Last minute plan B if schools don’t open?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

As a teacher, I’m 100% confident that we will be in person. I just finished DCs leadership academy this week and they have every indication of business as usual 8/30
If I was a parent I’d be real worried that there are no quarantine policies for concurrent teaching. Last year it was easier when we had to shut down bc students were used to virtual learning, and a lot of teachers already had created in person lessons that could be accessible virtually. I’m not sure how that’s all going to work this year. When we ask Dcps we get nothing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

The War Has Changed
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/29/cdc-mask-guidance/

The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants

the agency knows it must revamp its public messaging to emphasize vaccination as the best defense against a variant so contagious that it acts almost like a different novel virus, leaping from target to target more swiftly than Ebola or the common cold.

there are 35,000 symptomatic infections per week among 162 million vaccinated Americans.

Because public health officials had emphasized the great efficacy of the vaccines, the realization that they aren’t perfect may feel like a betrayal. “We’ve done a great job of telling the public these are miracle vaccines,” Seeger said. “We have probably fallen a little into the trap of over-reassurance, which is one of the challenges of any crisis communication circumstance.”

f the war has changed, as the CDC states, so has the calculus of success and failure. The extreme contagiousness of delta makes herd immunity a more challenging target, infectious-disease experts said.
“I think the central issue is that vaccinated people are probably involved to a substantial extent in the transmission of delta,” Jeffrey Shaman, a Columbia University epidemiologist, wrote in an email after reviewing the CDC slides. “In some sense, vaccination is now about personal protection — protecting oneself against severe disease. Herd immunity is not relevant as we are seeing plenty of evidence of repeat and breakthrough infections.”

[Anonymous]

Thank you for posting the article. I was reading the article and having a dissonance when I was reading this thread. I do hundred percent believe that DCPS doesn’t have a plan B if the current trend continues thus putting teachers at a disadvantage, and doesn’t have a plan B for when entire cohorts have to quarantine.

- parent of child too young to vaxx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

Why are you even talking about political will right now?

Seriously, we need to replace the Myers-Briggs with a test that separates those who see the actual environment and threats for what they are, and those who see everything through the filter of political will. The latter have make my life miserable for 15 years, and you haven't made the world much better either.

Oh, and the standard response to anything said by the 'political will' focused types is obviously always the response above:

[b]I hope you’re right. I am not so confident you’re correct though.

I don't understand what your point is.

Do you not believe that politics trumps actual science, health and reason - and threats - each and every time?

NP. Agree. It’s not like the school closures last year were dictated by science, data, or reason.

[Anonymous]

Our rising 9th grade twins are going to private. We applied last application cycle and thought about withdrawing when contracts were due in June but now it's looking like it was a good decision. I'm anxious person and couldn't deal with the uncertainty of DCPS. I really want my kids to have normal high school years.
We also have a younger kid and we'll limp through there. I can take one more year of virtual school if it's just one kid and I don't care as much about middle school. We have some flexibility between our two jobs. However, I work in healthcare and know many, many people who don't. Virtual school is going to be a disaster for many families.

[Anonymous]

I think schools will be open. I am really doubtful about aftercare. We have at least had some general communication about what schools are doing to reduce risk. But radio silence on aftercare and what that will potentially look like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

As a teacher, I’m 100% confident that we will be in person. I just finished DCs leadership academy this week and they have every indication of business as usual 8/30
If I was a parent I’d be real worried that there are no quarantine policies for concurrent teaching. Last year it was easier when we had to shut down bc students were used to virtual learning, and a lot of teachers already had created in person lessons that could be accessible virtually. I’m not sure how that’s all going to work this year. When we ask Dcps we get nothing

This is a whole bucket of yikes. I’m so sick of DCPS’ incompetence. It puts so much stress on principals, teachers, and parents. And they learn nothing from past mistakes or planning failures. Nor are they ever held accountable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

The War Has Changed
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/29/cdc-mask-guidance/

The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants

the agency knows it must revamp its public messaging to emphasize vaccination as the best defense against a variant so contagious that it acts almost like a different novel virus, leaping from target to target more swiftly than Ebola or the common cold.

there are 35,000 symptomatic infections per week among 162 million vaccinated Americans.

Because public health officials had emphasized the great efficacy of the vaccines, the realization that they aren’t perfect may feel like a betrayal. “We’ve done a great job of telling the public these are miracle vaccines,” Seeger said. “We have probably fallen a little into the trap of over-reassurance, which is one of the challenges of any crisis communication circumstance.”

f the war has changed, as the CDC states, so has the calculus of success and failure. The extreme contagiousness of delta makes herd immunity a more challenging target, infectious-disease experts said.
“I think the central issue is that vaccinated people are probably involved to a substantial extent in the transmission of delta,” Jeffrey Shaman, a Columbia University epidemiologist, wrote in an email after reviewing the CDC slides. “In some sense, vaccination is now about personal protection — protecting oneself against severe disease. Herd immunity is not relevant as we are seeing plenty of evidence of repeat and breakthrough infections.”

The message I take from this is that there is no reason to NOT have in-person school, if all kids are going to get it and there's no ability to fight it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

The War Has Changed
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/29/cdc-mask-guidance/

The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants

the agency knows it must revamp its public messaging to emphasize vaccination as the best defense against a variant so contagious that it acts almost like a different novel virus, leaping from target to target more swiftly than Ebola or the common cold.

there are 35,000 symptomatic infections per week among 162 million vaccinated Americans.

Because public health officials had emphasized the great efficacy of the vaccines, the realization that they aren’t perfect may feel like a betrayal. “We’ve done a great job of telling the public these are miracle vaccines,” Seeger said. “We have probably fallen a little into the trap of over-reassurance, which is one of the challenges of any crisis communication circumstance.”

f the war has changed, as the CDC states, so has the calculus of success and failure. The extreme contagiousness of delta makes herd immunity a more challenging target, infectious-disease experts said.
“I think the central issue is that vaccinated people are probably involved to a substantial extent in the transmission of delta,” Jeffrey Shaman, a Columbia University epidemiologist, wrote in an email after reviewing the CDC slides. “In some sense, vaccination is now about personal protection — protecting oneself against severe disease. Herd immunity is not relevant as we are seeing plenty of evidence of repeat and breakthrough infections.”

So what is the end game? Sounds like we have to live with it. Prolonged school closures are not an answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

As a teacher, I’m 100% confident that we will be in person. I just finished DCs leadership academy this week and they have every indication of business as usual 8/30
If I was a parent I’d be real worried that there are no quarantine policies for concurrent teaching. Last year it was easier when we had to shut down bc students were used to virtual learning, and a lot of teachers already had created in person lessons that could be accessible virtually. I’m not sure how that’s all going to work this year. When we ask Dcps we get nothing

This is a whole bucket of yikes. I’m so sick of DCPS’ incompetence. It puts so much stress on principals, teachers, and parents. And they learn nothing from past mistakes or planning failures. Nor are they ever held accountable.

Sounds like they learned from last year’s failure that closing schools is not a good idea and DL doesn’t really work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

As a teacher, I’m 100% confident that we will be in person. I just finished DCs leadership academy this week and they have every indication of business as usual 8/30
If I was a parent I’d be real worried that there are no quarantine policies for concurrent teaching. Last year it was easier when we had to shut down bc students were used to virtual learning, and a lot of teachers already had created in person lessons that could be accessible virtually. I’m not sure how that’s all going to work this year. When we ask Dcps we get nothing

This is a whole bucket of yikes. I’m so sick of DCPS’ incompetence. It puts so much stress on principals, teachers, and parents. And they learn nothing from past mistakes or planning failures. Nor are they ever held accountable.

Teachers should definitely quietly plan virtual lessons.
DCPS doesn't have the flexibility to tell them that, because parents are just too crazy right now, honestly.
DCPS cannot plan in such a new and fast-evolving situation, unless you want them to do two or three 180s throughout the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

As a teacher, I’m 100% confident that we will be in person. I just finished DCs leadership academy this week and they have every indication of business as usual 8/30
If I was a parent I’d be real worried that there are no quarantine policies for concurrent teaching. Last year it was easier when we had to shut down bc students were used to virtual learning, and a lot of teachers already had created in person lessons that could be accessible virtually. I’m not sure how that’s all going to work this year. When we ask Dcps we get nothing

This is a whole bucket of yikes. I’m so sick of DCPS’ incompetence. It puts so much stress on principals, teachers, and parents. And they learn nothing from past mistakes or planning failures. Nor are they ever held accountable.

Teachers should definitely quietly plan virtual lessons.
DCPS doesn't have the flexibility to tell them that, because parents are just too crazy right now, honestly.
DCPS cannot plan in such a new and fast-evolving situation, unless you want them to do two or three 180s throughout the summer.

Oh yeah, blame it on the crazy parents who want their kids to go to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

As a teacher, I’m 100% confident that we will be in person. I just finished DCs leadership academy this week and they have every indication of business as usual 8/30
If I was a parent I’d be real worried that there are no quarantine policies for concurrent teaching. Last year it was easier when we had to shut down bc students were used to virtual learning, and a lot of teachers already had created in person lessons that could be accessible virtually. I’m not sure how that’s all going to work this year. When we ask Dcps we get nothing

This is a whole bucket of yikes. I’m so sick of DCPS’ incompetence. It puts so much stress on principals, teachers, and parents. And they learn nothing from past mistakes or planning failures. Nor are they ever held accountable.

Sounds like they learned from last year’s failure that closing schools is not a good idea and DL doesn’t really work.

I'm sure they, and teachers, learned from last year how to make it work better.
They might not have a choice with respect to closing schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This wave will be over before school starts, folks. I’m not a COVID denier (I’ve never stopped masking indoors and we kept DS home all year last year) but I doubt there will be any political will to shut schools down like they did last year. Teachers, kids, parents, and the government all want them back. Barring a very serious/large outbreak in DC, I think they’ll remain open all year (potentially minus small, single-school shut downs).

STICK THIS SENSE OF CALM DIRECTLY INTO MY VEINS.

Yes, let me get some of that too.

I felt so absolutely betrayed and shocked by decisions made out of nowhere last year, that I would put nothing past our DC government, school leadership, even other parents.

I don't know where the political will or any other will lies, to be honest.

As a teacher, I’m 100% confident that we will be in person. I just finished DCs leadership academy this week and they have every indication of business as usual 8/30
If I was a parent I’d be real worried that there are no quarantine policies for concurrent teaching. Last year it was easier when we had to shut down bc students were used to virtual learning, and a lot of teachers already had created in person lessons that could be accessible virtually. I’m not sure how that’s all going to work this year. When we ask Dcps we get nothing

This is a whole bucket of yikes. I’m so sick of DCPS’ incompetence. It puts so much stress on principals, teachers, and parents. And they learn nothing from past mistakes or planning failures. Nor are they ever held accountable.

Teachers should definitely quietly plan virtual lessons.
DCPS doesn't have the flexibility to tell them that, because parents are just too crazy right now, honestly.
DCPS cannot plan in such a new and fast-evolving situation, unless you want them to do two or three 180s throughout the summer.

Teachers are on their summer break. They are ten month employees - DCPS has a full central
Office of people on 12 month salaries ready to do work