Is any ES offering or planning to offer any form of outdoor lunch this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not even distancing anymore at our elementary school. DS said that they're back to being scrunched in - 2 tables per class.

If you look at the pictures posted by MCPS and the schools there is zero distancing.

I mean, the CDC no longer recommends distancing.

The cdc failed us.

No they didn’t. How?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not even distancing anymore at our elementary school. DS said that they're back to being scrunched in - 2 tables per class.

If you look at the pictures posted by MCPS and the schools there is zero distancing.

I mean, the CDC no longer recommends distancing.

The cdc failed us.

No they didn’t. How?

You clearly have no clue, so don’t say the cdc didn’t fail us. They did. COVID transmission is high right now in Montgomery County and across the entire countries. School opened yesterday and cases already doubled. Teachers and staff are out sick. Buses aren’t running. The failure is right in front of your eyes. Society isn’t functioning. We are still in a pandemic and the number of people with long term health impacts is piling up. If MCPS can’t find school aides, who do you think is available to take care of all the sick people?

[Anonymous]

I've lost the ability to tell A+ trolling from clinically significant anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not even distancing anymore at our elementary school. DS said that they're back to being scrunched in - 2 tables per class.

If you look at the pictures posted by MCPS and the schools there is zero distancing.

I mean, the CDC no longer recommends distancing.

The cdc failed us.

No they didn’t. How?

You clearly have no clue, so don’t say the cdc didn’t fail us. They did. COVID transmission is high right now in Montgomery County and across the entire countries. School opened yesterday and cases already doubled. Teachers and staff are out sick. Buses aren’t running. The failure is right in front of your eyes. Society isn’t functioning. We are still in a pandemic and the number of people with long term health impacts is piling up. If MCPS can’t find school aides, who do you think is available to take care of all the sick people?

Gosh that isn't happening at our school at all. Care to share yours?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The county no longer pays for monitors and we don’t have enough staff to cover outdoor lunch. It’s a logistical nightmare to shift gears when the weather doesn’t permit outdoor lunch; unless parents actually want to volunteer (and they don’t). So go ahead and waste your principals time complaining about something they have obviously considered and dealt with for the past two years.

MCPS still has federal covid money that is unspent. It was literally designed to support initiatives such as this. I get that it’s hard to hire people (everywhere), but just because some people are over covid does not mean these funds should not be allocated to support the one part of the day that is highest risk to students who are otherwise masking.

There are so many hundreds paraeducator jobs in the county. It's not like mcps isn't trying to fill these jobs.

I don’t think a lunch monitor position has the same hours or qualification requirements as a paraeducator. I also agree with the poster upthread that you don’t need double the number of staff to supervise outdoor lunch. There’s a ratio they need to meet, whether they are inside or outside.

I still don't understand, even if MCPS has the money, where you would find all these extra monitors to staff 130 elementary schools. Are there a bunch of SAHPs who are looking for these part-time, low pay positions? There's set-up/take down involved too. Ours had to solicit parent volunteers to help with that last year due to staffing issues, but few parents stepped up (I take that to mean that most didn't care about having outdoor lunch to begin with).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not even distancing anymore at our elementary school. DS said that they're back to being scrunched in - 2 tables per class.

If you look at the pictures posted by MCPS and the schools there is zero distancing.

I mean, the CDC no longer recommends distancing.

The cdc failed us.

No they didn’t. How?

DP

Oh, the CDC failed our kids spectacularly. There is no doubt about that.

(I’m fine with indoor or outdoor lunch, but have no trust in the CDC after their nonsense.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've lost the ability to tell A+ trolling from clinically significant anxiety.

There are plenty of parents with untreated anxiety on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've lost the ability to tell A+ trolling from clinically significant anxiety.

Ah, DCUM, never change! Luv too weaponize mental illness. Yes, a parent is interested in continuing a helpful accommodation that was provided all of last school year! Must be mental illness!

This is OP.

Let's see if I can make it clearer than I already have.

Outdoor lunch makes a difference in terms of COVID mitigation for everyone, but particularly for us and a number of other families.

I am under no illusions it's a panacea.

My child does mask otherwise.

It's very much a "nice-to-have," but I can accept it if it's truly not possible.

Weirdly, I am aware of the existence of Virtual Academy and of the option of pulling my kid out for lunch.

I am a sentient being and can think of more than one possible reason it can't be done-- e.g., not enough lunch monitors, parent volunteers not allowed, concerns about kids running off, etc. But thanks!

Principal is being unreasonable in that they (according to another parent) specifically stated that they will not even give the reason for their refusal and will not discuss possible solutions.

Parents are willing to volunteer, and have stated that, including the one who relayed this story to me-- and me, a repeated PTA board member who has volunteered at the school many times.

I don't know if that can be allowed. I don't know much of anything until I speak to the principal, which I will, this week.

Thanks to the people who relayed that this is a school-by-school decision, and that some are doing it. That helps.

If I have any additional question for those who aren't invested in wishing COVID on my immunocompromised family, it's whether parents are allowed to volunteer for this duty at your school. Thanks.

I am curious, though, if this is A+ trolling, is it because it's so subtle? Is it because I'm not asking for much, or really anything, except for information? Is it because I am being so reasonable about what I'm willing to accept? I'm not great at judging trolling. Would love to learn more about how to properly grade it.

[Anonymous]

Shorter thread:

OP: Hey, so my principal says this accommodation-- which was provided in most schools all last year-- isn't possible and won't say why. If that's so, I can accept it, but I did want to ask-- is your school providing this accommodation this year?

Some PPs: Yeah, our school is. So it's not impossible, per se.

Other PPs: Wow, that accommodation is a totally bizarre thing to ask for. Even though other schools have it. They, uh... those other schools uhhhhhh.... I guess they're doing it for no reason because uhhhhh... I know! OP has ANXIETY hahaha. I am very intelligent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lost the ability to tell A+ trolling from clinically significant anxiety.

Ah, DCUM, never change! Luv too weaponize mental illness. Yes, a parent is interested in continuing a helpful accommodation that was provided all of last school year! Must be mental illness!

This is OP.

Let's see if I can make it clearer than I already have.

Outdoor lunch makes a difference in terms of COVID mitigation for everyone, but particularly for us and a number of other families.

I am under no illusions it's a panacea.

My child does mask otherwise.

It's very much a "nice-to-have," but I can accept it if it's truly not possible.

Weirdly, I am aware of the existence of Virtual Academy and of the option of pulling my kid out for lunch.

I am a sentient being and can think of more than one possible reason it can't be done-- e.g., not enough lunch monitors, parent volunteers not allowed, concerns about kids running off, etc. But thanks!

Principal is being unreasonable in that they (according to another parent) specifically stated that they will not even give the reason for their refusal and will not discuss possible solutions.

Parents are willing to volunteer, and have stated that, including the one who relayed this story to me-- and me, a repeated PTA board member who has volunteered at the school many times.

I don't know if that can be allowed. I don't know much of anything until I speak to the principal, which I will, this week.

Thanks to the people who relayed that this is a school-by-school decision, and that some are doing it. That helps.

If I have any additional question for those who aren't invested in wishing COVID on my immunocompromised family, it's whether parents are allowed to volunteer for this duty at your school. Thanks.

I am curious, though, if this is A+ trolling, is it because it's so subtle? Is it because I'm not asking for much, or really anything, except for information? Is it because I am being so reasonable about what I'm willing to accept? I'm not great at judging trolling. Would love to learn more about how to properly grade it.

NP, I don't think you are trolling, because I know parents at our school with similar concerns. Did your school offer outdoor lunch last year? Ours did on a rotating basis, but our principal was pretty upfront about the extra effort it entailed and phased it out in the spring. I also think he's been pretty upfront since the spring that this year was going to be more like "normal", which gave parents plenty of notice if that wasn't a good option for their family.

Principals regularly have a LOT on their plate, including kids that continue to lag behind from virtual learning. Outdoor lunch probably just ranks pretty low on the priority list. It's not just about accepting volunteers, someone would have to coordinate those volunteers and hold them accountable to actually show up. Are you willing to volunteer to do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lost the ability to tell A+ trolling from clinically significant anxiety.

Ah, DCUM, never change! Luv too weaponize mental illness. Yes, a parent is interested in continuing a helpful accommodation that was provided all of last school year! Must be mental illness!

This is OP.

Let's see if I can make it clearer than I already have.

Outdoor lunch makes a difference in terms of COVID mitigation for everyone, but particularly for us and a number of other families.

I am under no illusions it's a panacea.

My child does mask otherwise.

It's very much a "nice-to-have," but I can accept it if it's truly not possible.

Weirdly, I am aware of the existence of Virtual Academy and of the option of pulling my kid out for lunch.

I am a sentient being and can think of more than one possible reason it can't be done-- e.g., not enough lunch monitors, parent volunteers not allowed, concerns about kids running off, etc. But thanks!

Principal is being unreasonable in that they (according to another parent) specifically stated that they will not even give the reason for their refusal and will not discuss possible solutions.

Parents are willing to volunteer, and have stated that, including the one who relayed this story to me-- and me, a repeated PTA board member who has volunteered at the school many times.

I don't know if that can be allowed. I don't know much of anything until I speak to the principal, which I will, this week.

Thanks to the people who relayed that this is a school-by-school decision, and that some are doing it. That helps.

If I have any additional question for those who aren't invested in wishing COVID on my immunocompromised family, it's whether parents are allowed to volunteer for this duty at your school. Thanks.

I am curious, though, if this is A+ trolling, is it because it's so subtle? Is it because I'm not asking for much, or really anything, except for information? Is it because I am being so reasonable about what I'm willing to accept? I'm not great at judging trolling. Would love to learn more about how to properly grade it.

Great! Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out now.

Get the parents together and present the principal with a plan to consider.

Make sure the parents are background checked, vaccinated and boosted. Explain what the parents will do with the kids when it rains. And be prepared to be the back up person if one of those parents do not show up.

Let us know how it works out!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not even distancing anymore at our elementary school. DS said that they're back to being scrunched in - 2 tables per class.

If you look at the pictures posted by MCPS and the schools there is zero distancing.

I mean, the CDC no longer recommends distancing.

The cdc failed us.

No they didn’t. How?

You clearly have no clue, so don’t say the cdc didn’t fail us. They did. COVID transmission is high right now in Montgomery County and across the entire countries. School opened yesterday and cases already doubled. Teachers and staff are out sick. Buses aren’t running. The failure is right in front of your eyes. Society isn’t functioning. We are still in a pandemic and the number of people with long term health impacts is piling up. If MCPS can’t find school aides, who do you think is available to take care of all the sick people?

Nope. MoCo community level status: Low

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard

[Anonymous]

They cant hire enough teachers. They werent able to hire monitors for outdoor lunch. You cant rely on volunteers completely for a daily scheduled item where kids are not accounted for by a staff member.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are not even distancing anymore at our elementary school. DS said that they're back to being scrunched in - 2 tables per class.

If you look at the pictures posted by MCPS and the schools there is zero distancing.

I mean, the CDC no longer recommends distancing.

The cdc failed us.

No they didn’t. How?

You clearly have no clue, so don’t say the cdc didn’t fail us. They did. COVID transmission is high right now in Montgomery County and across the entire countries. School opened yesterday and cases already doubled. Teachers and staff are out sick. Buses aren’t running. The failure is right in front of your eyes. Society isn’t functioning. We are still in a pandemic and the number of people with long term health impacts is piling up. If MCPS can’t find school aides, who do you think is available to take care of all the sick people?

Nope. MoCo community level status: Low

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard

Poor thing. You can't click to the right chart. Click to page 5. You can do it. Use that mouse you have next to your computer or use your finger on your phone. It's hard, but you can do it!
Now you see the Covid TRANSMISSION page? See how it says HIGH TRANSMISSION for Montgomery County. There you go. Now you can get off the hospitalization page which is not transmission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lost the ability to tell A+ trolling from clinically significant anxiety.

Ah, DCUM, never change! Luv too weaponize mental illness. Yes, a parent is interested in continuing a helpful accommodation that was provided all of last school year! Must be mental illness!

This is OP.

Let's see if I can make it clearer than I already have.

Outdoor lunch makes a difference in terms of COVID mitigation for everyone, but particularly for us and a number of other families.

I am under no illusions it's a panacea.

My child does mask otherwise.

It's very much a "nice-to-have," but I can accept it if it's truly not possible.

Weirdly, I am aware of the existence of Virtual Academy and of the option of pulling my kid out for lunch.

I am a sentient being and can think of more than one possible reason it can't be done-- e.g., not enough lunch monitors, parent volunteers not allowed, concerns about kids running off, etc. But thanks!

Principal is being unreasonable in that they (according to another parent) specifically stated that they will not even give the reason for their refusal and will not discuss possible solutions.

Parents are willing to volunteer, and have stated that, including the one who relayed this story to me-- and me, a repeated PTA board member who has volunteered at the school many times.

I don't know if that can be allowed. I don't know much of anything until I speak to the principal, which I will, this week.

Thanks to the people who relayed that this is a school-by-school decision, and that some are doing it. That helps.

If I have any additional question for those who aren't invested in wishing COVID on my immunocompromised family, it's whether parents are allowed to volunteer for this duty at your school. Thanks.

I am curious, though, if this is A+ trolling, is it because it's so subtle? Is it because I'm not asking for much, or really anything, except for information? Is it because I am being so reasonable about what I'm willing to accept? I'm not great at judging trolling. Would love to learn more about how to properly grade it.

Great! Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out now.

Get the parents together and present the principal with a plan to consider.

Make sure the parents are background checked, vaccinated and boosted. Explain what the parents will do with the kids when it rains. And be prepared to be the back up person if one of those parents do not show up.

Let us know how it works out!

Before you post, make sure you are in the correct forum. MCPS doesn't have a vaccinated and boosted requirement. Good luck finding the right forum.