MCPS will now send kids home for ten days based on symptoms only

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this true for vaccinated kids or only unvaccinated?

Unvaccinated, I believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How are defining close contact again?

Regardless of the definition in practice it means the entire class in elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This would send entire grades in quarantine. Is this a plan to put so many kids in quarantine so that they have an excuse to shut down all elementary schools and put the kids in virtual? Thats what it seems like to me. In the UK, when they remained open in the spring during the Delta surge they concluded that daily testing as as effective as quarantine and that its not good for the kids to stay home due to quarantine for long periods of time. Now this is even more ridiculous what MCPS is planning. They should end quarantine for elementary kids if the kids can show a negative test each day.

Absolutely. In person during a pandemic is a huge hassle for MCPS.

I think this is the goal. Send home grades and then close individual schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this true for vaccinated kids or only unvaccinated?

Unvaccinated, I believe.

The email that I received was from an elementary school principal. Not sure about HS or MS.

[Anonymous]

what can we do to stop this madness?

[Anonymous]

This is the dumbest policy in a long line of many. Allergies, asthma, chronic headaches, cold season coming up. It's utter nonsense. Seriously, how stupid can people be and feel like they need to one up the CDC and state officials?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How are defining close contact again?

However MCPS feels about it on a given day.

[Anonymous]

cough
difficulty breathing
new loss of taste or smell
fever ≥100.4°
sore throat
severe headache,
diarrhea
vomiting

Those seem perfectly reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From twitter, it sounds like some people have been sent updated guidance form their schools, while others have not. This is such a mess. If there is updated guidance, then it should come from central office, not from individual schools. And if PP is correct, and the BoE sets the policy, then there is no updated guidance because the BoE doesn't meet until next week. It sounds like principals are doing things on their own. What a mess. I'm not sure why I am surprised. This is so typical for MCPS.

It’s the health department.

Is there a link to the updated health dept guidance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what can we do to stop this madness?

By stopping to read the actual guidance, instead of believing a sh1tstirrer who says runny noses will be banned from school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the new “guidance” confirms what we’ve been hearing. If a child has “symptoms” associated with COVID (could be a runny nose) their close contacts (this has been interpreted as the entire class in many schools) are quarantined for ten days.

This is completely ludicrous and not based in science or CDC guidelines.

Well I think this does follow the CDC guidelines at those from post Trump era.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the new “guidance” confirms what we’ve been hearing. If a child has “symptoms” associated with COVID (could be a runny nose) their close contacts (this has been interpreted as the entire class in many schools) are quarantined for ten days.

This is completely ludicrous and not based in science or CDC guidelines.

It’s not “symptoms,” it’s symptom! One symptom!

“ This is particularly important as if your child has any of the following single symptoms they will be sent home and not be able to return to school until they have a negative test, alternate diagnosis, or complete a full 10-day quarantine. During that period of time, all other students who have been in their close contact will have to be in a temporary quarantine while the other families wait on the outcome of that testing for your child. This could be potentially disruptive to your children and families moving in and out of quarantine and to avoid it takes all of us working together. It is a collective responsibility that we exercise extreme caution and be conservative in our approach.

The single symptoms that the health room staff screen for and will result in quarantine are cough, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, fever ≥100.4°, sore throat, severe Headache, diarrhea or vomiting. Please do not send your children to school with any of these symptoms. This is essential for us to continue to remain in school without quarantine.”

What choice do they have, though? I'm in favor of in-person and my kids went back in spring. But what else can they do?

It also doesn't say runny nose, at least, because then no one would be in school from Nov.-March.

What else can they do? They can not quarantine entire classrooms of masked kids based on one sniffle. They could follow the CDC guidelines for a start!

Runny nose and sniffles are not on the list.

"symptoms that the health room staff screen for and will result in quarantine are cough, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, fever ≥100.4°, sore throat, severe Headache, diarrhea or vomiting"

DP, but I still agree that quarantining an entire class over these symptoms, absent a positive test, is overkill. Give the sick kid a rapid test, FFS--they're accurate in the presence of symptoms. As a parent of three elementary school kids, the BOE's prioritization of COVID so far above every.other.consideration is infuriating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the new “guidance” confirms what we’ve been hearing. If a child has “symptoms” associated with COVID (could be a runny nose) their close contacts (this has been interpreted as the entire class in many schools) are quarantined for ten days.

This is completely ludicrous and not based in science or CDC guidelines.

It’s not “symptoms,” it’s symptom! One symptom!

“ This is particularly important as if your child has any of the following single symptoms they will be sent home and not be able to return to school until they have a negative test, alternate diagnosis, or complete a full 10-day quarantine. During that period of time, all other students who have been in their close contact will have to be in a temporary quarantine while the other families wait on the outcome of that testing for your child. This could be potentially disruptive to your children and families moving in and out of quarantine and to avoid it takes all of us working together. It is a collective responsibility that we exercise extreme caution and be conservative in our approach.

The single symptoms that the health room staff screen for and will result in quarantine are cough, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, fever ≥100.4°, sore throat, severe Headache, diarrhea or vomiting. Please do not send your children to school with any of these symptoms. This is essential for us to continue to remain in school without quarantine.”

What choice do they have, though? I'm in favor of in-person and my kids went back in spring. But what else can they do?

It also doesn't say runny nose, at least, because then no one would be in school from Nov.-March.

What else can they do? They can not quarantine entire classrooms of masked kids based on one sniffle. They could follow the CDC guidelines for a start!

While I agree this is ridiculous, let's at least be accurate - what the info above says does not include "sniffles". (Thank God. Because then we'd never be in school)

[Anonymous]

Just get a test. Makes sense to me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are defining close contact again?

Regardless of the definition in practice it means the entire class in elementary.

And probably multiple classes in 6th grade/middle school, since the 6th graders are not vaccinated yet for the most part (except for some kids who have turned 12 in the last few weeks).