APS- 95% in person for the fall

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How has APS not committed to 5 days a week for next year? They've required parents to make a binding decision. They've been clear that there will not be distancing possible but they plan to implement other safety measures that are currently in place (and generally there isn't a ton of distancing happening now....the desks are separated but elementary kids are not in desks all day long). They've named an administrator for the separate virtual program. They've communicated that they plan to help administer vaccines for 12-15 year olds once it's approved later this week and have already held clinics to reach 16+ students.

What more commitment do you want that we will have 5 days in the fall? Do you want them to promise to eradicate COVID?

This will not be an issue in the fall, and Miranda's platform will be moot. What else is she advocating for?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...

I for one have about zero trust in APS at this point. Things changed very dramatically last summer and could do so again.

At any rate, I want someone on the SB who will call for a vote on school opening decisions, and who will ask tough questions of staff. I have more faith that MT will do that. And I have no connection to APE, SR, or any other group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's painfully obvious to most of us that kids should be in school 5/days per week right now. APS should have planned for that eventuality, but they did not. So here we are with another asynchronous Monday (which means my 6 year old is watching TV all day) followed by 2 days "learning" on an ipad which includes such age appropriate segments like a 20 minutes on Lexia followed by a 15 minute screen break. This is all we are going to get for the rest of the year, but it didn't have to be this way. You can mock APE and Miranda all you want, but she has a real chance because APS's overcautious approach is THE issue of the year and there is a lot of resentment among parents that aren't the type to yell at a board meeting or get into pissing matches on Facebook.

Yeah, but they are an easy target for other "Arlington is never wrong!" parents to mock -- while, I suspect, in some instances covertly cheering them on, or free riding off of their advocacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How has APS not committed to 5 days a week for next year? They've required parents to make a binding decision. They've been clear that there will not be distancing possible but they plan to implement other safety measures that are currently in place (and generally there isn't a ton of distancing happening now....the desks are separated but elementary kids are not in desks all day long). They've named an administrator for the separate virtual program. They've communicated that they plan to help administer vaccines for 12-15 year olds once it's approved later this week and have already held clinics to reach 16+ students.

What more commitment do you want that we will have 5 days in the fall? Do you want them to promise to eradicate COVID?

This will not be an issue in the fall, and Miranda's platform will be moot. What else is she advocating for?

I have not posted on this thread before.
This time last year (or actually in June), APS was "committed" to hybrid instruction with kids in the classroom as much as possible. They backtracked on that in late July, and then did not reverse course, even when it was obvious that there was going to be a winter surge, and it made more sense to start the year in person. They did not reverse course when the testing showed that they were failing k-2. They have not reversed course now when its obvious that 4 days a week would be possible, especially for k-2 since those classrooms are empty half the week now! The only reason we are even in person at all is because of Northam. The only reason they are planning for five days next week is because of Northam. They have repeatedly changed what they are doing, often at the detriment of instruction, because they cannot solve hard problems and it is just too hard. It started out concurrent was "inappropriate for anything below highschool", that turned into concurrent for second grade and up in most schools. The school board allowed this, they did not vote a single time, and they said that they did not feel comfortable telling a CEO how to run his job. Their job is oversight! What exactly did they do this year to oversee -- they voted on school boundaries THAT'S IT, and the school boundaries are so bad that they have to revisit them again six months later!

Mary Kadera for better or worse is just more of the same. She said in that debate that its important for virtual students to "have a connection to their home school", but didn't say outright how that would be implemented. I'll tell you how it'll be implemented -- concurrent again in the fall for those virtual kids if they don't have a centralized program. Concurrent is not effective. We cannot risk having someone on the board who even remotely thinks that it is. We need someone on the board who will push for schools to stay open if there is another surge again next year -- which is very possible with variants and needing a booster in six months. If bars are open (which they will be), schools should be open. We need someone who understands that getting an education is not possible for young children remotely, and if gyms can open, schools sure as hell better be open.

I'm not in APE at all, but I lurk on AEM and the SR facebook groups. If you think that five days a week is a "done deal", you haven't been paying attention. Those people will fight tooth and nail for their kid to remain virtual at their home school (which is only possible with concurrent). Once you have regular teachers doing concurrent, they'll need time to "plan" and have all the pull outs they would have had throughout the week. We'll be back at four days max.

Mary Kadera would have been a great candidate a year from now. She totally would have had my vote. But until we are 100% out of the pandemic (i.e. we think of covid the way we think of the flu), rts will be the number one issue for me, as it should be.

[Anonymous]

You can't call for a vote on something the board does not have voting rights on. The board follows their charter or whatever separation of powers they have. The superintendent has the power to determine school opening or closing. The board does not have the power to vote on it. This has been discussed over, and over, and over again.

[Anonymous]

I have not posted on this thread before.
This time last year (or actually in June), APS was "committed" to hybrid instruction with kids in the classroom as much as possible. They backtracked on that in late July, and then did not reverse course, even when it was obvious that there was going to be a winter surge, and it made more sense to start the year in person. They did not reverse course when the testing showed that they were failing k-2. They have not reversed course now when its obvious that 4 days a week would be possible, especially for k-2 since those classrooms are empty half the week now! The only reason we are even in person at all is because of Northam. The only reason they are planning for five days next week is because of Northam. They have repeatedly changed what they are doing, often at the detriment of instruction, because they cannot solve hard problems and it is just too hard. It started out concurrent was "inappropriate for anything below highschool", that turned into concurrent for second grade and up in most schools. The school board allowed this, they did not vote a single time, and they said that they did not feel comfortable telling a CEO how to run his job. Their job is oversight! What exactly did they do this year to oversee -- they voted on school boundaries THAT'S IT, and the school boundaries are so bad that they have to revisit them again six months later!

Mary Kadera for better or worse is just more of the same. She said in that debate that its important for virtual students to "have a connection to their home school", but didn't say outright how that would be implemented. I'll tell you how it'll be implemented -- concurrent again in the fall for those virtual kids if they don't have a centralized program. Concurrent is not effective. We cannot risk having someone on the board who even remotely thinks that it is. We need someone on the board who will push for schools to stay open if there is another surge again next year -- which is very possible with variants and needing a booster in six months. If bars are open (which they will be), schools should be open. We need someone who understands that getting an education is not possible for young children remotely, and if gyms can open, schools sure as hell better be open.

I'm not in APE at all, but I lurk on AEM and the SR facebook groups. If you think that five days a week is a "done deal", you haven't been paying attention. Those people will fight tooth and nail for their kid to remain virtual at their home school (which is only possible with concurrent). Once you have regular teachers doing concurrent, they'll need time to "plan" and have all the pull outs they would have had throughout the week. We'll be back at four days max.

Mary Kadera would have been a great candidate a year from now. She totally would have had my vote. But until we are 100% out of the pandemic (i.e. we think of covid the way we think of the flu), rts will be the number one issue for me, as it should be.

I am an APS teacher. Not one teacher or administrator I've spoken too has any other thought than we will return to business as usual, 5 days, full time (with masking etc) in the fall. Stop the conspiracy theory. Last fall was totally different. There was no vaccine, we still didn't know so much about how covid was spread, and many many other districts were virtual. Every metro district has committed to returning to school in the fall. Go put on your tinfoil hat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am an APS teacher. Not one teacher or administrator I've spoken too has any other thought than we will return to business as usual, 5 days, full time (with masking etc) in the fall. Stop the conspiracy theory. Last fall was totally different. There was no vaccine, we still didn't know so much about how covid was spread, and many many other districts were virtual. Every metro district has committed to returning to school in the fall. Go put on your tinfoil hat.

+1

Enough with ridiculous conspiracy theories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have not posted on this thread before.
This time last year (or actually in June), APS was "committed" to hybrid instruction with kids in the classroom as much as possible. They backtracked on that in late July, and then did not reverse course, even when it was obvious that there was going to be a winter surge, and it made more sense to start the year in person. They did not reverse course when the testing showed that they were failing k-2. They have not reversed course now when its obvious that 4 days a week would be possible, especially for k-2 since those classrooms are empty half the week now! The only reason we are even in person at all is because of Northam. The only reason they are planning for five days next week is because of Northam. They have repeatedly changed what they are doing, often at the detriment of instruction, because they cannot solve hard problems and it is just too hard. It started out concurrent was "inappropriate for anything below highschool", that turned into concurrent for second grade and up in most schools. The school board allowed this, they did not vote a single time, and they said that they did not feel comfortable telling a CEO how to run his job. Their job is oversight! What exactly did they do this year to oversee -- they voted on school boundaries THAT'S IT, and the school boundaries are so bad that they have to revisit them again six months later!

Mary Kadera for better or worse is just more of the same. She said in that debate that its important for virtual students to "have a connection to their home school", but didn't say outright how that would be implemented. I'll tell you how it'll be implemented -- concurrent again in the fall for those virtual kids if they don't have a centralized program. Concurrent is not effective. We cannot risk having someone on the board who even remotely thinks that it is. We need someone on the board who will push for schools to stay open if there is another surge again next year -- which is very possible with variants and needing a booster in six months. If bars are open (which they will be), schools should be open. We need someone who understands that getting an education is not possible for young children remotely, and if gyms can open, schools sure as hell better be open.

I'm not in APE at all, but I lurk on AEM and the SR facebook groups. If you think that five days a week is a "done deal", you haven't been paying attention. Those people will fight tooth and nail for their kid to remain virtual at their home school (which is only possible with concurrent). Once you have regular teachers doing concurrent, they'll need time to "plan" and have all the pull outs they would have had throughout the week. We'll be back at four days max.

Mary Kadera would have been a great candidate a year from now. She totally would have had my vote. But until we are 100% out of the pandemic (i.e. we think of covid the way we think of the flu), rts will be the number one issue for me, as it should be.

I am an APS teacher. Not one teacher or administrator I've spoken too has any other thought than we will return to business as usual, 5 days, full time (with masking etc) in the fall. Stop the conspiracy theory. Last fall was totally different. There was no vaccine, we still didn't know so much about how covid was spread, and many many other districts were virtual. Every metro district has committed to returning to school in the fall. Go put on your tinfoil hat.

There are definitely people who chose virtual who want concurrent classes offered next year for their child. They are saying it's a violation of IDEA to have a "separate but equal" virtual program serving a disproportionate number of kids with disabilities. They hopefully will not succeed in forcing classes into concurrent, but it's not a conspiracy theory to notice that sentiment is out there.

[Anonymous]

I am an APS teacher. Not one teacher or administrator I've spoken too has any other thought than we will return to business as usual, 5 days, full time (with masking etc) in the fall. Stop the conspiracy theory. Last fall was totally different. There was no vaccine, we still didn't know so much about how covid was spread, and many many other districts were virtual. Every metro district has committed to returning to school in the fall. Go put on your tinfoil hat.

APS is billing in person days as in person education now, but my K-2 student is on her iPad 90+% of the time. It's awful. I have zero confidence that APS is going to do the right thing by students. I'm going to vote for someone who is critical of how things have gone this year, not another SB member who will just nod and smile at Duran.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't call for a vote on something the board does not have voting rights on. The board follows their charter or whatever separation of powers they have. The superintendent has the power to determine school opening or closing. The board does not have the power to vote on it. This has been discussed over, and over, and over again.

But they can vote on copiers . . .

[Anonymous]

For those of you who are saying RTS is not a relevant voting issue because APS will be 5-days in the fall -- think of it this way:

Could you now vote for someone who thought Trump was a good president? Is it a non-issue for you now? (After all, he is no longer in office.)

And the answer is ... OF COURSE NOT! You could never vote for someone who supported Trump. Because Trump was an unmitigated disaster.

APS' response to COVID has been such a disaster. And anyone who doesn't see that and hasn't been fighting against it does not get my vote. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am an APS teacher. Not one teacher or administrator I've spoken too has any other thought than we will return to business as usual, 5 days, full time (with masking etc) in the fall. Stop the conspiracy theory. Last fall was totally different. There was no vaccine, we still didn't know so much about how covid was spread, and many many other districts were virtual. Every metro district has committed to returning to school in the fall. Go put on your tinfoil hat.

+1

Enough with ridiculous conspiracy theories.

NP. This has nothing to do with conspiracy theories and everything to do with trust. I trusted the SB and Duran from March 202 through the very beginning of this year and what a mistake that turned out to be. I hope you are correct and next year is 5 days a week, in person, with the appropriate teacher in person in the classroom for what amounted to a full school day pre-pandemic. But until it happens, I won't trust them to pull that off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am an APS teacher. Not one teacher or administrator I've spoken too has any other thought than we will return to business as usual, 5 days, full time (with masking etc) in the fall. Stop the conspiracy theory. Last fall was totally different. There was no vaccine, we still didn't know so much about how covid was spread, and many many other districts were virtual. Every metro district has committed to returning to school in the fall. Go put on your tinfoil hat.

APS is billing in person days as in person education now, but my K-2 student is on her iPad 90+% of the time. It's awful. I have zero confidence that APS is going to do the right thing by students. I'm going to vote for someone who is critical of how things have gone this year, not another SB member who will just nod and smile at Duran.

This part resonates with me. For so long, the SB has just been "pats everyone on the back" for everything. Perhaps Reid ruffles feathers every once in a while, but the self-congratulatory-ness of the rest of them is so frustrating. I'm willing to vote for a contrarion, for someone who will push back. I don't think that person is MK, so MT it is for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How has APS not committed to 5 days a week for next year? They've required parents to make a binding decision. They've been clear that there will not be distancing possible but they plan to implement other safety measures that are currently in place (and generally there isn't a ton of distancing happening now....the desks are separated but elementary kids are not in desks all day long). They've named an administrator for the separate virtual program. They've communicated that they plan to help administer vaccines for 12-15 year olds once it's approved later this week and have already held clinics to reach 16+ students.

What more commitment do you want that we will have 5 days in the fall? Do you want them to promise to eradicate COVID?

This will not be an issue in the fall, and Miranda's platform will be moot. What else is she advocating for?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...

I for one have about zero trust in APS at this point. Things changed very dramatically last summer and could do so again.

At any rate, I want someone on the SB who will call for a vote on school opening decisions, and who will ask tough questions of staff. I have more faith that MT will do that. And I have no connection to APE, SR, or any other group.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have not posted on this thread before.
This time last year (or actually in June), APS was "committed" to hybrid instruction with kids in the classroom as much as possible. They backtracked on that in late July, and then did not reverse course, even when it was obvious that there was going to be a winter surge, and it made more sense to start the year in person. They did not reverse course when the testing showed that they were failing k-2. They have not reversed course now when its obvious that 4 days a week would be possible, especially for k-2 since those classrooms are empty half the week now! The only reason we are even in person at all is because of Northam. The only reason they are planning for five days next week is because of Northam. They have repeatedly changed what they are doing, often at the detriment of instruction, because they cannot solve hard problems and it is just too hard. It started out concurrent was "inappropriate for anything below highschool", that turned into concurrent for second grade and up in most schools. The school board allowed this, they did not vote a single time, and they said that they did not feel comfortable telling a CEO how to run his job. Their job is oversight! What exactly did they do this year to oversee -- they voted on school boundaries THAT'S IT, and the school boundaries are so bad that they have to revisit them again six months later!

Mary Kadera for better or worse is just more of the same. She said in that debate that its important for virtual students to "have a connection to their home school", but didn't say outright how that would be implemented. I'll tell you how it'll be implemented -- concurrent again in the fall for those virtual kids if they don't have a centralized program. Concurrent is not effective. We cannot risk having someone on the board who even remotely thinks that it is. We need someone on the board who will push for schools to stay open if there is another surge again next year -- which is very possible with variants and needing a booster in six months. If bars are open (which they will be), schools should be open. We need someone who understands that getting an education is not possible for young children remotely, and if gyms can open, schools sure as hell better be open.

I'm not in APE at all, but I lurk on AEM and the SR facebook groups. If you think that five days a week is a "done deal", you haven't been paying attention. Those people will fight tooth and nail for their kid to remain virtual at their home school (which is only possible with concurrent). Once you have regular teachers doing concurrent, they'll need time to "plan" and have all the pull outs they would have had throughout the week. We'll be back at four days max.

Mary Kadera would have been a great candidate a year from now. She totally would have had my vote. But until we are 100% out of the pandemic (i.e. we think of covid the way we think of the flu), rts will be the number one issue for me, as it should be.

I am an APS teacher. Not one teacher or administrator I've spoken too has any other thought than we will return to business as usual, 5 days, full time (with masking etc) in the fall. Stop the conspiracy theory. Last fall was totally different. There was no vaccine, we still didn't know so much about how covid was spread, and many many other districts were virtual. Every metro district has committed to returning to school in the fall. Go put on your tinfoil hat.

Dear APS teacher - You had a vaccine months ago. You knew the risk of Covid spread was tiny in a school setting. Yet you refused to return to school to teach. And yes I can absolutely believe that come fall, you will still fail to believe in the science of vaccines and that you will still fail to believe experts who have studied spread and say the risk is minimal. I believe that you will continue to wear your tin foil hat and declare Science isn’t real! Just like you have been doing every single day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am an APS teacher. Not one teacher or administrator I've spoken too has any other thought than we will return to business as usual, 5 days, full time (with masking etc) in the fall. Stop the conspiracy theory. Last fall was totally different. There was no vaccine, we still didn't know so much about how covid was spread, and many many other districts were virtual. Every metro district has committed to returning to school in the fall. Go put on your tinfoil hat.

+1

Enough with ridiculous conspiracy theories.

NP. This has nothing to do with conspiracy theories and everything to do with trust. I trusted the SB and Duran from March 202 through the very beginning of this year and what a mistake that turned out to be. I hope you are correct and next year is 5 days a week, in person, with the appropriate teacher in person in the classroom for what amounted to a full school day pre-pandemic. But until it happens, I won't trust them to pull that off.

It is 100% conspiracy theories.