Is there a chance the kids won't go back in person next fall?

[Anonymous]

How many kids in the entire United States have died of covid?

[Anonymous]

Literally only 52 people within the US and under 18 have died due to Covid, according to the CDC. The facts are that once a teacher has access to the vaccine there is NO reason why they can't go back to full time in person learning. My feeling is that there is a silent majority of teachers that want to go back to full time, but are afraid of their unions and few crazy teachers to say anything, else they be labeled grandma and child killers.

[Anonymous]

It’s disgusting

[Anonymous]

A few well respected public health experts are starting to say that kids don't need the vaccine at all, if enough adults get it.

It's possible they could trials for kids 12 and older but I'm not sure if they will do trials for young kids.

I think by fall assuming Biden's team can amp up the process and more come on the market the numbers will be way down and kids will be back. Maybe wearing masks, not sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many kids in the entire United States have died of covid?

How many have to?

[Anonymous]

No. Ignore the crazies.

[Anonymous]

Our private Catholic school got an exemption here in California and opened back up in September. Their precautions are extraordinary with seat dividers, masks, no open recess or cafeteria (they eat outside in spaces tables in shifts). Any family that traveled at Holidays was required to stay home and go online for two weeks.

Still there have been about 10 cases. It’s still a constant worry.

I doubt your public schools have the space or money for these precautions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Ignore the crazies.

You can ignore those posters you feel are crazies until hell freezes over but it doesn’t change the fact that this isn’t your or their decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS, yes, because logic has gone out the window, and they seem more focused on deferring to anxiety and politics than facts and science. It’s particularly painful since we’re home to the NIH and the FDA.

I’m a progressive Democrat, FWIW, and completely disgusted by how far down the list kids are in this whole mess. It’s like schools exist solely to provide jobs for adults.

+1
OP here. This is how it's looking. If teachers are vaccinated and masks work, then why not return them to school? I'd even take half day school at thsi point. Kids and parents are being held hostage based on how people "feel" about returning, not science. Same people who feel uneasy with opening schools are fine with their grocery store workers working full shifts dealing with hundreds of people every day, not just 5-10 masked children who are staying in one place and have parents who would be happy to give them a saliva test every week to get them back in school if need be.

I agree to a point but young kids aren’t that good about staying masked or washing their hands. Kids have and will die from covid even though it’s a small percentage.

And then there are the anti-vaxxers...

I see the bolded all the time and it is so far from my actual experience. Virtually every kid I know will keep a mask on as long as you ask them to. Some don't mind them at all, others are annoyed by them but will wear them anyway. Kids, especially in elementary school, are conditioned to accept arbitrary rules they don't understand and you get really good compliance. If they are provided with well-fitting masks and see their peers wearing them. All the kids over the age of about 4 in my (not wealthy and very diverse) neighborhood wear masks, and plenty of kids younger than 4.

And with hand washing, as long as it is built into the day, kids will do it. My child went to an outdoor camp last year for a few weeks, and they had those hand sanitizer stations, for drop off, pick up, and any shift from one part of the camp to another. The kids lined up, got the automatic spray of sanitizer, rubbed it in, and went on with their day. After like the third day, you didn't even have to remind them. And my kid is 3, by the way. Kids are extremely easy to train.

Yes, there are outliers -- kids with behavioral issues and sensory processing disorders. We need to come up with other solutions for those kids that still get them the education they need while keeping teachers and other kids safe. That's hard, but it's a problem schools are always dealing with -- what do you do with kids who cannot or will not abide by the rules? There are a lot of processes and programs in place for just this problem.

People are really underestimating kids in this conversation. It makes me wonder how many of these people who are super opposed to in-person school (1) have kids, or (2) have spent any amount of time around them, especially recently. Kids are handling masking and hand washing better than adults, as far as I can tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS, yes, because logic has gone out the window, and they seem more focused on deferring to anxiety and politics than facts and science. It’s particularly painful since we’re home to the NIH and the FDA.

I’m a progressive Democrat, FWIW, and completely disgusted by how far down the list kids are in this whole mess. It’s like schools exist solely to provide jobs for adults.

Same as in Howard County. Teachers are driving this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS, yes, because logic has gone out the window, and they seem more focused on deferring to anxiety and politics than facts and science. It’s particularly painful since we’re home to the NIH and the FDA.

I’m a progressive Democrat, FWIW, and completely disgusted by how far down the list kids are in this whole mess. It’s like schools exist solely to provide jobs for adults.

+1
OP here. This is how it's looking. If teachers are vaccinated and masks work, then why not return them to school? I'd even take half day school at thsi point. Kids and parents are being held hostage based on how people "feel" about returning, not science. Same people who feel uneasy with opening schools are fine with their grocery store workers working full shifts dealing with hundreds of people every day, not just 5-10 masked children who are staying in one place and have parents who would be happy to give them a saliva test every week to get them back in school if need be.

I agree to a point but young kids aren’t that good about staying masked or washing their hands. Kids have and will die from covid even though it’s a small percentage.

And then there are the anti-vaxxers...

I see the bolded all the time and it is so far from my actual experience. Virtually every kid I know will keep a mask on as long as you ask them to. Some don't mind them at all, others are annoyed by them but will wear them anyway. Kids, especially in elementary school, are conditioned to accept arbitrary rules they don't understand and you get really good compliance. If they are provided with well-fitting masks and see their peers wearing them. All the kids over the age of about 4 in my (not wealthy and very diverse) neighborhood wear masks, and plenty of kids younger than 4.

And with hand washing, as long as it is built into the day, kids will do it. My child went to an outdoor camp last year for a few weeks, and they had those hand sanitizer stations, for drop off, pick up, and any shift from one part of the camp to another. The kids lined up, got the automatic spray of sanitizer, rubbed it in, and went on with their day. After like the third day, you didn't even have to remind them. And my kid is 3, by the way. Kids are extremely easy to train.

Yes, there are outliers -- kids with behavioral issues and sensory processing disorders. We need to come up with other solutions for those kids that still get them the education they need while keeping teachers and other kids safe. That's hard, but it's a problem schools are always dealing with -- what do you do with kids who cannot or will not abide by the rules? There are a lot of processes and programs in place for just this problem.

People are really underestimating kids in this conversation. It makes me wonder how many of these people who are super opposed to in-person school (1) have kids, or (2) have spent any amount of time around them, especially recently. Kids are handling masking and hand washing better than adults, as far as I can tell.

Agree - my kids will mask all day long and don’t complain about it at all. I think kids adapt easier to things than adults do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many kids in the entire United States have died of covid?

How many have to?

More kids probably would have died of all causes (flu, accidents) if school was in person this year. It doesn’t mean school should be closed until there is no possibility of getting COVID.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Vinay Prasad at UC San Fran, professor of epidemiology and physician, actually had a pretty good twitter thread about this on Jan 13th: "Let me be perfectly clear: children DO NOT NEED a sars-cov-2 vaccine before they are permitted to return to normal activities, such as school and visiting loved ones. Any claims to the contrary are demoralizing and counter to common sense and medicine". Worth reading his opinion on this.

In the thread he goes into his specific reasons for this, including that it may take up to a couple of years for a kids' vaccine that has a "sufficiently favorable benefit/harm profile" and that the virus for most children does not have severe health effects.

[Anonymous]

I’m concerned they will only start hybrid when I think full time in person is the only acceptable option after 1+ full years of virtual.

BUT for the kids to go back full time I think the CDC will have to say I know kids are not vaccinated but just wear masks and forget about distancing. I don’t know whether they will say that this summer or summer or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS, yes, because logic has gone out the window, and they seem more focused on deferring to anxiety and politics than facts and science. It’s particularly painful since we’re home to the NIH and the FDA.

I’m a progressive Democrat, FWIW, and completely disgusted by how far down the list kids are in this whole mess. It’s like schools exist solely to provide jobs for adults.

I agree with this completely. I've pulled my kids to private, but I think the situation is appalling.