Should DCPS follow suit with MCPS starting year 100% Virtual?

[Anonymous]

I’m a teacher and what now gives me pause is not the availability of masks, hand sanitizer or deep cleaning. These are important of course but I feel like in a pinch I can cover that stuff. I have always improvised.

What concerns me is the unavailability of testing supplies and the long turnaround times for results. Especially when flu season starts. Regular and rapid testing is key to monitoring the disease and spread. This is required. Read the headlines about all the shortages nation wide. Even in DC, where things are under control.

Will DCPS miraculously have enough testing supplies in stock? In vast numbers? I think not. And I don’t want to find out in the middle of an in person cycle. Think about it for a minute. Will teachers be at home for days or weeks waiting for test results if they have a sore throat? Who will cover their classes? Will the students need to quarantine? Get tested? Nightmare scenario played out district wide.

Why is testing ability in DC not a front and center concern for everyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and what now gives me pause is not the availability of masks, hand sanitizer or deep cleaning. These are important of course but I feel like in a pinch I can cover that stuff. I have always improvised.

What concerns me is the unavailability of testing supplies and the long turnaround times for results. Especially when flu season starts. Regular and rapid testing is key to monitoring the disease and spread. This is required. Read the headlines about all the shortages nation wide. Even in DC, where things are under control.

Will DCPS miraculously have enough testing supplies in stock? In vast numbers? I think not. And I don’t want to find out in the middle of an in person cycle. Think about it for a minute. Will teachers be at home for days or weeks waiting for test results if they have a sore throat? Who will cover their classes? Will the students need to quarantine? Get tested? Nightmare scenario played out district wide.

Why is testing ability in DC not a front and center concern for everyone?

I think a lot of us are concerned about that. Unfortunately a lot of us have no power to make it happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and what now gives me pause is not the availability of masks, hand sanitizer or deep cleaning. These are important of course but I feel like in a pinch I can cover that stuff. I have always improvised.

What concerns me is the unavailability of testing supplies and the long turnaround times for results. Especially when flu season starts. Regular and rapid testing is key to monitoring the disease and spread. This is required. Read the headlines about all the shortages nation wide. Even in DC, where things are under control.

Will DCPS miraculously have enough testing supplies in stock? In vast numbers? I think not. And I don’t want to find out in the middle of an in person cycle. Think about it for a minute. Will teachers be at home for days or weeks waiting for test results if they have a sore throat? Who will cover their classes? Will the students need to quarantine? Get tested? Nightmare scenario played out district wide.

Why is testing ability in DC not a front and center concern for everyone?

I think a lot of us are concerned about that. Unfortunately a lot of us have no power to make it happen.

I think the testing situation is truly appalling and I blame all levels of government. The backlog of getting results is ridiculous and makes testing and contact tracing useless and impossible.

[Anonymous]

It is baffling to me that rapid testing isn’t the #1 priority of the business community, govt, everyone

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is baffling to me that rapid testing isn’t the #1 priority of the business community, govt, everyone

This. Especially because the technology is there. It’s a question of production. We should be moving heaven and earth to produce the rapid tests in massive numbers, WWII style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and what now gives me pause is not the availability of masks, hand sanitizer or deep cleaning. These are important of course but I feel like in a pinch I can cover that stuff. I have always improvised.

What concerns me is the unavailability of testing supplies and the long turnaround times for results. Especially when flu season starts. Regular and rapid testing is key to monitoring the disease and spread. This is required. Read the headlines about all the shortages nation wide. Even in DC, where things are under control.

Will DCPS miraculously have enough testing supplies in stock? In vast numbers? I think not. And I don’t want to find out in the middle of an in person cycle. Think about it for a minute. Will teachers be at home for days or weeks waiting for test results if they have a sore throat? Who will cover their classes? Will the students need to quarantine? Get tested? Nightmare scenario played out district wide.

Why is testing ability in DC not a front and center concern for everyone?

This is a big concern. My understanding is that teachers will have to teach remotely while out as a precaution/waiting for results, unless very ill of course. Otherwise, there will be no consistency in teaching. The schools will need to use all staff members in the building to supervise classes while the teacher teaches on a screen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and what now gives me pause is not the availability of masks, hand sanitizer or deep cleaning. These are important of course but I feel like in a pinch I can cover that stuff. I have always improvised.

What concerns me is the unavailability of testing supplies and the long turnaround times for results. Especially when flu season starts. Regular and rapid testing is key to monitoring the disease and spread. This is required. Read the headlines about all the shortages nation wide. Even in DC, where things are under control.

Will DCPS miraculously have enough testing supplies in stock? In vast numbers? I think not. And I don’t want to find out in the middle of an in person cycle. Think about it for a minute. Will teachers be at home for days or weeks waiting for test results if they have a sore throat? Who will cover their classes? Will the students need to quarantine? Get tested? Nightmare scenario played out district wide.

Why is testing ability in DC not a front and center concern for everyone?

This is a big concern. My understanding is that teachers will have to teach remotely while out as a precaution/waiting for results, unless very ill of course. Otherwise, there will be no consistency in teaching. The schools will need to use all staff members in the building to supervise classes while the teacher teaches on a screen.

Clarification: this is not my understanding for DCPS--rather what I have heard elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Hell no.

Close the bars, open the schools.

This is ridiculous. Kids need to go to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be too chaotic to have in person learning. What don't folks get? The logistics is just too much and I hated DL for my 2nd and 4th grader.

These are unforeseen times and we just have to deal with it and not get all up in arms when we are lucky to be alive!

Oh, this is where I completely disagree. These were not unforeseen times. Europe saw these times, Australia and New Zealand saw these times. Our federal and state leaders didn't act and aren't acting now. If kids were put first, bars would be closed, Disney would be closed, church would be closed and we'd be safely opening schools with PPE, tests, and enough space for safe learning. This wasn't some inevitable consequence and because of this, I can't say "bravo" to this kind of "plan".

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and what now gives me pause is not the availability of masks, hand sanitizer or deep cleaning. These are important of course but I feel like in a pinch I can cover that stuff. I have always improvised.

What concerns me is the unavailability of testing supplies and the long turnaround times for results. Especially when flu season starts. Regular and rapid testing is key to monitoring the disease and spread. This is required. Read the headlines about all the shortages nation wide. Even in DC, where things are under control.

Will DCPS miraculously have enough testing supplies in stock? In vast numbers? I think not. And I don’t want to find out in the middle of an in person cycle. Think about it for a minute. Will teachers be at home for days or weeks waiting for test results if they have a sore throat? Who will cover their classes? Will the students need to quarantine? Get tested? Nightmare scenario played out district wide.

Why is testing ability in DC not a front and center concern for everyone?

This is a big concern. My understanding is that teachers will have to teach remotely while out as a precaution/waiting for results, unless very ill of course. Otherwise, there will be no consistency in teaching. The schools will need to use all staff members in the building to supervise classes while the teacher teaches on a screen.

We could still do frequent random samples testing regularly. Even if results are slow, begin to do daily testing of a subset of kids and staff members, perhaps starting a week before school opens. There are ways to do this. I’m also frustrated that DC leadership isn’t more vocal about this.

[Anonymous]

I’m in Delaware and they are doing an amazing job with testing, IMO. Tons of free drive through testing events, great short instructional video, results emailed in 3 days. I expect they will apply the same sort of plan to schools. Population wise DE is similar to DC. DC should copy what Delaware is doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and what now gives me pause is not the availability of masks, hand sanitizer or deep cleaning. These are important of course but I feel like in a pinch I can cover that stuff. I have always improvised.

What concerns me is the unavailability of testing supplies and the long turnaround times for results. Especially when flu season starts. Regular and rapid testing is key to monitoring the disease and spread. This is required. Read the headlines about all the shortages nation wide. Even in DC, where things are under control.

Will DCPS miraculously have enough testing supplies in stock? In vast numbers? I think not. And I don’t want to find out in the middle of an in person cycle. Think about it for a minute. Will teachers be at home for days or weeks waiting for test results if they have a sore throat? Who will cover their classes? Will the students need to quarantine? Get tested? Nightmare scenario played out district wide.

Why is testing ability in DC not a front and center concern for everyone?

This is a big concern. My understanding is that teachers will have to teach remotely while out as a precaution/waiting for results, unless very ill of course. Otherwise, there will be no consistency in teaching. The schools will need to use all staff members in the building to supervise classes while the teacher teaches on a screen.

We could still do frequent random samples testing regularly. Even if results are slow, begin to do daily testing of a subset of kids and staff members, perhaps starting a week before school opens. There are ways to do this. I’m also frustrated that DC leadership isn’t more vocal about this.

This should be done AT the schools, not after waiting on a long line at the fire house.

[Anonymous]

Teacher teaching from home (while waiting for test results) and students in class watching on a screen?

What screen? Our school has only 2 smart boards.

Hahaha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher teaching from home (while waiting for test results) and students in class watching on a screen?

What screen? Our school has only 2 smart boards.

Hahaha

Our school does have smartboards, but I still don't understand who would be watching our children in the classrooms during that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m in Delaware and they are doing an amazing job with testing, IMO. Tons of free drive through testing events, great short instructional video, results emailed in 3 days. I expect they will apply the same sort of plan to schools. Population wise DE is similar to DC. DC should copy what Delaware is doing.

This won't work for the schools because the tests can't be random and offsite. You're supposed to test ~ 25% of each group, which would be based on who you were in classroom/contact with. If it comes back negative (immediately, not after 3 days) then the group is fine. If a certain amount comes back positive (I think it was ~ 5-10%) then you test the entire group to see the spread and then start to quarantine that group.