McKnight's discussion with health officer about in-person learning

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize they just ended the presser, but where is the information in writing? Seems like they should get that out ASAP to avoid misinterpretation and rumor mill confusion....

They just put out this press release:

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=12567&type=&startYear=&pageNumber=&mode=

Here is the key paragraph:

The following parameter will require the consideration of individual school closures.
To ensure the safety of students and staff, MCPS will be following DHHS guidance around individual school outbreaks as defined by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Beginning in January, if 5 percent or more of unrelated students/teachers/staff (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff) test positive in a 14-day period, then DHHS and MCPS will work together to determine if the school should be closed for 14 days and the students would transition to virtual learning.

What about working with MSDE so students receive the 180 days of in person learning. MSDE didn’t give a crap about Montgomery County DHHS recommendations to keep schools virtual, hence why they issued the 180 day in person learning mandate. What percentage on “individual school” closures would be the equivalent of a system wide closure.

Unfreaking believable for a school system that caved on requiring staff to be vaccinated and keeps adding half days and vacation days to their calendar. Just another excuse to not teach kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize they just ended the presser, but where is the information in writing? Seems like they should get that out ASAP to avoid misinterpretation and rumor mill confusion....

They just put out this press release:

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=12567&type=&startYear=&pageNumber=&mode=

Here is the key paragraph:

The following parameter will require the consideration of individual school closures.
To ensure the safety of students and staff, MCPS will be following DHHS guidance around individual school outbreaks as defined by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Beginning in January, if 5 percent or more of unrelated students/teachers/staff (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff) test positive in a 14-day period, then DHHS and MCPS will work together to determine if the school should be closed for 14 days and the students would transition to virtual learning.

What about working with MSDE so students receive the 180 days of in person learning. MSDE didn’t give a crap about Montgomery County DHHS recommendations to keep schools virtual, hence why they issued the 180 day in person learning mandate. What percentage on “individual school” closures would be the equivalent of a system wide closure.

Unfreaking believable for a school system that caved on requiring staff to be vaccinated and keeps adding half days and vacation days to their calendar. Just another excuse to not teach kids.

What are you proposing--that any individual school that has a 14-day closure should have to extend their school year to June 30th?

[Anonymous]

What data will they be using your determine that 5%?

For our school, and it sounds like for many others, the letters and the dashboard have a huge disconnect, and neither one reflects the actual number of kids testing positive. It’s clear from the discussion on our parent listserv that there are far more kids testing positive, and parents reporting those positive tests to the school, than we’re seeing in the data from the school.

Would be nice if they’d addressed the issue of accurate data, because I know that’s a concern for a lot of people. The amount of testing being done in schools is another issue, of course, but we can’t even seem to accurately collect and report the data we do have.

[Anonymous]

Parents should fill the test permission form regardless they support in person or virtual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize they just ended the presser, but where is the information in writing? Seems like they should get that out ASAP to avoid misinterpretation and rumor mill confusion....

They just put out this press release:

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=12567&type=&startYear=&pageNumber=&mode=

Here is the key paragraph:

The following parameter will require the consideration of individual school closures.
To ensure the safety of students and staff, MCPS will be following DHHS guidance around individual school outbreaks as defined by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Beginning in January, if 5 percent or more of unrelated students/teachers/staff (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff) test positive in a 14-day period, then DHHS and MCPS will work together to determine if the school should be closed for 14 days and the students would transition to virtual learning.

What about working with MSDE so students receive the 180 days of in person learning. MSDE didn’t give a crap about Montgomery County DHHS recommendations to keep schools virtual, hence why they issued the 180 day in person learning mandate. What percentage on “individual school” closures would be the equivalent of a system wide closure.

Unfreaking believable for a school system that caved on requiring staff to be vaccinated and keeps adding half days and vacation days to their calendar. Just another excuse to not teach kids.

What are you proposing--that any individual school that has a 14-day closure should have to extend their school year to June 30th?

DP. Not to June 30, but they could use the make-up days that are already in the calendar and go until June 22.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents should fill the test permission form regardless they support in person or virtual.

I filled it out months ago. I even reminded my child’s AP of my permission when I got the close contact call. School declined to text my child

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What data will they be using your determine that 5%?

For our school, and it sounds like for many others, the letters and the dashboard have a huge disconnect, and neither one reflects the actual number of kids testing positive. It’s clear from the discussion on our parent listserv that there are far more kids testing positive, and parents reporting those positive tests to the school, than we’re seeing in the data from the school.

Would be nice if they’d addressed the issue of accurate data, because I know that’s a concern for a lot of people. The amount of testing being done in schools is another issue, of course, but we can’t even seem to accurately collect and report the data we do have.

MCPS has a long history of skewing the data for whatever their agenda is. Who is going to audit a school for the actual test results? It’s ripe for false reporting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What data will they be using your determine that 5%?

For our school, and it sounds like for many others, the letters and the dashboard have a huge disconnect, and neither one reflects the actual number of kids testing positive. It’s clear from the discussion on our parent listserv that there are far more kids testing positive, and parents reporting those positive tests to the school, than we’re seeing in the data from the school.

Would be nice if they’d addressed the issue of accurate data, because I know that’s a concern for a lot of people. The amount of testing being done in schools is another issue, of course, but we can’t even seem to accurately collect and report the data we do have.

MCPS has a long history of skewing the data for whatever their agenda is. Who is going to audit a school for the actual test results? It’s ripe for false reporting.

Many MCPS schools have already hit these targets now.

[Anonymous]

DCPS has now extended winter break by 2 days to allow time for schools to load up on Covid testing supplies or something like that. Seems weird that MCPS is acting like they don’t have to make any adjustments

[Anonymous]

It never ceases to amaze me how people gobble up whatever MCPS puts out. I'm guessing none of the McKnight supporters are math majors?

"if 5 percent or more of unrelated students/teachers/staff (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff) test positive in a 14-day period, then DHHS and MCPS will work together to determine if the school should be closed for 14 days and the students would transition to virtual learning."

Sounds good, right?

"It certainly might not seem like it given the pandemic mayhem we’ve had, but the original form of SARS-CoV-2 was a bit of a slowpoke. After infiltrating our bodies, the virus would typically brew for about five or six days before symptoms kicked in. In the many months since that now-defunct version of the virus emerged, new variants have arrived to speed the timeline up. Estimates for this exposure-to-symptom gap, called the incubation period, clocked in at about five days for Alpha and four days for Delta. Now word has it that the newest kid on the pandemic block, Omicron, may have ratcheted it down to as little as three."
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/12/omicron-incubation-period-testing/621066/

"Delta was spreading 50% faster than Alpha, which was 50% more contagious than the original strain of SARS-CoV-2"
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/5-things-to-know-delta-variant-covid

Omicron spreads at about twice the rate of Delta (e.g. about 100% faster).

So, if one child goes to school asymtomatic for three days, and during that time infects (let's be conservative) two children per day, how many kids have the potential to be infected by the time the school shuts down?

It's approximately 2Exp(n-1) where n = the day into the infection brought into the school, and faster the longer the infected child isn't removed from the environment. In 14 days, that could be 8,192 infections.

Factors increasing this rate are parents who keep their children in the classroom without Covid testing or knowingly keep the child in-school even though they're Covid positive. Remember, the criteria is "test positive" - and no test, no positive to count.

Factors decreasing this rate are kids not intermingling efficiently (ex. alienating the reckless kids), masking, good classroom air filtration or exit airflow, etc.

Given that January will be when all the children have been exposed to infected family members, then intermixing simultaneously when school reconvenes - the question is how responsible a decision is this?

[Anonymous]

All students will not be exposed to COVID during Winter Break.

[Anonymous]

Dr. McKnight should do a better job working with the State Board of Education so students receive the required number of in person learning days. IF DHHS wants to help, more testing in schools is needed so COVID students and staff stay home.

Is there a plan to test everyone as they return from Winter Break? Students who are COVID free should have an opportunity to be taught in person. MCPS should consider mandatory vaccinations for all staff. These are ways to keep COVID out of schools and keep learning in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: All students will not be exposed to COVID during Winter Break.

LOL

[Anonymous]

It is amazing how many people are in denial. You are all getting COVID whether you like it or now. Just go to school and ditch the testing. If your kid is sick, keep them home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing how many people are in denial. You are all getting COVID whether you like it or now. Just go to school and ditch the testing. If your kid is sick, keep them home.

We might all get infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus), but we're not all going to get covid (the disease).