APS School Board meeting last night - who watched?

[Anonymous]

I think it’s fair for parents to want more in-person instruction, but the APE’s angry aggressive to-hell-with-the-rest-of-you approach has discredited the otherwise reasonable voices on the topic. Most of us want schools to return full-time, but we also see that there are a lot of things beyond our own circumstances that need to be taken into consideration. Is it frustrating? Yes. Is it because Duran and the school board aren’t doing their jobs? I really don’t think so. The vitriol on display last night was depressing. So many people stewing in their hate and anger and just wanting to disparage anyone who might have a different perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, 11 pages later and nobody cares about this lady who was shouted down by a bunch of white parents anymore; instead it's just these selfsame parents shouting some more about how their kids need full time school 5 days a week. Better not get in their way. This is what they want, and what other people want is immaterial to them achieving their goal.

To be clear: These two speakers talked about having bigger problems in the current environment than full time school for their kids. They talked about food insecurity and the potential to go hungry. They talked about job loss. They talked about fear for their lives because the virus hit the latino community harder than it hit surrounding white areas and caused more death. They talked about needing to provide comfort and care to kids who had lost family members -- cousins, aunts and uncles, and even parents during this epidemic.

They also talked about the difficulties of managing childcare. the second speaker in particular talked about not being able to send a pre-K child back to school because both of those parents worked and neither had been vaccinated, so that if the child was exposed at school and needed to be quarantined at home, that would not be possible because it would endanger the parents (moreover they would be working).

So all these white ladies have the ability to sit with their kid in front of the ipad all day and complain about it (or at least some do), but none of them seem to understand or care what about the much more significant problems their southern neighbors are feeling. I'm not saying that iPad burnout and hyperactivity aren't bad, but these can be alleviated somewhat with a babysitter, outside time, playing games with mom and dad, etc. You don't solve a dead dad or insufficient food or homelessness with that.

It didn't take long for the focus to turn back to what (I mean who) really matters, right?

You guys sure are something. I won't say what.

I have the utmost sympathy for those families, and want them to have the schooling options that work for them.

That said, if they are keeping their children fully virtual for now due to those risks and considerations, how does it affect them if other kids go to school 2 vs. 4 days a week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just watched. I totally disagree with the guy saying that the movement of teens from hybrid to virtual is because of the instructional model. It’s because their parents are allowing them to do so, plain and simple. Some of these people need to take responsibility for what’s happening with their children’s learning. If you let your kid get away with whatever, you can’t expect APS to fix that. Some people need to say no to their kids.

I think they mainly switch back to virtual because their friends aren't in-person and because there are so few classmates in the classroom with them, and because there are still teachers teaching remotely so the students are going to school to learn online.

I don't really understand the "my friends aren't there" excuse. Are their friends with them when they're logged in from home? What's the difference? Nevertheless, I really feel fewer would have reverted to virtual if there were a substantial # of students actually attending in-person. Individual school stats could shed some light on the real "why's" at each school.

They don’t know. They haven’t asked. At least at our HS. I doubt they really want to know why. Or frankly care.

I don’t care. In-person instruction has been offered to them, and now they’re not going because they don’t like it?! Nope. I don’t care. Give their seats to families that want them, four days a week. That is exactly what is happening at our high school. I don’t need to know why your special snowflake doesn’t like it.

Nobody cares if you want to know. The question was can the HS show the reasons why. I answered. No they can’t because they didn’t ask. I don’t care that my kid is back home. I’m not complaining. I really don’t care. Just answering the question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, 11 pages later and nobody cares about this lady who was shouted down by a bunch of white parents anymore; instead it's just these selfsame parents shouting some more about how their kids need full time school 5 days a week. Better not get in their way. This is what they want, and what other people want is immaterial to them achieving their goal.

To be clear: These two speakers talked about having bigger problems in the current environment than full time school for their kids. They talked about food insecurity and the potential to go hungry. They talked about job loss. They talked about fear for their lives because the virus hit the latino community harder than it hit surrounding white areas and caused more death. They talked about needing to provide comfort and care to kids who had lost family members -- cousins, aunts and uncles, and even parents during this epidemic.

They also talked about the difficulties of managing childcare. the second speaker in particular talked about not being able to send a pre-K child back to school because both of those parents worked and neither had been vaccinated, so that if the child was exposed at school and needed to be quarantined at home, that would not be possible because it would endanger the parents (moreover they would be working).

So all these white ladies have the ability to sit with their kid in front of the ipad all day and complain about it (or at least some do), but none of them seem to understand or care what about the much more significant problems their southern neighbors are feeling. I'm not saying that iPad burnout and hyperactivity aren't bad, but these can be alleviated somewhat with a babysitter, outside time, playing games with mom and dad, etc. You don't solve a dead dad or insufficient food or homelessness with that.

It didn't take long for the focus to turn back to what (I mean who) really matters, right?

You guys sure are something. I won't say what.

Full time virtual is and will continue to be a choice people can make over the next year. I was not at the meeting and I don’t condone the behavior of some of the attendees, but I don’t understand how more in person days hurts the speakers above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, 11 pages later and nobody cares about this lady who was shouted down by a bunch of white parents anymore; instead it's just these selfsame parents shouting some more about how their kids need full time school 5 days a week. Better not get in their way. This is what they want, and what other people want is immaterial to them achieving their goal.

To be clear: These two speakers talked about having bigger problems in the current environment than full time school for their kids. They talked about food insecurity and the potential to go hungry. They talked about job loss. They talked about fear for their lives because the virus hit the latino community harder than it hit surrounding white areas and caused more death. They talked about needing to provide comfort and care to kids who had lost family members -- cousins, aunts and uncles, and even parents during this epidemic.

They also talked about the difficulties of managing childcare. the second speaker in particular talked about not being able to send a pre-K child back to school because both of those parents worked and neither had been vaccinated, so that if the child was exposed at school and needed to be quarantined at home, that would not be possible because it would endanger the parents (moreover they would be working).

So all these white ladies have the ability to sit with their kid in front of the ipad all day and complain about it (or at least some do), but none of them seem to understand or care what about the much more significant problems their southern neighbors are feeling. I'm not saying that iPad burnout and hyperactivity aren't bad, but these can be alleviated somewhat with a babysitter, outside time, playing games with mom and dad, etc. You don't solve a dead dad or insufficient food or homelessness with that.

It didn't take long for the focus to turn back to what (I mean who) really matters, right?

You guys sure are something. I won't say what.

This is a thread about the SB meeting. This is just one part of what happened. And yes, anyone who shouted at those people should be ashamed. 100%.

Also true is that no one is forcing any kids back into the classroom at this point. All the families who want a fully virtual option have that. What we don't have, which most of the rest of the country has managed, is a more serious option of more than two days in the classroom for the families who want that. And APS has no real excuse for why not at this point. The fact that some families don't feel safe, have larger issues, etc., is terrible and sad and I am glad wonderful community advocates like TT are helping with that. It's really important work. What I don't get is why that means APS can't go to 4 days for more learners. If that means they need to stand-up a before care and after care program for the families most at need, they should do that too. Why not? We are going to offer it again in the fall. Let's do a mini-version of it now for the most at-risk community members. These are all solvable problems if APS wanted to solve them.

I support any of that, and I also don't get the vitriol for families who want kids back in school. It would be one thing if people were demanding that all families have to come back now, to h@ll with those who don't feel safe. But no one is saying that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s fair for parents to want more in-person instruction, but the APE’s angry aggressive to-hell-with-the-rest-of-you approach has discredited the otherwise reasonable voices on the topic. Most of us want schools to return full-time, but we also see that there are a lot of things beyond our own circumstances that need to be taken into consideration. Is it frustrating? Yes. Is it because Duran and the school board aren’t doing their jobs? I really don’t think so. The vitriol on display last night was depressing. So many people stewing in their hate and anger and just wanting to disparage anyone who might have a different perspective.

I am with you! I want the best for my kid too but the “you work for me” attitude and the hell with anyone that gets in my way attitude was really sad and unproductive.

[Anonymous]

What you 5 days of school for everyone are conveniently leaving out is OF COURSE you can't move to 5 days a week without pushing the desks closer and making it LESS SAFE than it is now and less safe for everyone, including the latino and black communities that are disproportionately affected by the virus. I guess that's because you can't get your heads out of your butts long enough to care about anyone but your own families but color me surprised.

The benefit you seek dilutes the safety of the benefit that others in your community want. Those people are already worse off than you are, but that's not going to stop a bunch of 22207 Karens from filing their complaint with the manager, carefully coaching their kids in their own propaganda, and threatening to get the superintendant fired.

Forget it, Jake, it's Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Give these white families 5 days and other families lose 2 days and have to go fully virtual if they weigh the risk to their families and figure 5 days with close together desks is just too high. But the white heart wants what it wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you 5 days of school for everyone are conveniently leaving out is OF COURSE you can't move to 5 days a week without pushing the desks closer and making it LESS SAFE than it is now and less safe for everyone, including the latino and black communities that are disproportionately affected by the virus. I guess that's because you can't get your heads out of your butts long enough to care about anyone but your own families but color me surprised.

The benefit you seek dilutes the safety of the benefit that others in your community want. Those people are already worse off than you are, but that's not going to stop a bunch of 22207 Karens from filing their complaint with the manager, carefully coaching their kids in their own propaganda, and threatening to get the superintendant fired.

Forget it, Jake, it's Arlington.

But is it? Isn't the CDC's point that schools can be safely opened at 3 feet? I suppose there is some small hypothetical increase at 3 ft vs 6 ft, but isn't that clearly offset by what we know about children doing significantly better in-person in school? And isn't this how exactly how we do risk mitigation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just watched. I totally disagree with the guy saying that the movement of teens from hybrid to virtual is because of the instructional model. It’s because their parents are allowing them to do so, plain and simple. Some of these people need to take responsibility for what’s happening with their children’s learning. If you let your kid get away with whatever, you can’t expect APS to fix that. Some people need to say no to their kids.

I think they mainly switch back to virtual because their friends aren't in-person and because there are so few classmates in the classroom with them, and because there are still teachers teaching remotely so the students are going to school to learn online.

I don't really understand the "my friends aren't there" excuse. Are their friends with them when they're logged in from home? What's the difference? Nevertheless, I really feel fewer would have reverted to virtual if there were a substantial # of students actually attending in-person. Individual school stats could shed some light on the real "why's" at each school.

They don’t know. They haven’t asked. At least at our HS. I doubt they really want to know why. Or frankly care.

I don’t care. In-person instruction has been offered to them, and now they’re not going because they don’t like it?! Nope. I don’t care. Give their seats to families that want them, four days a week. That is exactly what is happening at our high school. I don’t need to know why your special snowflake doesn’t like it.

Nobody cares if you want to know. The question was can the HS show the reasons why. I answered. No they can’t because they didn’t ask. I don’t care that my kid is back home. I’m not complaining. I really don’t care. Just answering the question.

I guess I’m just saying, why do we need to ask? We don’t. We went through tons of trouble to open, and their parents are letting them stay home. The end. I’d rather have APS focus on the fall, instead of why kids don’t like it.

We don’t want need a survey, nor some guy making claims at school board meetings that in-person school is no good because of the mitigation that has to happen. Boo hoo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you 5 days of school for everyone are conveniently leaving out is OF COURSE you can't move to 5 days a week without pushing the desks closer and making it LESS SAFE than it is now and less safe for everyone, including the latino and black communities that are disproportionately affected by the virus. I guess that's because you can't get your heads out of your butts long enough to care about anyone but your own families but color me surprised.

The benefit you seek dilutes the safety of the benefit that others in your community want. Those people are already worse off than you are, but that's not going to stop a bunch of 22207 Karens from filing their complaint with the manager, carefully coaching their kids in their own propaganda, and threatening to get the superintendant fired.

Forget it, Jake, it's Arlington.

+1

[Anonymous]

How safe is safe when your community is disproportionately affected by the virus?

[Anonymous]

Middle school parent here very pleased with hybrid not sure I’d send my unvaccinated kids in if they were at double the capacity though. This feels right. Y’all can fight about elementary. Maybe that should be 4 days. But given the higher risks for adolescents, I’m grateful to stay 2 days for now. And full time when these kids have access to vaccines. I think APS has handled this just fine by the way. I’m grateful to advocates who are constructive and polite on both sides. It’s APE crazies that most disgust me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just watched. I totally disagree with the guy saying that the movement of teens from hybrid to virtual is because of the instructional model. It’s because their parents are allowing them to do so, plain and simple. Some of these people need to take responsibility for what’s happening with their children’s learning. If you let your kid get away with whatever, you can’t expect APS to fix that. Some people need to say no to their kids.

I think they mainly switch back to virtual because their friends aren't in-person and because there are so few classmates in the classroom with them, and because there are still teachers teaching remotely so the students are going to school to learn online.

I don't really understand the "my friends aren't there" excuse. Are their friends with them when they're logged in from home? What's the difference? Nevertheless, I really feel fewer would have reverted to virtual if there were a substantial # of students actually attending in-person. Individual school stats could shed some light on the real "why's" at each school.

They don’t know. They haven’t asked. At least at our HS. I doubt they really want to know why. Or frankly care.

I don’t care. In-person instruction has been offered to them, and now they’re not going because they don’t like it?! Nope. I don’t care. Give their seats to families that want them, four days a week. That is exactly what is happening at our high school. I don’t need to know why your special snowflake doesn’t like it.

Nobody cares if you want to know. The question was can the HS show the reasons why. I answered. No they can’t because they didn’t ask. I don’t care that my kid is back home. I’m not complaining. I really don’t care. Just answering the question.

I guess I’m just saying, why do we need to ask? We don’t. We went through tons of trouble to open, and their parents are letting them stay home. The end. I’d rather have APS focus on the fall, instead of why kids don’t like it.

We don’t want need a survey, nor some guy making claims at school board meetings that in-person school is no good because of the mitigation that has to happen. Boo hoo.

I know so many parents that have given APS a hard time about opening and everything. Their kids were failing at distance learning, it was the worst thing that ever happened to them. Now, they don’t make them go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Middle school parent here very pleased with hybrid not sure I’d send my unvaccinated kids in if they were at double the capacity though. This feels right. Y’all can fight about elementary. Maybe that should be 4 days. But given the higher risks for adolescents, I’m grateful to stay 2 days for now. And full time when these kids have access to vaccines. I think APS has handled this just fine by the way. I’m grateful to advocates who are constructive and polite on both sides. It’s APE crazies that most disgust me.

+1000