so let's say kids/teachers in the fall come down with positive tests, what to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is hiring hundreds of contact tracers right now. Testing capacity will increase.

If they can manage to test asymptomatic people who have to be out in the community -- such as school kids and staff -- then schools can reopen.

But part of that is also pulling anyone from that environment who gets the virus immediately and putting the others who may have been exposed into a 14-day quarantine before they can return the school. Ideally, we'd do what other countries now do, and quarantine people away from their families (yes that's tricky with kids).

I think the above is the only scenario where schools open.

Test and contact trace. Repeat and repeat.

So if a kid comes to school with a fever or develops a fever at school and it turns out to be Covid then the entire class stays home for 2 weeks? What about at Deal where the kids are in classes with 150 kids daily? Do all 150 stay home for 2 weeks?

[Anonymous]

Schools are going to open in the fall. I think it's inevitable. The question is whether the federal/state response is strong enough to prevent mass increases in illness spread. We *should* have abundant testing and contact tracing to avoid outbreaks. I don't know if I have a whole lot of faith that will happen. I'm not saying I agree with it, but I think the policy will be for schools to reopen, and then the burden shifts to parents to decide whether to send their kids, and teachers to decide if they will come to work or lose their jobs. It's not great.

[Anonymous]

So many people will be struggling to get back on their feet when this is over that we're going to have even more parents who "can't afford to take off" and dope their kids up in the morning and put medicine in their juice for lunch. Either that or we'll have more parents and emergency contacts not answering the phone or saying they're on their way at 11 but not showing up until dismissal. We haven't had a full time nurse in the four years I've been at my school, so the kids will either be sent back to class or left in the main office where they can infect anyone who passes through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many people will be struggling to get back on their feet when this is over that we're going to have even more parents who "can't afford to take off" and dope their kids up in the morning and put medicine in their juice for lunch. Either that or we'll have more parents and emergency contacts not answering the phone or saying they're on their way at 11 but not showing up until dismissal. We haven't had a full time nurse in the four years I've been at my school, so the kids will either be sent back to class or left in the main office where they can infect anyone who passes through.

That’s the problem. Parents think school is responsible for their kids. You have to do your job as a parent or we have to report you to ACS for neglect. That is totally unacceptable and puts other people’s lives at risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:probably inevitable that kids and teachers get sick.

the point of social distancing and closing everything isn't to stop people from getting sick -- it's to slow the rate at which people get sick so they don't overwhelm the hospitals. instead of everyone getting sick at the same time, they're trying to stagger things so some people get sick now, and some people get sick later.

schools can't be closed forever. at some point, they need to reopen. my guess is that sick kids will be sent home just as if they had any other sickness.

So you really think that we will just send kids home like it's no big deal at all?

"Oh, Eric's in the hospital with the virus. He should be back in a few weeks. Now everyone let's start circle time!"

REALLY?

yes, really. it could be another two years before a vaccine is widely available. what is supposed to happen between now and then? are we just going to close schools until 2022?

My HS student (class of 22) says that would be okay with her. She's fine with learning online for the rest of HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:probably inevitable that kids and teachers get sick.

the point of social distancing and closing everything isn't to stop people from getting sick -- it's to slow the rate at which people get sick so they don't overwhelm the hospitals. instead of everyone getting sick at the same time, they're trying to stagger things so some people get sick now, and some people get sick later.

schools can't be closed forever. at some point, they need to reopen. my guess is that sick kids will be sent home just as if they had any other sickness.

So you really think that we will just send kids home like it's no big deal at all?

"Oh, Eric's in the hospital with the virus. He should be back in a few weeks. Now everyone let's start circle time!"

REALLY?

yes, really. it could be another two years before a vaccine is widely available. what is supposed to happen between now and then? are we just going to close schools until 2022?

Yes. We are. Schools will get better at distance learning but they will not re-open anytime soon (2 years is entirely possible) so we . all . need . to . get . used . to . it

Ha. That's not happening. By this summer, I bet, everything will be opened back up because the public's patience with this stuff is not unlimited. People will simply get used to living with coronavirus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:probably inevitable that kids and teachers get sick.

the point of social distancing and closing everything isn't to stop people from getting sick -- it's to slow the rate at which people get sick so they don't overwhelm the hospitals. instead of everyone getting sick at the same time, they're trying to stagger things so some people get sick now, and some people get sick later.

schools can't be closed forever. at some point, they need to reopen. my guess is that sick kids will be sent home just as if they had any other sickness.

So you really think that we will just send kids home like it's no big deal at all?

"Oh, Eric's in the hospital with the virus. He should be back in a few weeks. Now everyone let's start circle time!"

REALLY?

yes, really. it could be another two years before a vaccine is widely available. what is supposed to happen between now and then? are we just going to close schools until 2022?

Yes. We are. Schools will get better at distance learning but they will not re-open anytime soon (2 years is entirely possible) so we . all . need . to . get . used . to . it

Ha. That's not happening. By this summer, I bet, everything will be opened back up because the public's patience with this stuff is not unlimited. People will simply get used to living with coronavirus.

Exactly the same way we get used to living with school shootings. No one cares enough or holds people accountable. It’s the way this country is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a teacher, I’ll be calling out of a student in my class tests positive.

Most coronavirus cases are mild with few or no symptoms.

Except some of those mild cases seemingly end up with longer lasting effects. It’s a small number, but I wouldn’t want my kid to be part of that small number.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/nyregion/children-Kawasaki-syndrome-coronavirus.html#click=https://t.co/fyuoJ93pAO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:probably inevitable that kids and teachers get sick.

the point of social distancing and closing everything isn't to stop people from getting sick -- it's to slow the rate at which people get sick so they don't overwhelm the hospitals. instead of everyone getting sick at the same time, they're trying to stagger things so some people get sick now, and some people get sick later.

schools can't be closed forever. at some point, they need to reopen. my guess is that sick kids will be sent home just as if they had any other sickness.

So you really think that we will just send kids home like it's no big deal at all?

"Oh, Eric's in the hospital with the virus. He should be back in a few weeks. Now everyone let's start circle time!"

REALLY?

yes, really. it could be another two years before a vaccine is widely available. what is supposed to happen between now and then? are we just going to close schools until 2022?

Yes. We are. Schools will get better at distance learning but they will not re-open anytime soon (2 years is entirely possible) so we . all . need . to . get . used . to . it

Ha. That's not happening. By this summer, I bet, everything will be opened back up because the public's patience with this stuff is not unlimited. People will simply get used to living with coronavirus.

Exactly the same way we get used to living with school shootings. No one cares enough or holds people accountable. It’s the way this country is.

Sadly agree. Schools will be open this fall and it will be on us to assume the risk in sending our kids. People are becoming desensitized to the dangers of covid-19, and its easier to tell oneself this is happening to other people but wouldn't happen to me. And of course, there are policy reasons that support reopening in the fall. This is a lose lose situation for schools and just about every other area that touches our daily lives.

[Anonymous]

France now says it treated someone with coronavirus in December. In all likelihood, our kids were going to school for months while coronavirus was circulating here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools are going to open in the fall. I think it's inevitable. The question is whether the federal/state response is strong enough to prevent mass increases in illness spread. We *should* have abundant testing and contact tracing to avoid outbreaks. I don't know if I have a whole lot of faith that will happen. I'm not saying I agree with it, but I think the policy will be for schools to reopen, and then the burden shifts to parents to decide whether to send their kids, and teachers to decide if they will come to work or lose their jobs. It's not great.

But it doesn't. Because if we want to keep our seat for when it is actually safe to return we can not. CPS will be at your door if you kid isn't in school or misses too much. I don't want to home school my children for the next 5-10 years. I also don't want school or really half the opening up that is happening now until it is safer and medical professionals have had a minute to recover. If the federal government would actually support the citizens and small business we e would not be in this situation.

[Anonymous]

None of this stuff -- closing schools, social distancing, etc. -- would be necessary if we had universal testing.

If we knew exactly who had the virus, we could isolate them and everyone else could go back to living their normal lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:France now says it treated someone with coronavirus in December. In all likelihood, our kids were going to school for months while coronavirus was circulating here.

This is red herring. If it was here, it was not spreading like it is now. A virus can circulate below radar before exponential growth takes off as we see now, creating extreme pressure on the health care system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:France now says it treated someone with coronavirus in December. In all likelihood, our kids were going to school for months while coronavirus was circulating here.

This is red herring. If it was here, it was not spreading like it is now. A virus can circulate below radar before exponential growth takes off as we see now, creating extreme pressure on the health care system.

Sure, but that doesn't mean the spread wasn't significant before schools closed. I'm fairly certain I had coronavirus earlier this year, back when only people in Wuhan supposedly got it.

[Anonymous]

Kids are going back to or are in school in China and parts of Europe. We will learn from what they are doing and implement it here. So, yes, I fully expect my child to be in school learning in September.