MCPS Officially announces schools opening as planned

[Anonymous]

I'm ready to let this play out. Yes, it's going to be a messy month or two, but we have to figure out what the new normal is going to look like. I, for one, am not interested in schools being remote at any point. Kids who are sick should be in bed. Kids who are well enough to attend school should come to school Everyone who is at any kind of risk has had plenty of time to be vaccinated. Now, if hospitals really are close to breaking, then we have to pull back, but unless someone can post reliable information about hospitals being overwhelmed in MoCo, I'm not in favor of closing schools. Given the state has not released county-specific hospitalization metrics since early December, that data is not available. I'd think the hospitals would be screaming if we were in trouble. Are they?

[Anonymous]

MoCo Covid-10 Information Portal reports hospitals are at Low utilization as of 12/30. 72.9% of inpatient beds are occupied.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard-primary-indicators

This is not the time to close schools.

[Anonymous]

Someone had posted that both Charles county and Allegheny county were going virtual. Both of their websites highlight normal opening after winter break?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MoCo Covid-10 Information Portal reports hospitals are at Low utilization as of 12/30. 72.9% of inpatient beds are occupied.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard-primary-indicators

This is not the time to close schools.

Why does this look the way it does,then? Seems like a lot of area hospitals are full.

https://www.miemssalert.com/chats/Default.aspx?hdRegion=5

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's what they should do for this week, and perhaps most of January til cases head down.

1. On Monday-Tuesday, test every kid who is at school (none of this sending tests home). If there are tests available, repeat this every Monday-Tuesday til cases head down.

2. Have kids on an alternating schedule A-M; N-Z. Last year when they did this, they allowed special needs kids to come every day and I've no idea how this affects numbers but in principle I'd be fine with it. Could make the same accommodation for at-risk kids (based on MAP scores or something) though I suspect this wouldn't work, but in principle, a good idea. The goal would be that each classroom would be at about 60% capacity. The other half of the class would be online the other day (the way they did last year).
3. There would be some threshold (maybe school-level threshold) for going back to 100%... probably feasible by late January.
What this achieves:
-Kids are back in school 5 out of 10 days every two weeks, so the mental health and other issues cited last year would be less prominent.
-Teachers could continue to give real tests (not open-note/at home tests), though they'd need to make two versions of any tests since kids would be taking on different days. They could more easily pull out kids who need extra attention or have questions when those kids are in person.
-Social distancing (which frankly didn't exist in fall semester despite what MCPS said) would be feasible. Teachers could arrange the classroom to stay farther away from kids while teaching.
-Any infected kid would expose fewer others.
-Kids who are out of school either in quarantine or with less symptomatic covid or because of parents' fear would have a real educational option-- they'd just log in virtually every day. (Something would need to be worked out for those in-person tests, but that's doable.)

Viola.

They can’t test without consent, and only half of students have opted in.

Only because that is what they decided. They can decide differently, given a different set of circumstances. Those who opt out do virtual school.

Setting aside the legal and ethical issues of demanding a medical test to obtain a right granted by state/federal law, MCPS has neither the tests nor the staff to do what you described.

They still get their education (which is their right)--they get it virtually. And they don't deprive my kid his access to education by infecting him with a deadly virus.

Perhaps, although I'm skeptical a court would agree that involuntary virtual school is FAPE.

But again, the more immediate problem would be that there simply aren't tests or staff to test everyone.

Involuntary virtual learning has already been discussed by state and federal agencies. FAPE is not provided for children with disabilities in virtual learning when there’s a lack of access to accommodations and services. Same is true when MCPS doesn’t evaluate for regression and address the learning losses that children with disabilities suffered during 18 months of virtual learning.

[Anonymous]

When sped teachers have to cover for their colleagues in cotaught classes kids don’t get their FAPE either.

[Anonymous]

I hate the idea of my kids not going to in person school. I am ok with them getting covid if it comes to that. We now know so many people with covid. However, from what I am hearing from my doctor friends, situation is not good. Hospitals are understaffed. Hospitalizations rising among people with co-morbidities. If you have older grandparents at home, it could be a concerning situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm ready to let this play out. Yes, it's going to be a messy month or two, but we have to figure out what the new normal is going to look like. I, for one, am not interested in schools being remote at any point. Kids who are sick should be in bed. Kids who are well enough to attend school should come to school Everyone who is at any kind of risk has had plenty of time to be vaccinated. Now, if hospitals really are close to breaking, then we have to pull back, but unless someone can post reliable information about hospitals being overwhelmed in MoCo, I'm not in favor of closing schools. Given the state has not released county-specific hospitalization metrics since early December, that data is not available. I'd think the hospitals would be screaming if we were in trouble. Are they?

Well enough means sending sick kids to school. Kids don't live alone. If they bring it back to younger unvaccinated siblings or other family members, it could have serious consequences.

If you want kids in person, what sacrifices are you willing to make to keep them there? Sounds like none.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When sped teachers have to cover for their colleagues in cotaught classes kids don’t get their FAPE either.

The sped teachers can get sick too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MoCo Covid-10 Information Portal reports hospitals are at Low utilization as of 12/30. 72.9% of inpatient beds are occupied.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard-primary-indicators

This is not the time to close schools.

3/4 of beds full is very concerning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:NP. I’m just happy the kids will be going back- and I’m a MCPS teacher and parent of MCPS kids. They need to be in school. Yes physical distancing isn’t happening, yes mask compliance is low, yes to all the problems. But Covid is something we have to figure out how to live with at this point- bring the focus to vaccination and testing- and take virtual/hybrid school off the table entirely.

How would you like hospitals to "learn to live with it?" I am sure they would love to hear your suggestions. Too bad you had such a terrible education.

Hospitals did live with. Unlike teachers, they took their essential jobs seriously and didn’t throw tantrums about returning to work.

So let’s just heap on them some more, because they’ll just take it?

They're not dealing with heaps of kids. Nor are they going to be. The elderly and anti-vaxxers need to be modifying they're behavior to help with hospitalizations. Closing schools isn't going to help while boomers are out living their lives mostly normally.

What about older parents/grandparents? Kids are definitely bringing this home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo Covid-10 Information Portal reports hospitals are at Low utilization as of 12/30. 72.9% of inpatient beds are occupied.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard-primary-indicators

This is not the time to close schools.

Why does this look the way it does,then? Seems like a lot of area hospitals are full.

https://www.miemssalert.com/chats/Default.aspx?hdRegion=5

Unfortunately it is a bad situation at hospitals. Many doctors/hospital staff are down with covid themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo Covid-10 Information Portal reports hospitals are at Low utilization as of 12/30. 72.9% of inpatient beds are occupied.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard-primary-indicators

This is not the time to close schools.

3/4 of beds full is very concerning.

That’s a relatively normal census. Hospitals operate at high capacity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo Covid-10 Information Portal reports hospitals are at Low utilization as of 12/30. 72.9% of inpatient beds are occupied.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard-primary-indicators

This is not the time to close schools.

3/4 of beds full is very concerning.

That’s a relatively normal census. Hospitals operate at high capacity

Hospitals are absolutely short staffed. Doctors being called back from vacation. This is going to get bad. Damn!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo Covid-10 Information Portal reports hospitals are at Low utilization as of 12/30. 72.9% of inpatient beds are occupied.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard-primary-indicators

This is not the time to close schools.

3/4 of beds full is very concerning.

That’s a relatively normal census. Hospitals operate at high capacity

Hospitals are absolutely short staffed. Doctors being called back from vacation. This is going to get bad. Damn!

When the doctors and staff get sick, then what?