How to push back against people who want to close schools AGAIN

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The plan to reopen schools is foolish and it will collapse one outbreak, one ICU admission, one death at a time.

So you want schools to be virtual?

And, you know how many children in DC have died of Covid? Zero.

Histrionic.

Zero kids have died because DC was very safe in how they did things. DC will get hit with covid like every where else.

Yep. It’s coming like a freight train.

If they're going to do it again then Congress/Biden need to step in with Covid Relief for childcare. It expires in two weeks - just as we're hitting 200,000 cases a day and schools are going to shut down again.

Biden and Congress have done NOTHING since he's taken office. It is shameful that the south has gotten really bad and he hasn't done anything. If this is his leadership, we are all in trouble.

He's vaccinated half this country in only 8 months. May I remind you that Trump had a head start on vaccination and his operation was so bad that they couldn't get a proper supply chain run? Only 15 million vaccinations delivered (not administered) in 4 weeks under the Trump train. Now under Biden we're hitting 1,000,000 vaccinations administered a day.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/19/trumps-administration-fell-far-short-its-own-vaccine-promises/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, here’s what everyone flipping out about delta doesn’t want to admit: we now have no choice but to send kids to school.

It’s no longer an option. We cannot ask families to stick it out for a month or two to see if we can get numbers down. It’s too late. Kids have to go back to school, and it’s at a critical breaking point.

If we had actually provided something resembling in person school last year, maybe we wouldn’t be in this spot. But we didn’t. Not only did we not offer most kids in the district IPL at any point last year, but we kept telling families that it was coming. For a whole year! So now we have to do it.

If you are freaking out about delta now but did not push for in person last fall, when cases were low, or in the spring, when teachers were getting priority vaccines, then you should know you created this situation. Now we HAVE to send kids back to school in the middle of delta and hope for the best, because we refused to do it under better conditions sooner. If we’d prioritized IPL last year, we’d have good will to spend. We don’t.

ita. last year was totally squandared.

What does good will have to do with viral Covid spread? The schools will be closed regardless as they already are in states like Georgia.

[Anonymous]

I’m wondering if DC will have school closures or quarantines given the requirement that school staff be vaccinated and (so far as I understand) there is no plan to test kids. It seems like most of these closures are happening because teachers are calling out sick. They won’t close a class if a kid does the same.

I think it is a lot easier to live in denial when it is the kids who have covid, rather than the adults who need to be there to teach them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m wondering if DC will have school closures or quarantines given the requirement that school staff be vaccinated and (so far as I understand) there is no plan to test kids. It seems like most of these closures are happening because teachers are calling out sick. They won’t close a class if a kid does the same.

I think it is a lot easier to live in denial when it is the kids who have covid, rather than the adults who need to be there to teach them.

actually there is going to be asymptomatic testing of kids

[Anonymous]

The asymptomatic testing plan is 10% of kids / week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The plan to reopen schools is foolish and it will collapse one outbreak, one ICU admission, one death at a time.

So you want schools to be virtual?

And, you know how many children in DC have died of Covid? Zero.

Histrionic.

Zero kids have died because DC was very safe in how they did things. DC will get hit with covid like every where else.

Yep. It’s coming like a freight train.

If they're going to do it again then Congress/Biden need to step in with Covid Relief for childcare. It expires in two weeks - just as we're hitting 200,000 cases a day and schools are going to shut down again.

So childcare is ok but school is not? I see we’ve taken a time machine back to last year where people were cool with kids on laptops crammed into karate studios ie virtual learning hubs but not classrooms with teachers. Nice try. School is back in session this year. Thank god.

That's correct. Because they're going to be sending these kids home in waves throughout the semester.

I don't think what happens with the ignorant unvaccinated states is relevant for DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The asymptomatic testing plan is 10% of kids / week.

The current plan is 10% of those kids who have turned in their asymptomatic testing consent forms.
We know the consent forms have not been turned in at a high rate.

This is completely nuts.
This isn't a testing plan.

Asymptomatic testing participation should be mandatory and opting out should require a documented medical reason.
There needs to be a threshold of asymptomatic testing participation under which a classroom must offer a simulcast option because in-person attendance is no longer safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The plan to reopen schools is foolish and it will collapse one outbreak, one ICU admission, one death at a time.

So you want schools to be virtual?

And, you know how many children in DC have died of Covid? Zero.

Histrionic.

Zero kids have died because DC was very safe in how they did things. DC will get hit with covid like every where else.

Yep. It’s coming like a freight train.

If they're going to do it again then Congress/Biden need to step in with Covid Relief for childcare. It expires in two weeks - just as we're hitting 200,000 cases a day and schools are going to shut down again.

So childcare is ok but school is not? I see we’ve taken a time machine back to last year where people were cool with kids on laptops crammed into karate studios ie virtual learning hubs but not classrooms with teachers. Nice try. School is back in session this year. Thank god.

That's correct. Because they're going to be sending these kids home in waves throughout the semester.

I don't think what happens with the ignorant unvaccinated states is relevant for DC.

I would guess there are many unvaccinated teachers who will opt for the testing over the shot. I’m still not sure how the city plans to pay for all the tests when they can barely get school supplies sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think what happens with the ignorant unvaccinated states is relevant for DC.

The elementary school population is 100% unvaccinated.
The middle and high-school population is less than 50% vaccinated.
As of Wednesday, DC switched from being a substantial covid transmission area to a high covid transmission area, per the CDC.
Yes, what happens elsewhere in the United States is relevant to DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The plan to reopen schools is foolish and it will collapse one outbreak, one ICU admission, one death at a time.

So you want schools to be virtual?

And, you know how many children in DC have died of Covid? Zero.

Histrionic.

Zero kids have died because DC was very safe in how they did things. DC will get hit with covid like every where else.

Yep. It’s coming like a freight train.

If they're going to do it again then Congress/Biden need to step in with Covid Relief for childcare. It expires in two weeks - just as we're hitting 200,000 cases a day and schools are going to shut down again.

So childcare is ok but school is not? I see we’ve taken a time machine back to last year where people were cool with kids on laptops crammed into karate studios ie virtual learning hubs but not classrooms with teachers. Nice try. School is back in session this year. Thank god.

That's correct. Because they're going to be sending these kids home in waves throughout the semester.

I don't think what happens with the ignorant unvaccinated states is relevant for DC.

Right, because our vaccination rates of 5-11 is much higher than those ignorant states.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The plan to reopen schools is foolish and it will collapse one outbreak, one ICU admission, one death at a time.

So you want schools to be virtual?

And, you know how many children in DC have died of Covid? Zero.

Histrionic.

Zero kids have died because DC was very safe in how they did things. DC will get hit with covid like every where else.

Yep. It’s coming like a freight train.

If they're going to do it again then Congress/Biden need to step in with Covid Relief for childcare. It expires in two weeks - just as we're hitting 200,000 cases a day and schools are going to shut down again.

Biden and Congress have done NOTHING since he's taken office. It is shameful that the south has gotten really bad and he hasn't done anything. If this is his leadership, we are all in trouble.

He's vaccinated half this country in only 8 months. May I remind you that Trump had a head start on vaccination and his operation was so bad that they couldn't get a proper supply chain run? Only 15 million vaccinations delivered (not administered) in 4 weeks under the Trump train. Now under Biden we're hitting 1,000,000 vaccinations administered a day.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/19/trumps-administration-fell-far-short-its-own-vaccine-promises/

Nice spin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The plan to reopen schools is foolish and it will collapse one outbreak, one ICU admission, one death at a time.

So you want schools to be virtual?

And, you know how many children in DC have died of Covid? Zero.

Histrionic.

Zero kids have died because DC was very safe in how they did things. DC will get hit with covid like every where else.

Yep. It’s coming like a freight train.

If they're going to do it again then Congress/Biden need to step in with Covid Relief for childcare. It expires in two weeks - just as we're hitting 200,000 cases a day and schools are going to shut down again.

So childcare is ok but school is not? I see we’ve taken a time machine back to last year where people were cool with kids on laptops crammed into karate studios ie virtual learning hubs but not classrooms with teachers. Nice try. School is back in session this year. Thank god.

That's correct. Because they're going to be sending these kids home in waves throughout the semester.

I don't think what happens with the ignorant unvaccinated states is relevant for DC.

Right, because our vaccination rates of 5-11 is much higher than those ignorant states.

This. Our vaccination rates are actually alarmingly low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the OP: Support a vax drive for parents at your school, and if your school has kids 12+ then support a vax drive at the school for them. I believe that schools can get grants to fund one of the mobile vax sites.

Maybe that will help allay some parents' fears. (I doubt it but I can dream.)

I think you should also write to your admin and say you very strongly support IPL, basically saying what you said already here.

Op here— thanks. Im taking notes of the good constructive recommendations and will follow through.

[Anonymous]

you push back by participating in any public forum about schools to make clear you do not want schools to close.

it’s a sad truth about local democracy in DC, but a contigent of fixated people can screech there demands very loudly. Making sure your viewpoint is out there to counter them is really important. If you sound measured and reasonable, you’ll make a good impression.

[Anonymous]

be prepared to clearly and concisely explain the cdc guidance