supply the real obstacle is the administration.

Even though the vaccine will be free they still need to track to whom it was given and when and will have to follow other health protocols. So think about when you get your flu shot: You needed to give your name and other basic info. Then you need to answer basic questions about health status and allergy history and then you get your shot. This is massively time consuming. Then add in that the provider will need to follow covid PPE protocols AND the vaccine is likely to require TWO doses. So it isn't just the vaccine itself that is a stumbling block but the administration itself both from a human resource perspective but also from a cost level. No way is this gonna be sorted soon. NO WAY. So adjust your expectations accordingly. Oh and we still don't know what kind of efficacy the vaccines will have and thus what level of vaccination we need to ensure that we can reasonably function.

Basic sketches regarding efficacy should be available soon. Fingers crossed that positive cases in subjects are in the right ratios for approval. There may be other potential roadblocks, but the right people have been working full time for months to eradicate them. It’s not as bleak as your portrait would indicate, as long as approval happens. The entire world is invested in this; there is a huge effort to smooth the way and neutralize obstacles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:(And I do realize 2:28 is a troll. I'm just curious what they'll say.)

I don't think they are a troll because I didn't write that post but I wholly agree. You -do- have to plan for emergencies. Granted the pandemic was unforeseeable; however school shutdowns have occurred because of the flu or fire or other circumstances. You're a dumb and careless parent if you don't consider your backup plan for that. Or if your childcare falls through unexpectedly.

In the case of the pandemic, I don't think anyone could have predicted the spring circumstances a year prior; however, this fall was completely predictable. In April and May members of my friends and family group began talking about what we would do if school didn't reopen in-person in the fall.

Just because you're an ostrich with its head in the sand doesn't mean the rest of us were or are. If you're scrambling right now, the end of October, because of your ineptitude and failure to anticipate what you needed to do to support DL for your kids then that's on you for not being a good parent and caretaker of your child/ren, special needs or otherwise.

Schools don't shut down for 1+ years. They didn't for past pandemics, wars or national disasters. When I was growing up my high school was destroyed by a tornado. We were back in classrooms a month later after they found alternative space for us and power was restored to most of the town. Shutting schools down indefinitely is unprecedented.

How do you prepare for this? Really, how? I've been trying get him into private therapy programs. But, half of them are still shut down (or virtual), and the other half are overbooked. Which absolutely makes sense, since I'm sure I'm not the only person seeking extra private therapy to make up for the loss of SPED programs.

So we've got child care taken care of. If for some reason my current provider fell through I have a list of alternatives. When it comes to child care, I'm confident that I could deal with nearly any foreseeable outcome. What I can't deal with, though, is a broad shutdown of educational services in the county for an extended- and indefinite- period of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If DC schools don't go back next year you will see a mass exodus of people from this area to red states where they have gone back to school. We are already discussing moving for good if school isnt back in person next year. We were fortunate enough to get into a private K that has been back 5 days since August.

You're not a real poster, but what do you define as "red states"? States that will be voting R in the upcoming elections? Or just Georgia?

Get out of your bubble. Schools are open in states throughout the country, not just in Georgia. I live in one of them. And yes, it’s a red state. And while I have always voted for Democrats in the past, the fact that Republicans got my kids back in school while many blue states are still dithering away is making me reconsider (at least at the state and local level). And the prior poster is not a troll-our real estate market is going crazy with all the people trying to move here from the states that haven’t reopened schools.

I'm the original poster and I can assure you that I'm a real poster and that we are seriously planning to move to another state next year. I have had several friends already relocate permanently to other states and all of them have their kids back full time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If DC schools don't go back next year you will see a mass exodus of people from this area to red states where they have gone back to school. We are already discussing moving for good if school isnt back in person next year. We were fortunate enough to get into a private K that has been back 5 days since August.

You're not a real poster, but what do you define as "red states"? States that will be voting R in the upcoming elections? Or just Georgia?

Get out of your bubble. Schools are open in states throughout the country, not just in Georgia. I live in one of them. And yes, it’s a red state. And while I have always voted for Democrats in the past, the fact that Republicans got my kids back in school while many blue states are still dithering away is making me reconsider (at least at the state and local level). And the prior poster is not a troll-our real estate market is going crazy with all the people trying to move here from the states that haven’t reopened schools.

I'm the original poster and I can assure you that I'm a real poster and that we are seriously planning to move to another state next year. I have had several friends already relocate permanently to other states and all of them have their kids back full time.

Yes, this is the plan B. Relocate. Schools are open in NY too, not just the red states.