Should we prepare for virtual schooling starting in January?

[Anonymous]

People, there is a vast difference between college kids who live in tightly packed dorms and public school k-12 kids.

As for MCPS, as stated, they cannot make the decision to go back to virtual long term on their own.

[Anonymous]

Yep preparing to go back to virtual. Seems inevitable at this point. I think our government messed up by downplaying omicron when the news first emerged so nobody was worried and now we’re past the point of no return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My college kid’s roommate is currently hospitalized with covid right now. She was vaccinated. Covid is still unpredictable. Also, this is flu season which is a double whammy. It sucks. Feels like we are spiraling out of control again. MCPS will drag its feet and then suddenly go virtual with no notice. I hope it doesn’t happen but what are the odds. No substitute in their right mind will be willing to sub in January in person. I heard parents are clamoring to get their kids into virtual academy but there is a huge waiting list

Luckily we don’t need to make policy off of anecdotal reports because we have good data on covid risks and outcomes. And that data is quite clear that young and vaccinated people under 65 are very low risk for severe illness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep preparing to go back to virtual. Seems inevitable at this point. I think our government messed up by downplaying omicron when the news first emerged so nobody was worried and now we’re past the point of no return.

Is there anything else you're preparing for shutdown of, or just school?

Also, which part of "we don't know yet" do you consider "downplaying"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My college kid’s roommate is currently hospitalized with covid right now. She was vaccinated. Covid is still unpredictable. Also, this is flu season which is a double whammy. It sucks. Feels like we are spiraling out of control again. MCPS will drag its feet and then suddenly go virtual with no notice. I hope it doesn’t happen but what are the odds. No substitute in their right mind will be willing to sub in January in person. I heard parents are clamoring to get their kids into virtual academy but there is a huge waiting list

That’s true. Many parents are scared now. After all, the risking of catching omicron in January and February will be super high. It’s not the same risk as delta anymore

[Anonymous]

Here’s what’s going to happen. The district won’t preemptively close. But the quarantines will be epic. It will be death by a thousand cuts as huge portions of classes go in and out of virtual learning based on positive cases, and teachers won’t be able to adequately teach both groups at all. Honestly, you will wish for virtual-for-all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It is serious as it is highly contagious. How do you know those infected are not seriously sick? What will it take to get you to take Covid seriously? If you want schools to stay open, you need to be part of the solution.

I am part of the solution. Specifically:

1. I am vaccinated + boostered. So is every other person in my family who is eligible for vaccination + booster.
2. I have worn masks in indoor public places since the spring of 2020. So has every other person in my family.
3. I am contacting my elected officials to tell them that schools need to stay open, and I am asking everyone I know to do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what’s going to happen. The district won’t preemptively close. But the quarantines will be epic. It will be death by a thousand cuts as huge portions of classes go in and out of virtual learning based on positive cases, and teachers won’t be able to adequately teach both groups at all. Honestly, you will wish for virtual-for-all.

There's a huge difference between closing individual classes/schools temporarily for operational reasons (for example, the teacher is out, and no sub is available) and closing the whole school district to attempt to fight the spread of the virus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My college kid’s roommate is currently hospitalized with covid right now. She was vaccinated. Covid is still unpredictable. Also, this is flu season which is a double whammy. It sucks. Feels like we are spiraling out of control again. MCPS will drag its feet and then suddenly go virtual with no notice. I hope it doesn’t happen but what are the odds. No substitute in their right mind will be willing to sub in January in person. I heard parents are clamoring to get their kids into virtual academy but there is a huge waiting list

Luckily we don’t need to make policy off of anecdotal reports because we have good data on covid risks and outcomes. And that data is quite clear that young and vaccinated people under 65 are very low risk for severe illness.

This. College is different - the students are packed in and living together and you know they are not masking in the dorms. I mean why would they.

Elementary through high school, assuming it's not boarding school, isn't in that situation. I don't know why people think kids are catching covid in schools. They are very clearly catching in primarily in the community. Closing schools is not going to stop that. It may even accelerate it. There may be some exceptions but for the most part they have not tied spread to schools. It's all the activities and travel that people do outside of school and will continue to do regardless of whether schools are open.

At the very least I hope they differentiate by age group. The elementary schoolers (I have one) follow rules and mask religiously. A lot are recently vaccinated so at their highest protection. And they need to be in school for learning purposes, and having them home is extraordinarily disruptive for any parent who works. And if the solution to that is just "oh, hire help" or "pod together" or anything in that vein, guess what, they might as well have been in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what’s going to happen. The district won’t preemptively close. But the quarantines will be epic. It will be death by a thousand cuts as huge portions of classes go in and out of virtual learning based on positive cases, and teachers won’t be able to adequately teach both groups at all. Honestly, you will wish for virtual-for-all.

There's a huge difference between closing individual classes/schools temporarily for operational reasons (for example, the teacher is out, and no sub is available) and closing the whole school district to attempt to fight the spread of the virus.

Yes I agree with you there. I just think that the uncertainty of the school-by-school, class-by-class closures — not to mention the fact that teachers can’t effectively teach virtual and in-person at the same time — could be even more disruptive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is serious as it is highly contagious. How do you know those infected are not seriously sick? What will it take to get you to take Covid seriously? If you want schools to stay open, you need to be part of the solution.

I am part of the solution. Specifically:

1. I am vaccinated + boostered. So is every other person in my family who is eligible for vaccination + booster.
2. I have worn masks in indoor public places since the spring of 2020. So has every other person in my family.
3. I am contacting my elected officials to tell them that schools need to stay open, and I am asking everyone I know to do the same.

You forgot 4.

4. Get an education degree so I can teach in January when teachers are out sick with COVID.

There's no school without teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People, there is a vast difference between college kids who live in tightly packed dorms and public school k-12 kids.

As for MCPS, as stated, they cannot make the decision to go back to virtual long term on their own.

So dramatic but dishonest, school children are jammed into overcrowded schools that are far less safe than universities. Please stop using these false narratives. It put real people at risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is serious as it is highly contagious. How do you know those infected are not seriously sick? What will it take to get you to take Covid seriously? If you want schools to stay open, you need to be part of the solution.

I am part of the solution. Specifically:

1. I am vaccinated + boostered. So is every other person in my family who is eligible for vaccination + booster.
2. I have worn masks in indoor public places since the spring of 2020. So has every other person in my family.
3. I am contacting my elected officials to tell them that schools need to stay open, and I am asking everyone I know to do the same.

You forgot 4.

4. Get an education degree so I can teach in January when teachers are out sick with COVID.

There's no school without teachers.

I'm contacting my elected officials to tell them follow public health recommendations and keep our community safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People, there is a vast difference between college kids who live in tightly packed dorms and public school k-12 kids.

As for MCPS, as stated, they cannot make the decision to go back to virtual long term on their own.

So dramatic but dishonest, school children are jammed into overcrowded schools that are far less safe than universities. Please stop using these false narratives. It put real people at risk.

Yours is the false narrative. The kids are masked (or should be, and if they aren't following the rules at school than you know they aren't outside of it). They are not literally living and sleeping together as at universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It is serious as it is highly contagious. How do you know those infected are not seriously sick? What will it take to get you to take Covid seriously? If you want schools to stay open, you need to be part of the solution.

I am part of the solution. Specifically:

1. I am vaccinated + boostered. So is every other person in my family who is eligible for vaccination + booster.
2. I have worn masks in indoor public places since the spring of 2020. So has every other person in my family.
3. I am contacting my elected officials to tell them that schools need to stay open, and I am asking everyone I know to do the same.

You forgot 4.

4. Get an education degree so I can teach in January when teachers are out sick with COVID.

There's no school without teachers.

It is unfortunate that McKnight unilaterally removed the vaccine requirement in MCPS instead of adding a booster requirement. Responsible teachers are not going to get sick in large numbers.