TEACHERS- what reasonable accommodations would you like for IN PERSON school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here, who was willing to go back. I planned on taking the following into my highschool classroom provided by myself because I doubted any ppe would arrive in timely fashion:
1. N95 mask I was fortunate to have in my house from a home project
2. Face shield I purchased in June and chemical safety glasses
3. Scrubs and or plastic poncho to wear over my clothes
4. Shoes to be left at work or in car
5. Bleach, rags, bucket, cleaning gloves to wipe every desk in between classes and computer shared by three teachers in the 2-3 classrooms I teach in every year. Also any lab equipment used by multiple groups throughout the day.
6. Soap and paper towels for all students to wash hands upon entering my room (science rooms have sinks). Leave hand sanitizer for teachers with no sinks
7. Fans to put by open window to keep fresh air coming in and push air out
8. Large tarp to take outside to eat lunch with class outside as much as possible.
9. Had started trying to get large piece of plexiglass to place at front of classroom.
10. At the super sales at staples etc... Planned on buying 50 sets of colored pencils and markers to be divided into smaller sets to allow each of my 150 students a few colors that would be theirs all year, and stay in classroom. Also glue sticks.
11. Another set of class scissors and rulers that could be dunked in alcohol in-between classes
12. Another set of whiteboards so students could write more answers rather than me trying to figure out what they said from behind their mask. Also needing to be dunked in cleaner between classes
13. Dish drainer racks to hold items drying between classes
14. Shower curtain to create area for students to blow their nose

I figure if my dentist suits up like that to be near me for 30 minutes without a mask on, I should follow the same to be near 16 students for 90 minutes for four blocks a day. Especially if result of one case will be to close the school or the classes students in. Minimize chance of spread in my classroom.

Also considering goggles for when in restroom and if eating lunch indoors with students. I would not eat while students eating, and honestly would have considered having kids unmask one at a time to eat their lunch in the classroom to protect them depending on their ability to distance and not talk while eating.

Are you really willing to wear that same mask 8 hours a day for 180 days?

OP here- in the hospitals we put a regular mask on top of it to protect it. You can keep it clean and wear it long term like this.

Not 180 days.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]Let's start a civil list of obtainable accommodations that parents can help with to get our kids in school in person (whether hybrid or full time) anytime between now and next year. (Aside from basic cdc guidelines which seem to not be enough to all)

I'll start.

Reasonable


parents sending in extra masks with kids
parent volunteer list to clean between classes/ on off days where there may not be custodial help.
Be NICE to teachers- we need you!

Unreasonable

New ventilation system

For any proponents of 100% DL/ [b]families of high risk or immunocompromised persons etc. This thread is not for you.
[/b]
Please lets stick to the topic and not run this thread down. I think we can make some great suggestions!

How can we help? Can we help?

~signed mcps 5 and 8 y.o mom
[/quote]

Hi, thank you, but you cannot discount persons with disabilities from in person learning. It's illegal disability discrimination. If you want an in person schooling plan, you are going to have to take into account how persons with medical vulnerabilities can be reasonably included. Because, FYI, the person with a medical vulnerability could eventually be you or your child!

Also, you have to take account of the science. The reality is that COVID appears to be highly transmissible through some kind of droplet spread by air with in any enclosed space, particularly one where people are talking and it will be with us for awhile, even with a vaccine. The vast majority of super spreading events have been in enclosed spaces of some kind - buses, markets, churches, restaurants, etc. Improving ventilation in accord with the science is imperative if you want to get kids back to school. Local schools, in conjunction with the CDC and state and national governments need to figure out what kind of ventilation systems minimize risk of transmission of airborne pathogens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HIPAA waivers so we can openly share who is sick and other vital health information. Rumors run wild and cause fear. Also knowing your name will be released will serve as a way to limit parents dosing their kids up on meds and dumping them.

NO! HIPAA waivers are a terrible idea. Plus, I don't think you can force someone to waive statutory rights in order to attend public school. In any case, violations of privacy are what drive illness underground. Schools do not need to violate HIPAA to contract trace and inform people when illness is spreading. NO ONE should have their name released if ill. Again, that kind of public shaming drives illness underground. We have seen that in pandemics in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a lot of disagreement among staff —not just teachers, about what feel safe for our return. I am friends with many subs and paras. Most are older and are even more reluctant to return than the teachers I know. One of the cafeteria workers lost her adult daughter to COVID and is struggling to help raise her grandchildren. It’s a huge gamble for her to return. If she dies, the kids go into foster care.

This is so sad.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]
Hi, thank you, but you cannot discount persons with disabilities from in person learning. It's illegal disability discrimination. If you want an in person schooling plan, you are going to have to take into account how persons with medical vulnerabilities can be reasonably included. Because, FYI, the person with a medical vulnerability could eventually be you or your child!

Also, you have to take account of the science. The reality is that COVID appears to be highly transmissible through some kind of droplet spread by air with in any enclosed space, particularly one where people are talking and it will be with us for awhile, even with a vaccine. The vast majority of super spreading events have been in enclosed spaces of some kind - buses, markets, churches, restaurants, etc. Improving ventilation in accord with the science is imperative if you want to get kids back to school. Local schools, in conjunction with the CDC and state and national governments need to figure out what kind of ventilation systems minimize risk of transmission of airborne pathogens.[/quote]

FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers have been involved at hotspots around the country in retrofitting new ventilation to enable them to turn makeshift buildings, empty hotels, and gymnasiums into COVID treatment sites. From the person I spoke with, this isn't that hard of a process. You need material, knowledge, and labor, and those are federally available.

[Anonymous]

Donated masks are nice, but they aren’t helpful to a school system that cannot practically enforce their use. The mcps YouTube video dispelling myths made clear that mcps could not and would not enforce use.

Cleaning between classes was already part of the plan, right? They determined it was insufficient since it does nothing to mitigate the risk while people are in the classroom...particularly if masks aren’t enforced.

What about a plan for a protocol when a teacher or student or custodian tests positive? They never articulated a protocol beyond notifying health officials. That made teachers and parents nervous.

What about a plan for hallways? And buses? Nothing was clearly articulated beyond high level talking points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a lot of disagreement among staff —not just teachers, about what feel safe for our return. I am friends with many subs and paras. Most are older and are even more reluctant to return than the teachers I know. One of the cafeteria workers lost her adult daughter to COVID and is struggling to help raise her grandchildren. It’s a huge gamble for her to return. If she dies, the kids go into foster care.

This is so sad.

It is really sad. If we can’t return to school, will she still have a job? Would she consider getting a different type of job that is less risky?

[Anonymous]

Maybe just meeting the WH criteria for reopening would be a start: https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/

To reopen schools (Phase 2), the WH recommends 28 days with the following:
- Downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) reported within a 14-day period AND
- Downward trajectory of covid-like syndromic cases reported within a 14-day period AND
- Downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period OR Downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period (flat or increasing volume of tests) [MD meets neither of these] AND
- Treat all patients without crisis care AND
- Robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers, including emerging antibody testing

https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a lot of disagreement among staff —not just teachers, about what feel safe for our return. I am friends with many subs and paras. Most are older and are even more reluctant to return than the teachers I know. One of the cafeteria workers lost her adult daughter to COVID and is struggling to help raise her grandchildren. It’s a huge gamble for her to return. If she dies, the kids go into foster care.

This is so sad.

It is really sad. If we can’t return to school, will she still have a job? Would she consider getting a different type of job that is less risky?

1) "School lunch lady" should not be a high-risk job, ever.
2) Your solution in this economy is for people who are lucky enough to have jobs to go hunting around for different ones?

We've all lost our collective minds. Get the virus under control, like most of the developed world has managed to do, and we can reopen schools!

[Anonymous]

A clear plan on how my school can socially distance when we are 200% overcapacity. And no, putting half the kids in school M,T and the other half R, F isn't acceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a lot of disagreement among staff —not just teachers, about what feel safe for our return. I am friends with many subs and paras. Most are older and are even more reluctant to return than the teachers I know. One of the cafeteria workers lost her adult daughter to COVID and is struggling to help raise her grandchildren. It’s a huge gamble for her to return. If she dies, the kids go into foster care.

This is so sad.

It is really sad. If we can’t return to school, will she still have a job? Would she consider getting a different type of job that is less risky?

Unfortunately, teachers who have sought or secured less risking jobs such as private tutoring individual students or small pods have been vilified as opportunists or hypocrites. I saw nothing but support on social media for a nurse who switched to private duty rather than a general practice. Shouldn’t teachers and other school staff be equally respected for making that choice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Donated masks are nice, but they aren’t helpful to a school system that cannot practically enforce their use. The mcps YouTube video dispelling myths made clear that mcps could not and would not enforce use.

Cleaning between classes was already part of the plan, right? They determined it was insufficient since it does nothing to mitigate the risk while people are in the classroom...particularly if masks aren’t enforced.

What about a plan for a protocol when a teacher or student or custodian tests positive? They never articulated a protocol beyond notifying health officials. That made teachers and parents nervous.

What about a plan for hallways? And buses? Nothing was clearly articulated beyond high level talking points.

As any Eastern Middle School student about crowding in the 400 and 700 hallways. Look at the photos Blair students are posting online.

[Anonymous]

At the top of my list would be an assurance that if I end up having to be quarantined multiple times for 14 days because a kid exposed me, It would count a workman’s comp and I would get my full salary. Right now, there is a 9 percent chance that there would be someone with the virus in each of my classes, and about a 50% chance that there would be someone in the course of the day. I get 10 days of leave a year, and since I am coming back from maternity leave I have nothing saved up.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]

For any proponents of 100% DL/ families of high risk or immunocompromised persons etc. This thread is not for you.
[/quote]

One thing that would make a huge difference to me would be if parents who are seeking more time in school didn’t discount members of our community in this way. As a teacher, what I want is for our whole community to be together. Those people you are so eager to dismiss are my students, my colleagues, my family members, my loved ones. One of the reasons I support 100% DL is because I hope that we can get to the point where we are all together, and our community is complete.

Any parent who would post what you wrote isn’t coming from the same place as me, ant that makes me worried that you wouldn’t make the choices I need to trust you to make, such as keeping your family out of risky situations and keeping them home with any symptoms.

[Anonymous]

1. Mandatory masks for grades 3 and up. If students are not willing or cannot wear masks then they are assigned to online learning.

2. A holding room for students who get sent to school sick. Too many parents give their sick kids fever reducing medication so we don't know they are sick until lunchtime. Then they won't pick up their sick child. We need a "sick room" where these kids can be sent until the end of the day.

3. Free testing available at schools for students and parents as well as teachers. School nurses can easily be trained to perform the test. That way students with fevers are tested if they want to return within 14 days.

I would eagerly go back to teaching if these were in place.