Here is why we should close schools now.
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Anonymous
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School closures and a public health measure should not be decided by school districts on their own.
It should be a decision made by public health. Honestly we should have been making plans starting back in late January for this. We had a lot of warning this pandemic was going to likely happen. You don't close schools so much to protect children and teachers but to protect health care workers and our health care system, especially to remain open and able to deal with non coronavirus conditions that will still continue to need attention (childbirth, injuries, stroke, appendicitis, dialysis... ) |
Anonymous
I ran this question past my union rep and she said it could be similar to a massive blizzard. We might get paid for a 15 day close, but the state could decide to not waiver it and we could end up making up days at the end and those days would be considered already paid —even if a teacher was missing two weeks of pay at a summer camp or other job they needed to make their budget work for August and September. |
Anonymous
Online education; Switch summer break to extend winter break. Here we have Spring Break is coming, why not have a early spring break to allow people have a self quarantine? Especially here is the fact: Many students from both Wootton High and RFMS volunteered at the Village at Rockville after Feb. 28. We are extremely concerned that these individuals are NOT considered at risk of contracting the virus. The incubation period of this virus can be as long as 24 days or longer. Some people who have contracted the virus may not even exhibit any symptom but can still be contagious. Also please read what experts say: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/opinion/coronavirus-schools-closed.html |
Anonymous
Don’t use the word malnutrition if you don’t know what it means. One can be morbidly obese and malnourished at the same time. Calories in, especially cheap carbs that starve off hunger pangs, doesn’t mean nutrients in. I used to work in WV in public health. Lots of overweight and malnourished adults and children. |
Anonymous
I’m pro-close, but the access to technology issue for low income families is going to make that hard: What if there’s no device for the child? Or there’s one device but 3 ES kids? Who pays the cell phone bills when the data plan is blown by six hours of online instruction in a household without wifi. I think MCPS needs to use the tv system and run two sessions for each ES/MS grade band (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) and each high school core course. |
Anonymous
Online education; Switch summer break to extend winter break. Here we have Spring Break is coming, why not have a early spring break to allow people have a self quarantine? Especially here is the fact: Many students from both Wootton High and RFMS volunteered at the Village at Rockville after Feb. 28. We are extremely concerned that these individuals are NOT considered at risk of contracting the virus. The incubation period of this virus can be as long as 24 days or longer. Some people who have contracted the virus may not even exhibit any symptom but can still be contagious. Also please read what experts say: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/opinion/coronavirus-schools-closed.html |
Anonymous
What about childcare and adults’ work requirements? |
Anonymous
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With about 800 confirmed cases now, Germany is currently dithering over whether to close schools. a prominent virologist Alexander Kekule is recommending the whole country take a 14 day coronavirus holiday to allow clusters (he calls them herds) to be identified and quarantined and isolated to try to slow the spread or even stop it in less affected areas.
I'm also reading the Germany has been refusing to export protective masks and clothing to Switzerland. This is an indication of the stress on the health care system. If workers don't have protective clothing, most won't work. Things are getting to the point where they need to stop exporting the masks they produce in Germany. This is after just about 2 weeks since cases started growing in the community. https://web.de/magazine/panorama/live-blog-coronavirus-italien-sperrzone-34468484
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Anonymous
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I don’t think Fairfax county schools should close now. We need at least some evidence of community spread, and plans for childcare and online learning.
People who can’t work and won’t get paid could lose their jobs, and then their homes. We need something more concrete than a handful of cases to make this decision. It’s too soon. As this week brings us more information, we can reevaluate. |
Anonymous
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A petition to DHHS and VP to close schools across the United States.
http://chng.it/cppsNcDxtv
Signed by 1300 people since yesterday. |
Anonymous
| They need to close. |
Anonymous
It is 10 times more lethal than the flu. |
Anonymous
oh please what a joke. most junk food is fortified with nutrients. the whole country could skip eating for a month and a vast majority would benefit from it. |
Anonymous
How many of these kids are undocumented? This is why some of us don’t want illegal immigration - because at times like this, the poverty it brings with it causes major issues |
Anonymous
That is what people in northern Italy were thinking when it first started there. Now they are shutting down the northern parts of the country. Too little, too late! |