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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Within 6 feet outside? Now in addition to an entire class of kids, it’s the entire grade level outside for recess? They have no way to determine that a student wasn’t in fact a close contact with the child with a symptom. So will they just presume everyone is a potential contact?
If this is the guidance, then what are schools doing to minimize risk of exposure? They would need to cohort students at all times while inside and out.

14:59 minute recesses I guess.

Please. They read this board. Stop giving them ideas.

[Anonymous]

Welp. They may not have had time or energy to implement a testing policy or make up for learning loss or come up with a distance learning plan for absences. And maybe they don't have enough bus drivers or aids. And maybe the special ed kids are owed supplemental services because they didn't get them during covid and maybe they haven't recieved them yet. But at least Monifa had someone put her face on the bulletin header.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2021-2022/community-update-interim-superintendent/9-03-2021.html

How incredibly tone deaf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From Kate Ryan from WTOP. If it's true that 1,000 students + staff are in quarantine, that's not a lot for a system with about 165K students and 25K staff. Of course, that number will go up with this new policy, though it sounds like some schools were already operating under these new guidelines before they sent it out this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/KateRyanWTOP/status/1433944220725923842?s=20

Even for only the first week of school?

[Anonymous]

They should spend some of that federal money to purchase and distribute home tests for kids so they can test fast and get back to school the next day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. It looks like they read the new mask study and realized, despite what the press reported, that no evidence that masks help with kids. That's the only way the "regardless of mask use" provision makes any sense, since it is explicitlu in conflict with CDC guidance. Presumably that means they'll be rescinding the mask mandate tomorrow.

That 'regardless of mask use' clause is interesting. The way it's written, it basically says that outdoors is more dangerous than indoors since a close contact is 3-feet or less indoors and 6-feet or less outdoors. I appreciate that it's written by MCPS so it's going to be inherently flawed and make no sense.

That has been in the cdc definition for nearly a year.

Not for students in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Kate Ryan from WTOP. If it's true that 1,000 students + staff are in quarantine, that's not a lot for a system with about 165K students and 25K staff. Of course, that number will go up with this new policy, though it sounds like some schools were already operating under these new guidelines before they sent it out this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/KateRyanWTOP/status/1433944220725923842?s=20

Even for only the first week of school?

It’s a lot because most of the students 12+ and most of the staff are vaccinated and do not need to quarantine if exposed and not showing symptoms. This is primarily elementary school students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Kate Ryan from WTOP. If it's true that 1,000 students + staff are in quarantine, that's not a lot for a system with about 165K students and 25K staff. Of course, that number will go up with this new policy, though it sounds like some schools were already operating under these new guidelines before they sent it out this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/KateRyanWTOP/status/1433944220725923842?s=20

Even for only the first week of school?

Its a lot given MCPS is not doing any testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Kate Ryan from WTOP. If it's true that 1,000 students + staff are in quarantine, that's not a lot for a system with about 165K students and 25K staff. Of course, that number will go up with this new policy, though it sounds like some schools were already operating under these new guidelines before they sent it out this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/KateRyanWTOP/status/1433944220725923842?s=20

Even for only the first week of school?

It’s a lot because most of the students 12+ and most of the staff are vaccinated and do not need to quarantine if exposed and not showing symptoms. This is primarily elementary school students.

This is absurd when you can still get and spread covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Welp. They may not have had time or energy to implement a testing policy or make up for learning loss or come up with a distance learning plan for absences. And maybe they don't have enough bus drivers or aids. And maybe the special ed kids are owed supplemental services because they didn't get them during covid and maybe they haven't recieved them yet. But at least Monifa had someone put her face on the bulletin header.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2021-2022/community-update-interim-superintendent/9-03-2021.html

How incredibly tone deaf.

They posted information that there was not a huge learning loss last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. It looks like they read the new mask study and realized, despite what the press reported, that no evidence that masks help with kids. That's the only way the "regardless of mask use" provision makes any sense, since it is explicitlu in conflict with CDC guidance. Presumably that means they'll be rescinding the mask mandate tomorrow.

Masks have very much proven to help. Stop making up stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Kate Ryan from WTOP. If it's true that 1,000 students + staff are in quarantine, that's not a lot for a system with about 165K students and 25K staff. Of course, that number will go up with this new policy, though it sounds like some schools were already operating under these new guidelines before they sent it out this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/KateRyanWTOP/status/1433944220725923842?s=20

Even for only the first week of school?

It’s a lot because most of the students 12+ and most of the staff are vaccinated and do not need to quarantine if exposed and not showing symptoms. This is primarily elementary school students.

This is absurd when you can still get and spread covid.

Just like you can still get injured in a car crash if you wear your seatbelt. Yet nobody says that seatbelts aren't effective.

Unvaccinated people are FIVE TIMES more likely to get infected than vaccinated people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For everyone saying we are being alarmist and you're sure there must be exceptions for pre-existing, chronic, etc., I have kids in two separate schools, elementary and middle. Principal updates sent out over the past hour contain the same information, word for word. There is no mention at all about any of that. Just says "any" of the following symptoms. And the only thing qualified with "new" is loss of taste or smell.

What morons. This is an absolute disaster for kids and their peers with headache problems, IBS, allergies.

Again, before everyone says alarmist, there is absolutely nothing about new/chronic, etc. being communicated. Nada. This is the guidance going to families and to school staff. So my child's migraines mean their class has to quarantine. Brilliant.

How about you come back in a few months and report how many times the class actually had to quarantine because of your kid’s legitimate migraines. Get a doctor note and calm down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. It looks like they read the new mask study and realized, despite what the press reported, that no evidence that masks help with kids. That's the only way the "regardless of mask use" provision makes any sense, since it is explicitlu in conflict with CDC guidance. Presumably that means they'll be rescinding the mask mandate tomorrow.

Masks have very much proven to help. Stop making up stuff.

Look at the results in the randomized trial. No statistically significant difference in symptomatic infections in people under the age of 50. And it showed cloth masks don't help much for anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For everyone saying we are being alarmist and you're sure there must be exceptions for pre-existing, chronic, etc., I have kids in two separate schools, elementary and middle. Principal updates sent out over the past hour contain the same information, word for word. There is no mention at all about any of that. Just says "any" of the following symptoms. And the only thing qualified with "new" is loss of taste or smell.

What morons. This is an absolute disaster for kids and their peers with headache problems, IBS, allergies.

Again, before everyone says alarmist, there is absolutely nothing about new/chronic, etc. being communicated. Nada. This is the guidance going to families and to school staff. So my child's migraines mean their class has to quarantine. Brilliant.

How about you come back in a few months and report how many times the class actually had to quarantine because of your kid’s legitimate migraines. Get a doctor note and calm down.

Exactly. Relax. My goodness, some people operate on a hair trigger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. It looks like they read the new mask study and realized, despite what the press reported, that no evidence that masks help with kids. That's the only way the "regardless of mask use" provision makes any sense, since it is explicitlu in conflict with CDC guidance. Presumably that means they'll be rescinding the mask mandate tomorrow.

Masks have very much proven to help. Stop making up stuff.

Look at the results in the randomized trial. No statistically significant difference in symptomatic infections in people under the age of 50. And it showed cloth masks don't help much for anyone.

Are you referring to the study in Bangladesh? The one that demonstrated the effectiveness of masks?
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/09/surgical-masks-covid-19.html