Letter to reopen?

[Anonymous]

Children are carriers and transmitters of Covid just as much as adults.

That is a fact that has debunked prior assumptions that existed because children have a lower Covid mortality. Just because they don't die at the same rate as adults do, doesn't mean children don't transmit the virus to those around them at the same rate. They do. And some of those they transmit to end up dying.

Please don't quote from outdated or overly-lax public health recommendations. Health officials of DC or other jurisdictions have access to the latest data and expert advice and will not be moved by misinformed public pressure.

Let me tell you, as one of those experts, what it would take to open those schools:
1. Close bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
2. Make mask compliance a priority in schools by distributing free, quality PPE, producing a public campaign for mask compliance in schools, and implementing strict rules for no talking during lunch time at student's individual desks, when masks are off. Plexiglass dividers should be erected during lunchtime.
3. Strict contact tracing and quarantine procedures.
When numbers are stable, bars, restaurants can open up again with a 10pm curfew, and frequent enforcement visits for client numbers.

The USA prioritizes businesses over education, and has done so for all its history. So none of the above is actually going to happen. Either schools will stay closed while businesses stay open, or we reach such a level of cases that everything is shut down, or cases decrease such that everything opens up again... temporarily, before cases rise again because people don't take enough precautions. Ad nauseam until we reach herd immunity through mass vaccination, sometime in 2022.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Children are carriers and transmitters of Covid just as much as adults.

That is a fact that has debunked prior assumptions that existed because children have a lower Covid mortality. Just because they don't die at the same rate as adults do, doesn't mean children don't transmit the virus to those around them at the same rate. They do. And some of those they transmit to end up dying.

Please don't quote from outdated or overly-lax public health recommendations. Health officials of DC or other jurisdictions have access to the latest data and expert advice and will not be moved by misinformed public pressure.

Let me tell you, as one of those experts, what it would take to open those schools:
1. Close bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
2. Make mask compliance a priority in schools by distributing free, quality PPE, producing a public campaign for mask compliance in schools, and implementing strict rules for no talking during lunch time at student's individual desks, when masks are off. Plexiglass dividers should be erected during lunchtime.
3. Strict contact tracing and quarantine procedures.
When numbers are stable, bars, restaurants can open up again with a 10pm curfew, and frequent enforcement visits for client numbers.

The USA prioritizes businesses over education, and has done so for all its history. So none of the above is actually going to happen. Either schools will stay closed while businesses stay open, or we reach such a level of cases that everything is shut down, or cases decrease such that everything opens up again... temporarily, before cases rise again because people don't take enough precautions. Ad nauseam until we reach herd immunity through mass vaccination, sometime in 2022.

what weird reasoning. as a reason not to petition the government to reopen schools, you list all the things the government would have to do to reopen schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone recently shared a list of key emails to write to in favor of reopening and also to push for prioritizing schools over bars and other indoor venues.

Can you re share? I can’t find it.

Also hoping people will post their emails that they sent as a possible template. Let’s show support to prioritizing schools ASAP. The mayor and councilors need to hear from parents now.

You are only parents. Your perspective on this is not valid. Take a seat.

Uh, what?

[Anonymous]

To the prior poster. You need to read the research. Children under the age of ten are both half as likely to contract covid and half as likely to transmit it. Furthermore, schools have safety protocols. These factors are the reasons that out of the millions of children currently in school throughout the world there have been very few outbreaks of covid, and why the incidence of covid among school children is extremely low. Thank goodness the disease is not as deadly for them, but this is not the only issue.

[Anonymous]

Sent to councilors and Mayor and Chancellor.

As for WTU - don't really see why I should email them, they are there for teachers not us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Children are carriers and transmitters of Covid just as much as adults.

That is a fact that has debunked prior assumptions that existed because children have a lower Covid mortality. Just because they don't die at the same rate as adults do, doesn't mean children don't transmit the virus to those around them at the same rate. They do. And some of those they transmit to end up dying.

Please don't quote from outdated or overly-lax public health recommendations. Health officials of DC or other jurisdictions have access to the latest data and expert advice and will not be moved by misinformed public pressure.

Let me tell you, as one of those experts, what it would take to open those schools:
1. Close bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
2. Make mask compliance a priority in schools by distributing free, quality PPE, producing a public campaign for mask compliance in schools, and implementing strict rules for no talking during lunch time at student's individual desks, when masks are off. Plexiglass dividers should be erected during lunchtime.
3. Strict contact tracing and quarantine procedures.
When numbers are stable, bars, restaurants can open up again with a 10pm curfew, and frequent enforcement visits for client numbers.

The USA prioritizes businesses over education, and has done so for all its history. So none of the above is actually going to happen. Either schools will stay closed while businesses stay open, or we reach such a level of cases that everything is shut down, or cases decrease such that everything opens up again... temporarily, before cases rise again because people don't take enough precautions. Ad nauseam until we reach herd immunity through mass vaccination, sometime in 2022.

Your points #2 and #3 are so important and these are the things that could put DC on the right track for reopening schools. I'm wondering why you are muddying up such good points with your (inaccurate) statements that children are just as much transmitters of COVID as adults? Or do you mean teens?

Dr. Fauci, ""If you look at the data, the spread among children and from children is not really very big at all, not like one would have suspected."
Rachel Martin/NPR report, "Schools aren't virus superspreaders - that was the conclusion of a recent study out of Brown University."
CHOP report: "Although children of all ages can spread COVID-19, young children are relatively inefficient drivers of transmission."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sent to councilors and Mayor and Chancellor.

As for WTU - don't really see why I should email them, they are there for teachers not us.

It's amazing how many parents don't understand this very obvious point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone recently shared a list of key emails to write to in favor of reopening and also to push for prioritizing schools over bars and other indoor venues.

Can you re share? I can’t find it.

Also hoping people will post their emails that they sent as a possible template. Let’s show support to prioritizing schools ASAP. The mayor and councilors need to hear from parents now.

You are only parents. Your perspective on this is not valid. Take a seat.

Ha, by that token teachers are just for-hire service providers. In the end it's just about a paycheck for them, not what's best for the children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you are all awful.

I know some teachers who have been teaching from their buildings in DC (no students, just teachers) who now have covid. How sick that you just really dgaf about teachers and the risk you are asking them to put up with just so you can get your child out of your house.

BS or misleading. No teacher has gotten COVID from a DCPS facility or it would be all over the WTU’s talking points and the news. You know several? This is why people are fed up with the WTU and trolls furthering it’s agenda.

God you are just so sure of yourself.

Yes, at charter schools. So no, not at DCPS "facilities" and not a WTU issue.

So what you're saying is that teaching kids didn't cause this, just adults being dumb?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Children are carriers and transmitters of Covid just as much as adults.

That is a fact that has debunked prior assumptions that existed because children have a lower Covid mortality. Just because they don't die at the same rate as adults do, doesn't mean children don't transmit the virus to those around them at the same rate. They do. And some of those they transmit to end up dying.

Please don't quote from outdated or overly-lax public health recommendations. Health officials of DC or other jurisdictions have access to the latest data and expert advice and will not be moved by misinformed public pressure.

Let me tell you, as one of those experts, what it would take to open those schools:
1. Close bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
2. Make mask compliance a priority in schools by distributing free, quality PPE, producing a public campaign for mask compliance in schools, and implementing strict rules for no talking during lunch time at student's individual desks, when masks are off. Plexiglass dividers should be erected during lunchtime.
3. Strict contact tracing and quarantine procedures.
When numbers are stable, bars, restaurants can open up again with a 10pm curfew, and frequent enforcement visits for client numbers.

The USA prioritizes businesses over education, and has done so for all its history. So none of the above is actually going to happen. Either schools will stay closed while businesses stay open, or we reach such a level of cases that everything is shut down, or cases decrease such that everything opens up again... temporarily, before cases rise again because people don't take enough precautions. Ad nauseam until we reach herd immunity through mass vaccination, sometime in 2022.

"Don't quote expert opinions and studies. Instead, listen to me, anonymous voice on the internet who has cited nothing!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Children are carriers and transmitters of Covid just as much as adults.

That is a fact that has debunked prior assumptions that existed because children have a lower Covid mortality. Just because they don't die at the same rate as adults do, doesn't mean children don't transmit the virus to those around them at the same rate. They do. And some of those they transmit to end up dying.

Please don't quote from outdated or overly-lax public health recommendations. Health officials of DC or other jurisdictions have access to the latest data and expert advice and will not be moved by misinformed public pressure.

Let me tell you, as one of those experts, what it would take to open those schools:
1. Close bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
2. Make mask compliance a priority in schools by distributing free, quality PPE, producing a public campaign for mask compliance in schools, and implementing strict rules for no talking during lunch time at student's individual desks, when masks are off. Plexiglass dividers should be erected during lunchtime.
3. Strict contact tracing and quarantine procedures.
When numbers are stable, bars, restaurants can open up again with a 10pm curfew, and frequent enforcement visits for client numbers.

The USA prioritizes businesses over education, and has done so for all its history. So none of the above is actually going to happen. Either schools will stay closed while businesses stay open, or we reach such a level of cases that everything is shut down, or cases decrease such that everything opens up again... temporarily, before cases rise again because people don't take enough precautions. Ad nauseam until we reach herd immunity through mass vaccination, sometime in 2022.

I agree 100% with this white person. We need to only support evidence which supports locking ourselves for the next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear ______,
I am writing as a parent to two students (___ grade and ___ grade) who attend ________ to urge you to reopen schools in Term 3 with a hybrid model. Term 3 starts on February 1st and will take us through the one year mark of distance learning.

We are very lucky to have the resources to provide our children with adequate supervision and academic help, but it has become clear to us, that even with these resources, our children's mental health is declining. We are observing their love for school plummeting. We are seeing that even with our extra help, their academic progress is stunted. This is not a surprise. We have seen many reports indicating that school closures will have long-lasting negative impact on children.
- Most recently, UNICEF's report said, “The longer schools are closed, the more children suffer from extensive learning losses with long term negative impacts."
-The CDC has said, our goal should be "to prioritize the reopening of schools as safely and as quickly as possible given the many known and established benefits of in-person learning...The many benefits of in-person schooling should be weighed against the risks posed by COVID-19 spread. Of key significance, in-person learning is in the best interest of students, when compared to virtual learning."
-American Academy of Pediatrics has said, "Elected leaders must come together to appropriately support schools in safely returning students to the classroom and reopening schools.”
- Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times recently concluded that "children have suffered because many mayors and governors were too willing to close public schools."

The experts agree that schools reopened is what is in the best interest of the children. And that should be our focus.

As a leader of DCPS or the city government, I urge you to review the reports cited in this e-mail if you haven't already and do what is in the best interest of the children. This might not align with the best interest of our city's economy or the teachers' wishes. The focus should be on the children, particularly, and starting with the most high-risk, vulnerable children.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Great letter. Thanks for sharing this.

I work on the council. Most of the council members will complete ignore letters like this because they are pre-written. This type of thing doesn’t work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Children are carriers and transmitters of Covid just as much as adults.

That is a fact that has debunked prior assumptions that existed because children have a lower Covid mortality. Just because they don't die at the same rate as adults do, doesn't mean children don't transmit the virus to those around them at the same rate. They do. And some of those they transmit to end up dying.

Please don't quote from outdated or overly-lax public health recommendations. Health officials of DC or other jurisdictions have access to the latest data and expert advice and will not be moved by misinformed public pressure.

Let me tell you, as one of those experts, what it would take to open those schools:
1. Close bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.
2. Make mask compliance a priority in schools by distributing free, quality PPE, producing a public campaign for mask compliance in schools, and implementing strict rules for no talking during lunch time at student's individual desks, when masks are off. Plexiglass dividers should be erected during lunchtime.
3. Strict contact tracing and quarantine procedures.
When numbers are stable, bars, restaurants can open up again with a 10pm curfew, and frequent enforcement visits for client numbers.

The USA prioritizes businesses over education, and has done so for all its history. So none of the above is actually going to happen. Either schools will stay closed while businesses stay open, or we reach such a level of cases that everything is shut down, or cases decrease such that everything opens up again... temporarily, before cases rise again because people don't take enough precautions. Ad nauseam until we reach herd immunity through mass vaccination, sometime in 2022.

This is exactly correct. You can't open schools unless you close down businesses. This country was never going to close all businesses because there isn't a social safety net to pay those business owners and their employees to stay home so schools can welcome kids in person. This isn't Europe, as much as I wish it was. I am on your side but the dye is set on this -- it is a waste of time at this point. We simply have to hunker down until vaccinations start taking effect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear ______,
I am writing as a parent to two students (___ grade and ___ grade) who attend ________ to urge you to reopen schools in Term 3 with a hybrid model. Term 3 starts on February 1st and will take us through the one year mark of distance learning.

We are very lucky to have the resources to provide our children with adequate supervision and academic help, but it has become clear to us, that even with these resources, our children's mental health is declining. We are observing their love for school plummeting. We are seeing that even with our extra help, their academic progress is stunted. This is not a surprise. We have seen many reports indicating that school closures will have long-lasting negative impact on children.
- Most recently, UNICEF's report said, “The longer schools are closed, the more children suffer from extensive learning losses with long term negative impacts."
-The CDC has said, our goal should be "to prioritize the reopening of schools as safely and as quickly as possible given the many known and established benefits of in-person learning...The many benefits of in-person schooling should be weighed against the risks posed by COVID-19 spread. Of key significance, in-person learning is in the best interest of students, when compared to virtual learning."
-American Academy of Pediatrics has said, "Elected leaders must come together to appropriately support schools in safely returning students to the classroom and reopening schools.”
- Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times recently concluded that "children have suffered because many mayors and governors were too willing to close public schools."

The experts agree that schools reopened is what is in the best interest of the children. And that should be our focus.

As a leader of DCPS or the city government, I urge you to review the reports cited in this e-mail if you haven't already and do what is in the best interest of the children. This might not align with the best interest of our city's economy or the teachers' wishes. The focus should be on the children, particularly, and starting with the most high-risk, vulnerable children.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Great letter. Thanks for sharing this.

I work on the council. Most of the council members will complete ignore letters like this because they are pre-written. This type of thing doesn’t work.

I edited to include my own thoughts and sent. I did get a reply.

I hope people don’t just copy paste and send but who has time to write a long message? Just edit to add your personal thoughts.

[Anonymous]

How do people who are asking for hybrid (such as the sample email shared by a PP) reconcile that with the fact that such an approach would be a huge drain on staff and reduce quality? Our school is getting by with distance learning, and while I miss the in person experience for my kid a lot, I can't imagine sacrificing the learning that is happening now for what would be cobbled together in a hybrid. Schools aren't hiring more teachers. So, how is it possible? And, if you haven't seen it already, consider how it ISN'T working or sustainable in places that have been doing it:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/us/teachers-remote-learning-burnout.html?fbclid=IwAR2JLc-2bs4YP-Jn8rdbJCWd0qEy68CXyVMUjCD4WB2FaUk2HuarkOZOelA