Three cheers for this article

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:100% agree.

I am tired of being screamed at by both sides for wanting a pragmatic approach to this longterm problem. The people who are arguing that we cannot open schools until a vaccine are doing a terrible disservice to all the many, many families who do not have the resources to weather a school shut down of that length. And meanwhile, the people who claim Covid is overblown and advocate for full opening with little to no precautions only undermine efforts to open schools in a responsible way.

I'm exhausted. We live across the street from our kid's school and it just sits there empty every day, a wasted resources, as the kids who should be attending it are cared for and provided educations by parents (some of whom have had to quit or scale back jobs, putting family finances at risk), in group care that pose the exact same risks of exposure as school but at greater financial cost to parents, or in-home care that also carries exposure risks. It is baffling to me. It reminds me of back in May when we were told to social distance but all the city parks were closed so we were all crowded onto sidewalks together.

I do not understand why we can't have a rational conversation about how to best balance the competing risks, not just Covid but also the risks of children falling behind, the risks to parents and lower-paid childcare workers of becoming the defacto early education system, and the risks to families of bearing the brunt of the Covid crisis. I really do not understand.

There is a trust element that has been lost over the years.
Parents sent kids in sick. A child would be picked up from school one afternoon with a high fever and back at school the next day. The rule was 24 hours fever free - which clearly was not the case.

Parents time and again lied about the health of their child as it was inconvenient for them. Now the stakes are a lot higher.

This attitude is frankly what has turned me off to teachers/the WTU. If compromise is impossible, I choose Mayor Bowser over literally nothing, which is what WTU offers. At this point, I think they’d oppose opening once there’s a vaccine.

my thoughts too. or they are using covid as a bargaining chip, which is execrable.

A bargaining chip for what Karen? A better teaching environment? So horrible

No, they have explicitly asked for more money, actually.

They have their released list of asks and that is not on there.

Or you mean more money for schools? That’s fine.

[Anonymous]

They want more money and less teaching time. Teacher’s union is so backwards

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only places in America where schools are still completely closed are big cities run by Democrats where teachers unions are still powerful.

In most of the country, kids are back at school in some form.

You are welcome to move to Mississippi or Alabama or West Virginia or Louisiana - bastions of putting education first

How about Pennsylvania, New York,Connecticut or even Maryland?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only places in America where schools are still completely closed are big cities run by Democrats where teachers unions are still powerful.

In most of the country, kids are back at school in some form.

You are welcome to move to Mississippi or Alabama or West Virginia or Louisiana - bastions of putting education first

How about Pennsylvania, New York,Connecticut or even Maryland?

Or Massachusetts, New Jersey... or most places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:100% agree.

I am tired of being screamed at by both sides for wanting a pragmatic approach to this longterm problem. The people who are arguing that we cannot open schools until a vaccine are doing a terrible disservice to all the many, many families who do not have the resources to weather a school shut down of that length. And meanwhile, the people who claim Covid is overblown and advocate for full opening with little to no precautions only undermine efforts to open schools in a responsible way.

I'm exhausted. We live across the street from our kid's school and it just sits there empty every day, a wasted resources, as the kids who should be attending it are cared for and provided educations by parents (some of whom have had to quit or scale back jobs, putting family finances at risk), in group care that pose the exact same risks of exposure as school but at greater financial cost to parents, or in-home care that also carries exposure risks. It is baffling to me. It reminds me of back in May when we were told to social distance but all the city parks were closed so we were all crowded onto sidewalks together.

I do not understand why we can't have a rational conversation about how to best balance the competing risks, not just Covid but also the risks of children falling behind, the risks to parents and lower-paid childcare workers of becoming the defacto early education system, and the risks to families of bearing the brunt of the Covid crisis. I really do not understand.

There is a trust element that has been lost over the years.
Parents sent kids in sick. A child would be picked up from school one afternoon with a high fever and back at school the next day. The rule was 24 hours fever free - which clearly was not the case.

Parents time and again lied about the health of their child as it was inconvenient for them. Now the stakes are a lot higher.

That is a policy question that could be addressed via better policy. The reason parents send sick kids to school is because the parents do not have sick leave at work. So you do a two-pronged policy. Require temp and symptom checks at the door to the school (by a school nurse, not a teacher) and then DC has a policy in place that forces employers to allow sick leave to employees who much care for a sick kid. A lot of the problem will already be addressed because so many office-dwelling parents are now working from home, and could handle having a kid home sick without having to take a full day off. And DC could provide assistance to employers/employees who must be in person, by accommodating families that need someone at home with a kid who can't go to school.

To say "Oh, parents send kids to school sick all the time because parents are evil" is to ignore the actual underlying problems, which are solvable. It's laziness on the part of policy-makers to stop at the first road bump. If you work in municipal government or public school administration, this should be precisely the kind of problem-solving you embrace.

I kinda agree with this, but as a small business owner, I have to say that you can't just waive a magic wand and make this happen. How do small businesses with razor thin margins afford paid sick leave for employees when most are fighting off bankruptcy already because of the pandemic? And, is unpaid sick leave of any use to these parents? I don't have good answers to those questions.

It's a bit like the people who demand an end to evictions and a moratorium on rent collection. That's great, but how does a middle class person who owns rental property that barely breaks even or loses money on a monthly cash basis (and there are a LOT of these people who own rentals for long term equity, not monthly cash profit) pay their mortgage? What about row house owners who depend on renting a basement apartment in order to pay their mortgage?

I'm not saying that these proposals are a bad idea, but the money has got to come from somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:100% agree.

I am tired of being screamed at by both sides for wanting a pragmatic approach to this longterm problem. The people who are arguing that we cannot open schools until a vaccine are doing a terrible disservice to all the many, many families who do not have the resources to weather a school shut down of that length. And meanwhile, the people who claim Covid is overblown and advocate for full opening with little to no precautions only undermine efforts to open schools in a responsible way.

I'm exhausted. We live across the street from our kid's school and it just sits there empty every day, a wasted resources, as the kids who should be attending it are cared for and provided educations by parents (some of whom have had to quit or scale back jobs, putting family finances at risk), in group care that pose the exact same risks of exposure as school but at greater financial cost to parents, or in-home care that also carries exposure risks. It is baffling to me. It reminds me of back in May when we were told to social distance but all the city parks were closed so we were all crowded onto sidewalks together.

I do not understand why we can't have a rational conversation about how to best balance the competing risks, not just Covid but also the risks of children falling behind, the risks to parents and lower-paid childcare workers of becoming the defacto early education system, and the risks to families of bearing the brunt of the Covid crisis. I really do not understand.

There is a trust element that has been lost over the years.
Parents sent kids in sick. A child would be picked up from school one afternoon with a high fever and back at school the next day. The rule was 24 hours fever free - which clearly was not the case.

Parents time and again lied about the health of their child as it was inconvenient for them. Now the stakes are a lot higher.

That is a policy question that could be addressed via better policy. The reason parents send sick kids to school is because the parents do not have sick leave at work. So you do a two-pronged policy. Require temp and symptom checks at the door to the school (by a school nurse, not a teacher) and then DC has a policy in place that forces employers to allow sick leave to employees who much care for a sick kid. A lot of the problem will already be addressed because so many office-dwelling parents are now working from home, and could handle having a kid home sick without having to take a full day off. And DC could provide assistance to employers/employees who must be in person, by accommodating families that need someone at home with a kid who can't go to school.

To say "Oh, parents send kids to school sick all the time because parents are evil" is to ignore the actual underlying problems, which are solvable. It's laziness on the part of policy-makers to stop at the first road bump. If you work in municipal government or public school administration, this should be precisely the kind of problem-solving you embrace.

My friend's southern private school was up in arms because 3 seniors with COVID went to school. They knew. Their parents knew. It's not always about babysitting.

Are you suggesting that DC provide babysitters for kids with COVID?

[Anonymous]

I'm 17:00. Just wanted to add that my sister's midwest 1st grader has had 3 teachers already this year. Be ready for massive upheaval when they go back. Not saying that DCPS shouldn't consider, but there will be more pain.

I've got MS and HS kids and I'd rather not have that disruption, but that's me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only places in America where schools are still completely closed are big cities run by Democrats where teachers unions are still powerful.

In most of the country, kids are back at school in some form.

Aye, see you've been drinkin that Trump koolaid. Nice.

With a typical Trumpian disregard for facts. I was talking to a cousin who teaches in rural Virginia last weekend. She went through the list of the 4 rural counties near her, and 2 are still entirely DL at this point. The reality is that a LOT of places are still DL all over the country.

It's like people who take for granted that NYC (at 585 violent crimes per 100k) has a much higher violent crime rate than, for example, Tennessee (623 per 100K in 2016) or Alaska (885 per 100k).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They want more money and less teaching time. Teacher’s union is so backwards

Yes more money would be nice, considering I spend $1000 a year on my classroom, more now that Head Start is gone, thanks DCPS.

And wow even more now, so all of my students can have home materials and props to go along with the lessons. The kids in my class with an IEP who need adaptive scissors, which my school wouldn't reimburse me for.

$500 and counting....and in person it'll be more when I have to buy PPE, soap, etc.

I'm tired of this shit, DL even with PK3/4 is actually working because they have physical things and props. Because I did real home visits.
I see it can't work for all students but wow losing half my class is ridiculous. I feel sorry for teachers and parents who are being punished.

30 kids is PK is a no...schools are going to see so many withdrawals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only places in America where schools are still completely closed are big cities run by Democrats where teachers unions are still powerful.

In most of the country, kids are back at school in some form.

You are welcome to move to Mississippi or Alabama or West Virginia or Louisiana - bastions of putting education first

How about Pennsylvania, New York,Connecticut or even Maryland?

Or Massachusetts, New Jersey... or most places.

Massachusetts let individual school districts decide. Neighboring towns have gone back with different scenarios.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to make everyone on here, and in our government read this:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/10/14/us-schooling-during-covid-19-doesnt-deserve-passing-grade-heres-way-forward/

"Looking at the national pattern of school choices, it is clear that evidence-based policy is not driving these decisions. In states with high and increasing rates of community spread, many schools are open for full in-person learning — putting economic and political considerations before safety and health. In states with lower community spread, many schools are still remote, allowing a single factor — fear of covid-19 — to drive decision-making, despite low absolute risks of school-based transmission and ignoring the real-world risks of hybrid or remote learning."

I'm not 100% pro or against school opening - I'm pro-science and good policy! It's almost as though none of our policymakers learned the basics of public policy. "These are not decisions school leaders or teachers unions should be weighing directly; instead, city leaders, legislators and governors should be considering the broader impacts of school closures on their local economies and working families."

It seems in DC Bowser has sort of tried to do this, but she still comes across not as a reasonable policy leader but very much screw you to the workers in DCPS. I wish we could have actual public health experts - and not the one she's employed, but who are realistic and impartial - to make clear decisions.

Making good policy right now in a pandemic crisis requires money.

Only the federal government can borrow money to help the schools get through this.

Bowser has no options except to try to reopen.