DC should follow MoCo and stop over-quarantining

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The frequent and long quarantines do beg the question of what kids are actually doing when they are quarantined. For many people who can't just take weeks off or work from home, I wonder if the kids are just staying home by themselves. More pertinently to the idea that quarantines are supposed to prevent covid spread, I wonder if the kids are staying with other kids in group settings.

More reasons why "test and stay" would be beneficial.

of course they are. it's like when schools were completely closed. kids didnt just sit at home. they went elsewhere -- daycares, daycamps, hung out with friends, etc. the risk doesnt change. it just gets pushed out of schools to somewhere less visible.

[Anonymous]

Test and stay makes a lot of sense!

[Anonymous]

Test and stay makes so much sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery country now says kids have to test positive or be in close contact with a person who tested positive in order to be sent home. No more sending entire classes home because of a positive test somewhere.

DC needs to do the same. These kids are already missing too much school.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/09/14/montgomery-county-school-qurantine-policy-update/

"Montgomery County Public Schools officials changed the district’s controversial quarantine policy Tuesday after weeks of backlash from parents and community members.

The change, which took effect immediately, now only requires close contacts of a student showing virus symptoms to quarantine if the student tests positive or has a known exposure to the coronavirus.

After the first week of school, officials implemented a policy that required those in close contact with a symptomatic student to quarantine while awaiting test results, sending more than 1,700 students, mostly in elementary school, home to quarantine during the first weeks of class. Montgomery leaders have said they based the policy on county health recommendations.

School and county leaders say the policy was implemented out of an abundance of caution as students returned to school Aug. 30 amid surging cases involving the delta variant of the virus. But many parents who were hoping for a more normal school year were outraged by the policy and questioned why rapid testing for symptomatic students was not readily available."

That is the policy; at least that is what happens at my school. The student(s) or teachers(s) who test positive are sent home or told to stay home. Their close contacts are also sent home. At no time this year has an entire class quarantined.

[Anonymous]

I don't get the test and stay protocol. It seems contrary to CDC guidance which is that close contacts of someone who tests positive (not necessarily a whole classroom, depending on age) should quarantine. We know that the it can take 3-5 days after exposure for a test to come up positive and we also know that rapid testing is not as accurate as PCR. But yet we're willing to send bona fide close contacts back to school the next day with just a rapid test result? I understand not wanting to quarantine children any longer than necessary and school disruptions, but it seems like that's accepting not an insignificant safety risk to others. Maybe school administrators should do a better job with identifying close contacts so that the rest of the class isn't unnecessarily quarantined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the test and stay protocol. It seems contrary to CDC guidance which is that close contacts of someone who tests positive (not necessarily a whole classroom, depending on age) should quarantine. We know that the it can take 3-5 days after exposure for a test to come up positive and we also know that rapid testing is not as accurate as PCR. But yet we're willing to send bona fide close contacts back to school the next day with just a rapid test result? I understand not wanting to quarantine children any longer than necessary and school disruptions, but it seems like that's accepting not an insignificant safety risk to others. Maybe school administrators should do a better job with identifying close contacts so that the rest of the class isn't unnecessarily quarantined.

I found this article really useful although it doesn’t address all of the concerns.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcboston.com/news/coronavirus/mass-rapid-covid-19-test-protocol-will-let-close-contacts-stay-in-school/2464069/%3famp

From the article: Thirteen high schools implemented the practice, and researchers concluded in May 2021 that it saved "an estimated 109,752 in-person instruction student-days."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery country now says kids have to test positive or be in close contact with a person who tested positive in order to be sent home. No more sending entire classes home because of a positive test somewhere.

DC needs to do the same. These kids are already missing too much school.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/09/14/montgomery-county-school-qurantine-policy-update/

"Montgomery County Public Schools officials changed the district’s controversial quarantine policy Tuesday after weeks of backlash from parents and community members.

The change, which took effect immediately, now only requires close contacts of a student showing virus symptoms to quarantine if the student tests positive or has a known exposure to the coronavirus.

After the first week of school, officials implemented a policy that required those in close contact with a symptomatic student to quarantine while awaiting test results, sending more than 1,700 students, mostly in elementary school, home to quarantine during the first weeks of class. Montgomery leaders have said they based the policy on county health recommendations.

School and county leaders say the policy was implemented out of an abundance of caution as students returned to school Aug. 30 amid surging cases involving the delta variant of the virus. But many parents who were hoping for a more normal school year were outraged by the policy and questioned why rapid testing for symptomatic students was not readily available."

That is the policy; at least that is what happens at my school. The student(s) or teachers(s) who test positive are sent home or told to stay home. Their close contacts are also sent home. At no time this year has an entire class quarantined.

My kid's entire class quarantined. DC has repeatedly tested negative for COVID. Still not back in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery country now says kids have to test positive or be in close contact with a person who tested positive in order to be sent home. No more sending entire classes home because of a positive test somewhere.

DC needs to do the same. These kids are already missing too much school.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/09/14/montgomery-county-school-qurantine-policy-update/

"Montgomery County Public Schools officials changed the district’s controversial quarantine policy Tuesday after weeks of backlash from parents and community members.

The change, which took effect immediately, now only requires close contacts of a student showing virus symptoms to quarantine if the student tests positive or has a known exposure to the coronavirus.

After the first week of school, officials implemented a policy that required those in close contact with a symptomatic student to quarantine while awaiting test results, sending more than 1,700 students, mostly in elementary school, home to quarantine during the first weeks of class. Montgomery leaders have said they based the policy on county health recommendations.

School and county leaders say the policy was implemented out of an abundance of caution as students returned to school Aug. 30 amid surging cases involving the delta variant of the virus. But many parents who were hoping for a more normal school year were outraged by the policy and questioned why rapid testing for symptomatic students was not readily available."

That is the policy; at least that is what happens at my school. The student(s) or teachers(s) who test positive are sent home or told to stay home. Their close contacts are also sent home. At no time this year has an entire class quarantined.

My kid's entire class quarantined. DC has repeatedly tested negative for COVID. Still not back in school.

Are you at a Montessori? Or in PreK?

[Anonymous]

Test and stay works because if the person is infectious they will eventually test positive. But the harm is reduced because less people lose learning days.

It is harm reduction while still keeping spread at bay.

[Anonymous]

Yep, makes a lot of sense especially for young children who usually don’t get too sick and in a community with a very high adult vaccination rate. Schools need to limit cases while keeping kids in school as much as possible. Mask up and carry on. I know people on here will holler, but it’s the reality. Some people have their own anxiety which clouds their ability to see reality.

[Anonymous]

The reality is that the protocol will allow a certain amount of potential transmission to happen. It might be acceptable in order to allow fewer school disruptions but we should acknowledge it for what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that the protocol will allow a certain amount of potential transmission to happen. It might be acceptable in order to allow fewer school disruptions but we should acknowledge it for what it is.

The reality is also that the current protocols allow a certain amount of potential transmission to happen, once you recognize that not everyone can stay home with children on quarantine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that the protocol will allow a certain amount of potential transmission to happen. It might be acceptable in order to allow fewer school disruptions but we should acknowledge it for what it is.

The reality is also that the current protocols allow a certain amount of potential transmission to happen, once you recognize that not everyone can stay home with children on quarantine.

+1 I’m so sick of these delusional people who think kids that can’t attend school just somehow magically DISAPPEAR. Hello, they still exist and they need to go SOMEWHERE while their parents work!

[Anonymous]

+1 Where do the kids go when the parents need to work, especially go into work? I have seen some research that more transmission happens outside of formal school settings than in the school because kids gather unmasked and without clear boundaries like at school. So, when the kids need to go somewhere while their parents work they might go over to friends’ houses and spread can happen there.

We need to be safe, but we also need reality. The reality is we cannot have constant disruptions. Too much for kids and families and schools.

[Anonymous]

Some adults are so terrified for themselves even with the vaccine. If that’s the case, I don’t think those parents should send their kids to in-person school. Opt for virtual academy until you feel it’s safe to re-enter society. But for many, we want safety within reason, knowing our unvaccinated kid *might* get Covid just like they might get the flu, strep, stomach virus, lice, etc etc. This is a risk we’re choosing to take and putting a lot of faith in our schools to do the very best they can to keep kids safe, just like we did before Covid.