I am told there is a city wide attend policy in place what is it?

[Anonymous]

I have no problem with attendance being taken based on when we log on the whatever work sights, or turning in a reading/workbook/project log or photos of the completed work each day or week. As, long as it is clear "we expect kid to at least try to stay on for the full live lesson" we expect at least 10- 15-30 minutes a day logged on to kidsAZ or Math blah blah. Or your child must keep a list of books & page read we expect 30 minutes or x pages per day to be logged.

What are they going to do for families that have multiple kids and can't support 3 people streaming?? Or kids that just get up and walk away from a lesson or are sitting there but not paying attention???? They are logged on the whole time so they are not absent?
How will they make accommodations for kid that just don't learn in online classes and are better off with shorter 1-1 or off line lessons?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bowser/Ferabee said during a press conference that attendance is mandatory according to the same rules as normal. So I guess if you don’t log-in, it becomes an unexcused absence.

Mandatory attendance for DL sounds good, but will prove completely unworkable. Some poor kids don't have regular access to devices, and even some high SES kids are going to have technical issues that prevent them from logging in from time to time (e.g. Internet cuts out during a storm). DCPS doesn't have anywhere near the truant officers and social workers to chase down those supposedly guilty of unexcused absences in this situation.

[Anonymous]

If the kids don't need to turn up at a brick and mortar school, keeping tabs on them is hopeless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the plan is to do electronic surveillance of my children?

SCREW THAT.
If someone else wants to sign up for it, I won’t deny them that. But my kids are learning right now that Facebook and other big firms surveil them and us through their phones, and we are not going to let schools “checkpoint” our kids nine times a day.

When your children walk down the street; when they get on a bus; when they walk into a school building; when the teacher checks them in for class on paper and turns it into the office; when they walk into a store; their whereabouts are being recorded. So you would choose not to have them attend school because you don't what anyone to know where they are? That's creepy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the plan is to do electronic surveillance of my children?

SCREW THAT.
If someone else wants to sign up for it, I won’t deny them that. But my kids are learning right now that Facebook and other big firms surveil them and us through their phones, and we are not going to let schools “checkpoint” our kids nine times a day.

When your children walk down the street; when they get on a bus; when they walk into a school building; when the teacher checks them in for class on paper and turns it into the office; when they walk into a store; their whereabouts are being recorded. So you would choose not to have them attend school because you don't what anyone to know where they are? That's creepy.

DP. I’m ok with checking in once a day online, but not constant check ins.

[Anonymous]

And now you see the problem teachers face. Half the parents are demanding 8 hours of live DL a day. The other half doesn’t want to have to show up for anything live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the plan is to do electronic surveillance of my children?

SCREW THAT.
If someone else wants to sign up for it, I won’t deny them that. But my kids are learning right now that Facebook and other big firms surveil them and us through their phones, and we are not going to let schools “checkpoint” our kids nine times a day.

When your children walk down the street; when they get on a bus; when they walk into a school building; when the teacher checks them in for class on paper and turns it into the office; when they walk into a store; their whereabouts are being recorded. So you would choose not to have them attend school because you don't what anyone to know where they are? That's creepy.

DP. I’m ok with checking in once a day online, but not constant check ins.

For spring attendance I tracked logins to each live class, comments made in a discussion, work turned in, emails from the student, everything. Some students had 20 checkins a day, some had 1. It wasn’t just attendance for me it was engagement. By the end of the year I had figured out that for a student to be engaged enough to learn I needed to see at least 15 checkins a week. Less than that and I’d set up a conference with the student and their parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And now you see the problem teachers face. Half the parents are demanding 8 hours of live DL a day. The other half doesn’t want to have to show up for anything live.

The school needs to use its expertise and not just do what they think “parents want.” They should do what works and is realistic for most students. This will vary by age. They may also have to offer synchronous and asynchronous options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And now you see the problem teachers face. Half the parents are demanding 8 hours of live DL a day. The other half doesn’t want to have to show up for anything live.

The school needs to use its expertise and not just do what they think “parents want.” They should do what works and is realistic for most students. This will vary by age. They may also have to offer synchronous and asynchronous options.

Right. With work hours and juggling child care not everyone can be off work to help their kids with live lessons. Unless half the city is okay with just having most things closed every morning including DC government services. Pretty sure the Mayor isn't approving all DC government office being closed so parents can help their kids with school. Or all the 7/11s, shops and restaurants closing either.

So, schools need to be offering am lessons and afternoon lessons. Maybe having Families sign up and particularly schools with 2 or more of each grade. Maybe one teacher Am 8-11 and another the 12-3 ?? Idk.
Or kids have the option of pre-recorded lessons and work books or something. The TV lessons and YouTube were a good help for a lot of folks I imagine. Though they need more parent coaching & instructions in different languages.
This all is crazy. Most parents and caregivers what their kids to learn and will try to keep up with the work in whatever form they are able. We just can't all be home or do it the same way.

[Anonymous]

DCPS can kiss my ass with their “mandatory attendance policy.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bowser/Ferabee said during a press conference that attendance is mandatory according to the same rules as normal. So I guess if you don’t log-in, it becomes an unexcused absence.

Mandatory attendance for DL sounds good, but will prove completely unworkable. Some poor kids don't have regular access to devices, and even some high SES kids are going to have technical issues that prevent them from logging in from time to time (e.g. Internet cuts out during a storm). DCPS doesn't have anywhere near the truant officers and social workers to chase down those supposedly guilty of unexcused absences in this situation.

+1

There is no way the mandatory attendance policy will not be flexible. You have high schoolers watching younger siblings, multiple kids sharing devices, elderly relatives watching the kids who can’t necessarily guide them in DL, children with special needs who have a hard time with DL, etc. If equity is the main goal, they have to be very flexible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And now you see the problem teachers face. Half the parents are demanding 8 hours of live DL a day. The other half doesn’t want to have to show up for anything live.

The school needs to use its expertise and not just do what they think “parents want.” They should do what works and is realistic for most students. This will vary by age. They may also have to offer synchronous and asynchronous options.

Right. With work hours and juggling child care not everyone can be off work to help their kids with live lessons. Unless half the city is okay with just having most things closed every morning including DC government services. Pretty sure the Mayor isn't approving all DC government office being closed so parents can help their kids with school. Or all the 7/11s, shops and restaurants closing either.

So, schools need to be offering am lessons and afternoon lessons. Maybe having Families sign up and particularly schools with 2 or more of each grade. Maybe one teacher Am 8-11 and another the 12-3 ?? Idk.
Or kids have the option of pre-recorded lessons and work books or something. The TV lessons and YouTube were a good help for a lot of folks I imagine. Though they need more parent coaching & instructions in different languages.
This all is crazy. Most parents and caregivers what their kids to learn and will try to keep up with the work in whatever form they are able. We just can't all be home or do it the same way.

Janney is going to have only morning classes

[Anonymous]

Having OSSE in charge of this is going to result in some completely crazy policy. They are absolute idiots over there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And now you see the problem teachers face. Half the parents are demanding 8 hours of live DL a day. The other half doesn’t want to have to show up for anything live.

The school needs to use its expertise and not just do what they think “parents want.” They should do what works and is realistic for most students. This will vary by age. They may also have to offer synchronous and asynchronous options.

Right. With work hours and juggling child care not everyone can be off work to help their kids with live lessons. Unless half the city is okay with just having most things closed every morning including DC government services. Pretty sure the Mayor isn't approving all DC government office being closed so parents can help their kids with school. Or all the 7/11s, shops and restaurants closing either.

So, schools need to be offering am lessons and afternoon lessons. Maybe having Families sign up and particularly schools with 2 or more of each grade. Maybe one teacher Am 8-11 and another the 12-3 ?? Idk.
Or kids have the option of pre-recorded lessons and work books or something. The TV lessons and YouTube were a good help for a lot of folks I imagine. Though they need more parent coaching & instructions in different languages.
This all is crazy. Most parents and caregivers what their kids to learn and will try to keep up with the work in whatever form they are able. We just can't all be home or do it the same way.

Janney is going to have only morning classes

For grades 3-5 too?

[Anonymous]

Unexcused absences will not apply in DL. There are too many reasons you can list that the school can't prove:

-child is sick (and you don't go to get a doctor's note because you want to limit COVID exposure)
-kid spilled water on computer and it doesn't work
- computer charger broke, was chewed on by dog, etc. so the computer can't be charged
-younger sibling dropped and broke the computer
- power went out
- internet went out
- kid's device got a computer virus

Some of these are silly but all could happen, can't be proved and are excuses for not doing DL. So OSSE really can't hold people to strict attendance guidelines.