Are your kids eating lunch outside?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It has been 19° even in the middle of the night. It’s mostly been in the 40s. And 50s. I’m guessing you think it’s tolerable for your children to ski in the 20s and 30s, but they can’t duck outside and eat lunch? Count your blessings. I’m so sick and tired of private school parents who are able to telecommute whining about the pandemic. You guys have it better than almost anyone in the world in terms of Covid safety. Just shut up. I’m sick of it. I’ve been living since March 2020 and a household with two in person essential workers. Our kids go to public school with basically no testing. No nice outdoor tent. Kids wearing inadequate cloth masks. Just stop whining about how bad the pandemic is for your privileged kids. Why don’t you switch them to public school if you want them to eat indoors? Problem solved and you could save 60,000 a year. Get the 60,000 a year to the scholarship fund!

Typo. It has NOT been nineteen degrees at lunchtime or anything close.

OP here. Check your weather app. It's currently 11:53 a.m. on Friday, Jan 21 and the temperature shows 21 degrees. A virtual heat wave in your mind?

My kids haven't been skiing in 3 years, but nice try.

I do count my blessings. I know that my kids are very lucky to attend this school, boneheaded administration aside. Thanks for all of your piling on, but the fact that we spend what we do for their education is irrelevant to this issue. It is too cold for young kids to be eating lunch outside today. They are in a garage, not a "nice outdoor tent."

If you don't see that, you have your head in the sand.

[Anonymous]

Wait, OP, they’re in a garage and you’re still complaining?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, OP, they’re in a garage and you’re still complaining?!

Yes, I'm complaining. It is an outdoor, not indoor, garage. Very cold - exactly the outdoor temperature. And 1-2 heat lamps for 70 - 80 kids. Oh, and of course they are supposed to "socially distance" around those heat lamps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's good for kids to have time outdoors, yes even in the winter. Hats, gloves, coats... they can be outside for 20 minutes in 20 degrees. It doesn't get cold enough in DC for this to be an issue. Child abuse? FFS.

Today it is cold. Anyway, eating lunch with bare hands while sitting on concrete floor is child abuse.

My two kids went to outdoor preschools. They have been outdoors most of the day everyday no matter what the weather. They wear clothes accordingly, but they never had to sit on concrete floor or had to eat lunch outdoors in cold weather. I know how to spot what is child abuse and what is not. Outdoor time spent freezing sitting on concrete floor and trying to eat lunch with bare hands is child abuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's good for kids to have time outdoors, yes even in the winter. Hats, gloves, coats... they can be outside for 20 minutes in 20 degrees. It doesn't get cold enough in DC for this to be an issue. Child abuse? FFS.

Who, except you, said anything about child abuse?

Agree with OP. It's a stupid, performative policy that does nothing to stop the spread of covid. Just another DC private trying to look like they are taking a stand, without following the real science.

[Anonymous]

Our school hasn't been eating outside, and we're disappointed, because it's something parents have asked them to look into.
It feels like an easy thing to do for a short period of time to protect the entire community.
(It it's made equally more frustrating because our former, amazing, HOS, is doing it at their new school.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school hasn't been eating outside, and we're disappointed, because it's something parents have asked them to look into.
It feels like an easy thing to do for a short period of time to protect the entire community.
(It it's made equally more frustrating because our former, amazing, HOS, is doing it at their new school.)

OP again. Agree that it's a good idea overall. But surely there can and should be flexibility and common sense involved when weather is bad or very cold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:During the Spanish flu pandemic, students moved to outdoor classrooms in the dead of winter. While eating outdoors in the cold is undesirable, if it helps to reduce spread of the virus, I'm all for it. It's only twenty minutes, after all. I guess this country is no longer a place where people make sacrifices for the greater good . . .

Please. Unlike 1918, these kids are all vaccinated and boosted!

The COVID vaccination rate for children remains extremely low. In fact, Virginia is currently in the bottom eight states.

Well, at my DC’s NW DC private school the vaccine is required and all students are old enough. So the rate is very high. Like close to 100%. Still outside in a tent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry that is terrible, op.

on the other hand, my kid's school sent a note saying they want the kids to put their masks up between bites.
I told my child to remember this whole thing for when they get to literature and start talking about comedies of the absurd. She should just go along with it, but remember it.

btw, this is in a school where every person is vaccinated/teachers and others eligible boosted. About 15 of the school seems to have had covid over the last 2 months (NOT from in school spread). And to be done while distanced.

meanwhile, in lots of other places/regions (and even in local resteraunts) people are eating normally inside at tables. kids in other states don't wear masks at all. Israel and Britan (a couple weeks/months ahead of the DC area) don't have younger kids wear masks at all and I read one is calling for an end to kids' quarentining.

+100. This is so absurd. I'm not in DC area, but another blue state, and no one here wears masks most of the time. They are dropping the mask mandate for schools soon, too. Restaurants and stores don't require masks anymore, and except for some employees, and perhaps a few vulnerable elderly, I never see anyone with them on anymore. We have eaten in restaurants many many times in the past year. It's incredible to me that there are CHILDREN sitting outside in 19 degree weather freezing their asses off in the United States because they aren't allowed to eat indoors. Just unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

Our NoVa private also requires eating outdoors and also zero talking while eating. I hate to think of the damage this is causing generations of kids. My kids describe trying to whisper to the person six feet away outdoors while the teachers walk a bit away.

[Anonymous]

My vaccinated elem. kid eats outside - no garage, no tent, and no heat lamps! They have been having class outside, as well. His hands are so cold he can't write.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My vaccinated elem. kid eats outside - no garage, no tent, and no heat lamps! They have been having class outside, as well. His hands are so cold he can't write.

Child abuse. I am so sorry your kiddo is going through that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My vaccinated elem. kid eats outside - no garage, no tent, and no heat lamps! They have been having class outside, as well. His hands are so cold he can't write.

Costco sells ski gloves for $11 and pocket warmers and puff coats and parkas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My vaccinated elem. kid eats outside - no garage, no tent, and no heat lamps! They have been having class outside, as well. His hands are so cold he can't write.

Costco sells ski gloves for $11 and pocket warmers and puff coats and parkas.

It is hard to eat with utensils when ski gloves are on. Plus, sitting on concrete is bad even if you wear those puff coats and parkas.

Writing this as a parent who sent kids to outdoor preschools. We are not scared of the weather. Just calling it a child abuse when it is.

[Anonymous]

No, my elementary kids eat indoors! I mean they have recess immediately after lunch and often take what's left outside with them, but of course they eat indoors! And they sit at the same table and talk too.

I would not be cool with mandatory outdoor lunch. Although I do love the option of outdoor lunch for those students who prefer it. Nice perk if the weather is good!