APS- 95% in person for the fall

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

Not that PP, but--fixating on a certain amount of distance/capacity (6', 3') when we might be seeing a tiny number of COVID cases by then. I expect most MS and HS kids to be vaccinated by the start of the next school year, but I also think people will push to mandate that kids get vaccinated which I think is a bad call. (If we're heading in that direction--we should start by mandating that teachers get flu shots!!!! There is WAY more data around this and it would benefit the kids!) I also think a subset of APS parents are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good by obsessing over stuff like outdoor lunches, HVAC, and such. They have made some tweaks and improvements--I would prefer that they ALWAYS allow older kids some flexibility around where they choose to eat--but I think it's overkill to spend the next 4 months harping on the same stuff. Use that energy to do vaccine outreach!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

Not that PP, but--fixating on a certain amount of distance/capacity (6', 3') when we might be seeing a tiny number of COVID cases by then. I expect most MS and HS kids to be vaccinated by the start of the next school year, but I also think people will push to mandate that kids get vaccinated which I think is a bad call. (If we're heading in that direction--we should start by mandating that teachers get flu shots!!!! There is WAY more data around this and it would benefit the kids!) I also think a subset of APS parents are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good by obsessing over stuff like outdoor lunches, HVAC, and such. They have made some tweaks and improvements--I would prefer that they ALWAYS allow older kids some flexibility around where they choose to eat--but I think it's overkill to spend the next 4 months harping on the same stuff. Use that energy to do vaccine outreach!

My elementary school originally said that there would be no written work done on in person days (it would still be all on the ipad) due to the need to avoid touching contaminated surfaces/disinfecting. They walked that back -- in fact my youngest doesn't even use her ipad on in person days -- but that would be unreasonable and inconsistent with providing education. Masks, reasonable distancing during lunch, etc, all sounds good to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am really curious to see how this is broken down by school. Given the numbers for race and economically disadvantage I imagine the families that pick virtual are more concentrated in S. Arlington.

I also found it fascinating that the majority reason for picking virtual was health and safety and NOT waiting for a vaccine which gives me concern that 1) folks are not planning on being vaccinated or 2) that we aren't reaching groups regarding the effectiveness of the vaccines.

Finally, has APS committed to keeping virtual school all year. What happens if after the first quarter or semester only a handful of children remain. Will they combine grade levels? Will teachers be teaching to 1-2 students.

Also would love to know the current grade breakdown for ES picks.

Well here’s some insight on the “health and safety “choice. A bunch of people even here on this website said they were going to choose health and safety to show that they felt that it was already safe to be in school. So kind of like a middle finger to APS. I did not choose waiting for the vaccine because I’m not waiting for the vaccine for my kids, they’re too young. I chose it’s my preferred instructional model because it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am really curious to see how this is broken down by school. Given the numbers for race and economically disadvantage I imagine the families that pick virtual are more concentrated in S. Arlington.

I also found it fascinating that the majority reason for picking virtual was health and safety and NOT waiting for a vaccine which gives me concern that 1) folks are not planning on being vaccinated or 2) that we aren't reaching groups regarding the effectiveness of the vaccines.

Finally, has APS committed to keeping virtual school all year. What happens if after the first quarter or semester only a handful of children remain. Will they combine grade levels? Will teachers be teaching to 1-2 students.

Also would love to know the current grade breakdown for ES picks.

Well here’s some insight on the “health and safety “choice. A bunch of people even here on this website said they were going to choose health and safety to show that they felt that it was already safe to be in school. So kind of like a middle finger to APS. I did not choose waiting for the vaccine because I’m not waiting for the vaccine for my kids, they’re too young. I chose it’s my preferred instructional model because it is.

They're not reporting the choices for in person, only DL. So people using it to say FU to APS really makes no difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am really curious to see how this is broken down by school. Given the numbers for race and economically disadvantage I imagine the families that pick virtual are more concentrated in S. Arlington.

I also found it fascinating that the majority reason for picking virtual was health and safety and NOT waiting for a vaccine which gives me concern that 1) folks are not planning on being vaccinated or 2) that we aren't reaching groups regarding the effectiveness of the vaccines.

Finally, has APS committed to keeping virtual school all year. What happens if after the first quarter or semester only a handful of children remain. Will they combine grade levels? Will teachers be teaching to 1-2 students.

Also would love to know the current grade breakdown for ES picks.

Well here’s some insight on the “health and safety “choice. A bunch of people even here on this website said they were going to choose health and safety to show that they felt that it was already safe to be in school. So kind of like a middle finger to APS. I did not choose waiting for the vaccine because I’m not waiting for the vaccine for my kids, they’re too young. I chose it’s my preferred instructional model because it is.

Pfizer is going to submit for EUA for ages 2-11 in September, so presumably a vaccine could be available by October or November. So you could be waiting for a vaccine for elementary kids. Or are you anti-vax?

The chart only showed the choice by people picking virtual, not people picking in person. And rather than a middle finger, I think many people believe it actually is healthier for kids to be in school given that the Covid risk to them is so low and the mental/physical/emotional risks of isolation are so high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

On in person days my K-2 kid is on her iPad about 80-90% of the day. Either teachers are

-- delivering classes virtually because they are afraid of exposure despite being classified as "in person" with no health issues,
--"team teaching" so one teacher is teaching 30+ kids in two classrooms at the same time so each teacher only has to prep and teach half as much,
--teaching in person, but the room is set up so awkwardly that kids can't see the whiteboard, or
-- playing a prerecorded video of themselves teaching instead of actually teaching in person, despite being physically present in the classroom.

All of this is happening daily. It all needs to stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

On in person days my K-2 kid is on her iPad about 80-90% of the day. Either teachers are

-- delivering classes virtually because they are afraid of exposure despite being classified as "in person" with no health issues,
--"team teaching" so one teacher is teaching 30+ kids in two classrooms at the same time so each teacher only has to prep and teach half as much,
--teaching in person, but the room is set up so awkwardly that kids can't see the whiteboard, or
-- playing a prerecorded video of themselves teaching instead of actually teaching in person, despite being physically present in the classroom.

All of this is happening daily. It all needs to stop.

That’s awful, and has not been our experience in fourth grade at all. Tons of paper coming home, iPad at 80 to 90% charged bc it hadn’t been used.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

Not that PP, but--fixating on a certain amount of distance/capacity (6', 3') when we might be seeing a tiny number of COVID cases by then. I expect most MS and HS kids to be vaccinated by the start of the next school year, but I also think people will push to mandate that kids get vaccinated which I think is a bad call. (If we're heading in that direction--we should start by mandating that teachers get flu shots!!!! There is WAY more data around this and it would benefit the kids!) I also think a subset of APS parents are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good by obsessing over stuff like outdoor lunches, HVAC, and such. They have made some tweaks and improvements--I would prefer that they ALWAYS allow older kids some flexibility around where they choose to eat--but I think it's overkill to spend the next 4 months harping on the same stuff. Use that energy to do vaccine outreach!

My elementary school originally said that there would be no written work done on in person days (it would still be all on the ipad) due to the need to avoid touching contaminated surfaces/disinfecting. They walked that back -- in fact my youngest doesn't even use her ipad on in person days -- but that would be unreasonable and inconsistent with providing education. Masks, reasonable distancing during lunch, etc, all sounds good to me.

My ES kid is still on an iPad basically all day during in person days and they just removed the Plexiglass box from around the desks. We are not follow the science here. I am fine with masks in the fall if they are needed, but we don't make kids/adults wear masks during a regular flu season. Many of the precautions we're taking now are fine and I fully accept and even embrace them. I fill out the Qualtrics thing 7 days a week, we wear masks indoors, no indoor play dates, etc etc etc. But if we are at a point where we're seeing, say, a couple of COVID cases a week in Arlington, are we still going to maintain the same level of precautions? Even for kids who are fully vaccinated (as all MS and HS kids will have the option to be by then)? I'm just saying that it doesn't seem worth it to me to keep debating things now when we can't anticipate what August looks like. APS has already said they'll follow CDC and VDH guidance--if mask mandates are lifted by late August, are APS parents going to flip out if APS doesn't override and maintain them? Experience tells me that yes, they will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

On in person days my K-2 kid is on her iPad about 80-90% of the day. Either teachers are

-- delivering classes virtually because they are afraid of exposure despite being classified as "in person" with no health issues,
--"team teaching" so one teacher is teaching 30+ kids in two classrooms at the same time so each teacher only has to prep and teach half as much,
--teaching in person, but the room is set up so awkwardly that kids can't see the whiteboard, or
-- playing a prerecorded video of themselves teaching instead of actually teaching in person, despite being physically present in the classroom.

All of this is happening daily. It all needs to stop.

That stinks. My K kid does a lot of work on paper on in person days. The ipad comes home at 90% charge. From what he says, he just uses it for Dreambox and Lexia during choice time and maybe for his art special, not sure if she comes in person. I know PE is in person in the gym because I heard all about the little crab scooter things. They are as close to "real" school as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

On in person days my K-2 kid is on her iPad about 80-90% of the day. Either teachers are

-- delivering classes virtually because they are afraid of exposure despite being classified as "in person" with no health issues,
--"team teaching" so one teacher is teaching 30+ kids in two classrooms at the same time so each teacher only has to prep and teach half as much,
--teaching in person, but the room is set up so awkwardly that kids can't see the whiteboard, or
-- playing a prerecorded video of themselves teaching instead of actually teaching in person, despite being physically present in the classroom.

All of this is happening daily. It all needs to stop.

Yes. Our first grader routinely comes home with 2-3 hours of usage on in person days. It's awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

Not that PP, but--fixating on a certain amount of distance/capacity (6', 3') when we might be seeing a tiny number of COVID cases by then. I expect most MS and HS kids to be vaccinated by the start of the next school year, but I also think people will push to mandate that kids get vaccinated which I think is a bad call. (If we're heading in that direction--we should start by mandating that teachers get flu shots!!!! There is WAY more data around this and it would benefit the kids!) I also think a subset of APS parents are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good by obsessing over stuff like outdoor lunches, HVAC, and such. They have made some tweaks and improvements--I would prefer that they ALWAYS allow older kids some flexibility around where they choose to eat--but I think it's overkill to spend the next 4 months harping on the same stuff. Use that energy to do vaccine outreach!

My elementary school originally said that there would be no written work done on in person days (it would still be all on the ipad) due to the need to avoid touching contaminated surfaces/disinfecting. They walked that back -- in fact my youngest doesn't even use her ipad on in person days -- but that would be unreasonable and inconsistent with providing education. Masks, reasonable distancing during lunch, etc, all sounds good to me.

My ES kid is still on an iPad basically all day during in person days and they just removed the Plexiglass box from around the desks. We are not follow the science here. I am fine with masks in the fall if they are needed, but we don't make kids/adults wear masks during a regular flu season. Many of the precautions we're taking now are fine and I fully accept and even embrace them. I fill out the Qualtrics thing 7 days a week, we wear masks indoors, no indoor play dates, etc etc etc. But if we are at a point where we're seeing, say, a couple of COVID cases a week in Arlington, are we still going to maintain the same level of precautions? Even for kids who are fully vaccinated (as all MS and HS kids will have the option to be by then)? I'm just saying that it doesn't seem worth it to me to keep debating things now when we can't anticipate what August looks like. APS has already said they'll follow CDC and VDH guidance--if mask mandates are lifted by late August, are APS parents going to flip out if APS doesn't override and maintain them? Experience tells me that yes, they will.

People generally are not asymptomatic when they get the flu and stay home or are sent home. LOTS of people - LOTS and LOTS of kids - can be asymptomatic but have AND SPREAD COVID. This is why masks are used for COVID and not for the freekin flu.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

On in person days my K-2 kid is on her iPad about 80-90% of the day. Either teachers are

-- delivering classes virtually because they are afraid of exposure despite being classified as "in person" with no health issues,
--"team teaching" so one teacher is teaching 30+ kids in two classrooms at the same time so each teacher only has to prep and teach half as much,
--teaching in person, but the room is set up so awkwardly that kids can't see the whiteboard, or
-- playing a prerecorded video of themselves teaching instead of actually teaching in person, despite being physically present in the classroom.

All of this is happening daily. It all needs to stop.

Good news: on 3/30/21, Northam approved SB1303 so, starting in July, APS is mandated to provide 5 days in-person with live instructor.
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1303H1

And Duran removed distancing requirement for fall:
https://www.apsva.us/school-year-2021-22/instructional-models-2021-22/#inperson

So.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

Not that PP, but--fixating on a certain amount of distance/capacity (6', 3') when we might be seeing a tiny number of COVID cases by then. I expect most MS and HS kids to be vaccinated by the start of the next school year, but I also think people will push to mandate that kids get vaccinated which I think is a bad call. (If we're heading in that direction--we should start by mandating that teachers get flu shots!!!! There is WAY more data around this and it would benefit the kids!) I also think a subset of APS parents are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good by obsessing over stuff like outdoor lunches, HVAC, and such. They have made some tweaks and improvements--I would prefer that they ALWAYS allow older kids some flexibility around where they choose to eat--but I think it's overkill to spend the next 4 months harping on the same stuff. Use that energy to do vaccine outreach!

My elementary school originally said that there would be no written work done on in person days (it would still be all on the ipad) due to the need to avoid touching contaminated surfaces/disinfecting. They walked that back -- in fact my youngest doesn't even use her ipad on in person days -- but that would be unreasonable and inconsistent with providing education. Masks, reasonable distancing during lunch, etc, all sounds good to me.

My ES kid is still on an iPad basically all day during in person days and they just removed the Plexiglass box from around the desks. We are not follow the science here. I am fine with masks in the fall if they are needed, but we don't make kids/adults wear masks during a regular flu season. Many of the precautions we're taking now are fine and I fully accept and even embrace them. I fill out the Qualtrics thing 7 days a week, we wear masks indoors, no indoor play dates, etc etc etc. But if we are at a point where we're seeing, say, a couple of COVID cases a week in Arlington, are we still going to maintain the same level of precautions? Even for kids who are fully vaccinated (as all MS and HS kids will have the option to be by then)? I'm just saying that it doesn't seem worth it to me to keep debating things now when we can't anticipate what August looks like. APS has already said they'll follow CDC and VDH guidance--if mask mandates are lifted by late August, are APS parents going to flip out if APS doesn't override and maintain them? Experience tells me that yes, they will.

People generally are not asymptomatic when they get the flu and stay home or are sent home. LOTS of people - LOTS and LOTS of kids - can be asymptomatic but have AND SPREAD COVID. This is why masks are used for COVID and not for the freekin flu.

Masks are used for Covid right now, and that makes sense. However, there will come a time when the masks are unnecessary. Will it be fall? Probably not. Once there is a readily available pediatric vaccine for all kids, you're going to have a hard time justifying their continued use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

On in person days my K-2 kid is on her iPad about 80-90% of the day. Either teachers are

-- delivering classes virtually because they are afraid of exposure despite being classified as "in person" with no health issues,
--"team teaching" so one teacher is teaching 30+ kids in two classrooms at the same time so each teacher only has to prep and teach half as much,
--teaching in person, but the room is set up so awkwardly that kids can't see the whiteboard, or
-- playing a prerecorded video of themselves teaching instead of actually teaching in person, despite being physically present in the classroom.

All of this is happening daily. It all needs to stop.

Good news: on 3/30/21, Northam approved SB1303 so, starting in July, APS is mandated to provide 5 days in-person with live instructor.
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?212+ful+SB1303H1

And Duran removed distancing requirement for fall:
https://www.apsva.us/school-year-2021-22/instructional-models-2021-22/#inperson

So.....

Nothing in SB1303 says that an in person teacher has to be the one teaching. There just has to be a teacher in the classroom, which is the case currently during most iPad instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised.

Even the nuttiest nutters I know are sending kids back.

My concern is that, since their kids are back, those folks will push for unreasonable measures that are inconsistent with APS providing actual education.

"unreasonable measures?"

What do you consider unreasonable?

Not that PP, but--fixating on a certain amount of distance/capacity (6', 3') when we might be seeing a tiny number of COVID cases by then. I expect most MS and HS kids to be vaccinated by the start of the next school year, but I also think people will push to mandate that kids get vaccinated which I think is a bad call. (If we're heading in that direction--we should start by mandating that teachers get flu shots!!!! There is WAY more data around this and it would benefit the kids!) I also think a subset of APS parents are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good by obsessing over stuff like outdoor lunches, HVAC, and such. They have made some tweaks and improvements--I would prefer that they ALWAYS allow older kids some flexibility around where they choose to eat--but I think it's overkill to spend the next 4 months harping on the same stuff. Use that energy to do vaccine outreach!

My elementary school originally said that there would be no written work done on in person days (it would still be all on the ipad) due to the need to avoid touching contaminated surfaces/disinfecting. They walked that back -- in fact my youngest doesn't even use her ipad on in person days -- but that would be unreasonable and inconsistent with providing education. Masks, reasonable distancing during lunch, etc, all sounds good to me.

My ES kid is still on an iPad basically all day during in person days and they just removed the Plexiglass box from around the desks. We are not follow the science here. I am fine with masks in the fall if they are needed, but we don't make kids/adults wear masks during a regular flu season. Many of the precautions we're taking now are fine and I fully accept and even embrace them. I fill out the Qualtrics thing 7 days a week, we wear masks indoors, no indoor play dates, etc etc etc. But if we are at a point where we're seeing, say, a couple of COVID cases a week in Arlington, are we still going to maintain the same level of precautions? Even for kids who are fully vaccinated (as all MS and HS kids will have the option to be by then)? I'm just saying that it doesn't seem worth it to me to keep debating things now when we can't anticipate what August looks like. APS has already said they'll follow CDC and VDH guidance--if mask mandates are lifted by late August, are APS parents going to flip out if APS doesn't override and maintain them? Experience tells me that yes, they will.

People generally are not asymptomatic when they get the flu and stay home or are sent home. LOTS of people - LOTS and LOTS of kids - can be asymptomatic but have AND SPREAD COVID. This is why masks are used for COVID and not for the freekin flu.

Masks are used for Covid right now, and that makes sense. However, there will come a time when the masks are unnecessary. Will it be fall? Probably not. Once there is a readily available pediatric vaccine for all kids, you're going to have a hard time justifying their continued use.

APS has said we will be masked in the fall.