Reopening schools and excluding sick kids (questions)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Covid weren't an issue, this still reads like a kid who should be kept home from the time symptoms started. A child with a persistent cough, fatigue, sore throat, and stomach issues should be home resting, not sitting in a classroom with 25 other students and a teacher. In the past, schools probably wouldn't have made the kid stay home unless he had a fever, but going forward they definitely should when in-person classes resume. My guess is this will cut down on transmission of flu, strep, stomach viruses, etc. Yes, it's inconvenient for a lot of families, but it's going to be necessary from a public health standpoint.

I agree. OP, would you have sent him to school last year when he felt sick like this? Nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry for all the questions, but with teachers responding, I wanted to ask how you think kids in this situation (especially in high school) make up their work?
How, if classes were in person, would you handle the revolving door of kids being excluded from the classroom? Would they have to get assessments online? If a kid gets sick the day of a quiz and then can't return for two more weeks, then can the other students get the quiz back?

I'm a high school special education teacher, and also a parent of a kid with medical needs who has received homebound instruction.

I think that schools, at least at the high school level, need to figure out ways that kids can participate in their classes from a distance. So, teachers need to be uploading assignments to their calendars that include all the details, similar to what they've hopefully been doing during distance learning. I haven't done DL, because I was on maternity leave this year, but in the past I've struggled with HS teachers who upload half assignments. So, they'll post on their calendar "do the worksheet I handed out in class", without uploading a copy for the kids who weren't there or have an accommodation to type. Or the math teacher will write a list of problems on the board, and ask the kids to copy down the numbers, and then just post "do problems as listed on the board", which doesn't work for the sick kid at home trying to catch up. So, hopefully, we'll bring back what we learned from distance learning and start making accessible assignments.

Schools should also be looking at technology to record the direct instruction part of the class. So, if you're spending 20 minutes talking through a powerpoint, you should be able to post that to a secure portal.

If there's a test, then there needs to be an online version of that test, not asking the kid to wait till they get back. If there's a group project, there needs to be a solo version that a kid can do at home. Yes, it might mean more cheating, and yes there will be kids who are too sick to do the work, but it will help with the need that kids have to come back early so they can catch up.

See, we are solving the world's problems here. All of those are great ideas. The one thing I would say is maybe allow kids at home who aren't sick to participate in the group projects from home? Many group projects are completed outside of school anyway. The biggest thing my high school son said he missed during distance learnings, was being able to do work in class with his friends. He likes being able to collaborate and work through problems before asking the teacher questions.

I feel like I am hogging this thread a bit, but I think this is something that could easily happen and hope they put it in place immediately if/when schools reopen or some students go back. Even if it's not a group project, younger kids could watch their morning meetings, the school news if they have that, listen to read alouds and lessons, ask questions if they need to, etc. I work in a classroom with students who are medically fragile. If we go back, they'll probably have to be out a lot. It's obviously not the same as F2F, but when they're home sick, they miss whatever the rest of the class did that day. I think they would love to be able to connect and their parents would appreciate them being able to "see" their friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry for all the questions, but with teachers responding, I wanted to ask how you think kids in this situation (especially in high school) make up their work?
How, if classes were in person, would you handle the revolving door of kids being excluded from the classroom? Would they have to get assessments online? If a kid gets sick the day of a quiz and then can't return for two more weeks, then can the other students get the quiz back?

I'm a high school special education teacher, and also a parent of a kid with medical needs who has received homebound instruction.

I think that schools, at least at the high school level, need to figure out ways that kids can participate in their classes from a distance. So, teachers need to be uploading assignments to their calendars that include all the details, similar to what they've hopefully been doing during distance learning. I haven't done DL, because I was on maternity leave this year, but in the past I've struggled with HS teachers who upload half assignments. So, they'll post on their calendar "do the worksheet I handed out in class", without uploading a copy for the kids who weren't there or have an accommodation to type. Or the math teacher will write a list of problems on the board, and ask the kids to copy down the numbers, and then just post "do problems as listed on the board", which doesn't work for the sick kid at home trying to catch up. So, hopefully, we'll bring back what we learned from distance learning and start making accessible assignments.

Schools should also be looking at technology to record the direct instruction part of the class. So, if you're spending 20 minutes talking through a powerpoint, you should be able to post that to a secure portal.

If there's a test, then there needs to be an online version of that test, not asking the kid to wait till they get back. If there's a group project, there needs to be a solo version that a kid can do at home. Yes, it might mean more cheating, and yes there will be kids who are too sick to do the work, but it will help with the need that kids have to come back early so they can catch up.

See, we are solving the world's problems here. All of those are great ideas. The one thing I would say is maybe allow kids at home who aren't sick to participate in the group projects from home? Many group projects are completed outside of school anyway. The biggest thing my high school son said he missed during distance learnings, was being able to do work in class with his friends. He likes being able to collaborate and work through problems before asking the teacher questions.

I feel like I am hogging this thread a bit, but I think this is something that could easily happen and hope they put it in place immediately if/when schools reopen or some students go back. Even if it's not a group project, younger kids could watch their morning meetings, the school news if they have that, listen to read alouds and lessons, ask questions if they need to, etc. I work in a classroom with students who are medically fragile. If we go back, they'll probably have to be out a lot. It's obviously not the same as F2F, but when they're home sick, they miss whatever the rest of the class did that day. I think they would love to be able to connect and their parents would appreciate them being able to "see" their friends.

Not hogging the thread. I love your insights. If it were possible to do something to encourage more interaction, I wonder if some of the families who are nervous about sending their kids back would opt in to online only. That could allow more social distancing in school and make the online option available for kids who are sick or isolated as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Covid weren't an issue, this still reads like a kid who should be kept home from the time symptoms started. A child with a persistent cough, fatigue, sore throat, and stomach issues should be home resting, not sitting in a classroom with 25 other students and a teacher. In the past, schools probably wouldn't have made the kid stay home unless he had a fever, but going forward they definitely should when in-person classes resume. My guess is this will cut down on transmission of flu, strep, stomach viruses, etc. Yes, it's inconvenient for a lot of families, but it's going to be necessary from a public health standpoint.

I agree. OP, would you have sent him to school last year when he felt sick like this? Nuts.

OP here. He is a teenager and had been running around this entire time, so yes. I would have sent. He doesn't meet any of the criteria for school exclusion and is able to fully participate.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean by "running around this entire time". Has he been around non family members?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: What do you mean by "running around this entire time". Has he been around non family members?

In our backyard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: What do you mean by "running around this entire time". Has he been around non family members?

In our backyard.

Sorry, left out just with family members. My kids haven't been with friends in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry for all the questions, but with teachers responding, I wanted to ask how you think kids in this situation (especially in high school) make up their work?
How, if classes were in person, would you handle the revolving door of kids being excluded from the classroom? Would they have to get assessments online? If a kid gets sick the day of a quiz and then can't return for two more weeks, then can the other students get the quiz back?

I'm a high school special education teacher, and also a parent of a kid with medical needs who has received homebound instruction.

I think that schools, at least at the high school level, need to figure out ways that kids can participate in their classes from a distance. So, teachers need to be uploading assignments to their calendars that include all the details, similar to what they've hopefully been doing during distance learning. I haven't done DL, because I was on maternity leave this year, but in the past I've struggled with HS teachers who upload half assignments. So, they'll post on their calendar "do the worksheet I handed out in class", without uploading a copy for the kids who weren't there or have an accommodation to type. Or the math teacher will write a list of problems on the board, and ask the kids to copy down the numbers, and then just post "do problems as listed on the board", which doesn't work for the sick kid at home trying to catch up. So, hopefully, we'll bring back what we learned from distance learning and start making accessible assignments.

Schools should also be looking at technology to record the direct instruction part of the class. So, if you're spending 20 minutes talking through a powerpoint, you should be able to post that to a secure portal.

If there's a test, then there needs to be an online version of that test, not asking the kid to wait till they get back. If there's a group project, there needs to be a solo version that a kid can do at home. Yes, it might mean more cheating, and yes there will be kids who are too sick to do the work, but it will help with the need that kids have to come back early so they can catch up.

See, we are solving the world's problems here. All of those are great ideas. The one thing I would say is maybe allow kids at home who aren't sick to participate in the group projects from home? Many group projects are completed outside of school anyway. The biggest thing my high school son said he missed during distance learnings, was being able to do work in class with his friends. He likes being able to collaborate and work through problems before asking the teacher questions.

I feel like I am hogging this thread a bit, but I think this is something that could easily happen and hope they put it in place immediately if/when schools reopen or some students go back. Even if it's not a group project, younger kids could watch their morning meetings, the school news if they have that, listen to read alouds and lessons, ask questions if they need to, etc. I work in a classroom with students who are medically fragile. If we go back, they'll probably have to be out a lot. It's obviously not the same as F2F, but when they're home sick, they miss whatever the rest of the class did that day. I think they would love to be able to connect and their parents would appreciate them being able to "see" their friends.

There isn’t a designated camera man for each class, though. Classrooms are noisy places and there’s a lot of times that students are engaging in group or independent work. We also don’t have tech for kids to work with their classmates remotely-we lent it out to kids for distance learning and are probably never going to see it again.

[Anonymous]

From the debate up here in MA, people are saying educational privacy laws would be a major legal barrier to recording classes in a public school.

[Anonymous]

I feel like I am hogging this thread a bit, but I think this is something that could easily happen and hope they put it in place immediately if/when schools reopen or some students go back. Even if it's not a group project, younger kids could watch their morning meetings, the school news if they have that, listen to read alouds and lessons, ask questions if they need to, etc. I work in a classroom with students who are medically fragile. If we go back, they'll probably have to be out a lot. It's obviously not the same as F2F, but when they're home sick, they miss whatever the rest of the class did that day. I think they would love to be able to connect and their parents would appreciate them being able to "see" their friends.

I'm curious as to how you see this working? Would those students be on Zoom during the entire school day? How would their voices be broadcast to the whole classroom? What about making sure they can see whatever's going on? How would they recieve the materials they need to complete the assignments in real time? This seems hard to implement in real time unless you have an extra adult in charge of just working with the virtually tuning in kids.

[Anonymous]

So what about the kids with colds? No fever, no cough, just a runny nose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what about the kids with colds? No fever, no cough, just a runny nose.

If you can prove it’s a cold (negative COVID test) then that’s different. The issue is that a lot of cold symptoms are also COVID symptoms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what about the kids with colds? No fever, no cough, just a runny nose.

If you can prove it’s a cold (negative COVID test) then that’s different. The issue is that a lot of cold symptoms are also COVID symptoms.

So if your kid gets a negative rapid-covid test, then you can just flash the pass and send them in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what about the kids with colds? No fever, no cough, just a runny nose.

If you can prove it’s a cold (negative COVID test) then that’s different. The issue is that a lot of cold symptoms are also COVID symptoms.

So if your kid gets a negative rapid-covid test, then you can just flash the pass and send them in?

I would agree with this method in theory but I just don’t think it will work in practice. A kid with a runny nose would be getting up to blow their nose all the time, or taking off their mask, and sneezing. All you need is a few classmates to tell their parents that Johnny kept sneezing all day and you have them calling the school or sending their kids in sick. I feel like it’s all or nothing. You are sneezing and have a runny nose? You stay home.