Chap Peterson's speech at the VA Senate about opening schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent speech and courageous for a politician to say out loud that a 9 year old's life has more value than a 99 year olds.

That’s not exactly what he said and it’s just going to get people riled up phrasing it this way. Lets’s be accurate. He said “The death of a 99-year-old is not worth closing school for a 9-year-old.”

And I agree with him.

I completely disagree with him on that. No death is trivial and a human being who is 99 years old has so much experience and knowledge to share.

That said, we can give the 99 year old a vaccine AND open schools for 9 year olds, so let’s work on that. Right now, many counties are not doing well by their elders and have been extremely slow in getting them safely vaccinated.

I didn’t watch the speech. It seems like enough people here were impressed with it, but I am not. It sounds like he gave voice to the turbulent dissatisfaction and frustration so many parents have had with public schools, but I imagine he doesn’t have a good workable solution. Penalize schools financially if they don’t open? They already have their yearly budget!

I know it is emotionally fulfilling when people articulate so well the problems you see around you, but right now CP just seems to be pandering to the crowds and taking advantage of an emotionally charged situation. Better he volunteer at a vaccination clinic and figure out ways to speed the roll out, then tell diminish the death of a 99 year old.

In short, I want schools to open, too. Get the teachers and senior citizens vaccinated ASAP so we can do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have a script to use for calling/email?

I have had it with schools not being open for some level of in-person and find it totally unacceptable that they won't try, especially now that the vaccine is available.

Here's one.

<<<Senator (name),
I live at (address) and I am reaching out to you to BEG YOU to support the effort by Senators Petersen, Morrissey and Dunnavant to attach language to the budget that would require schools to be open for in person instruction in order to receive state funds.

Put bluntly, this is the biggest issue facing families in your district. FCPS has demonstrated a total lack of leadership and analysis paralysis. They will never commit to a plan until and unless they have an authority put pressure on them. I am not asking for them to eliminate the virtual school option for families who need that choice, but that you please acknowledge and understand that many children, including my own, are struggling in this virtual-only school.

This has to stop. We cannot continue to ask children to sacrifice their futures when we KNOW that mitigation strategies in schools work. We have seen it world-wide.

The state government got us into this mess when it closed schools "just for two weeks for a deep cleaning" in March. It has been over ten months. It has to stop. The state got us into this mess and it is time for the state to get us out of it.
Thank you. PLEASE support this language

Sincerely,
(your name)
(your contact info)>>>>

The senators like you to put your address in there so they an prioritize constituent emails. Feel free to add in a personal anecdote or data or an article or whatever.

[Anonymous]

FCPS doesn't feel like education is the MOST important thing. I mean a school system has other priorities, right?
- 1 hour lesson from April-end of the school year.
-delay in start of school by two weeks in the fall
-3.5 hours of teaching time (including specials) for elem kids. count the hours
-moved Mondays from synchronous to asynchronous
- kept the teacher planning days when we have already lost Mondays.

If Brabrand felt like education was the most important thing we would not be here. But let's keep it real. The school board WE elected has been pretty useless so we should take some responsibility for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent speech and courageous for a politician to say out loud that a 9 year old's life has more value than a 99 year olds.

That’s not exactly what he said and it’s just going to get people riled up phrasing it this way. Lets’s be accurate. He said “The death of a 99-year-old is not worth closing school for a 9-year-old.”

And I agree with him.

I completely disagree with him on that. No death is trivial and a human being who is 99 years old has so much experience and knowledge to share.

That said, we can give the 99 year old a vaccine AND open schools for 9 year olds, so let’s work on that. Right now, many counties are not doing well by their elders and have been extremely slow in getting them safely vaccinated.

I didn’t watch the speech. It seems like enough people here were impressed with it, but I am not. It sounds like he gave voice to the turbulent dissatisfaction and frustration so many parents have had with public schools, but I imagine he doesn’t have a good workable solution. Penalize schools financially if they don’t open? They already have their yearly budget!

I know it is emotionally fulfilling when people articulate so well the problems you see around you, but right now CP just seems to be pandering to the crowds and taking advantage of an emotionally charged situation. Better he volunteer at a vaccination clinic and figure out ways to speed the roll out, then tell diminish the death of a 99 year old.

In short, I want schools to open, too. Get the teachers and senior citizens vaccinated ASAP so we can do it.

Re: the bolded - he's attaching language to the budget saying they will withhold funding for school districts that don't offer an in-person option. So yes, he does actually have a stick for the schools.
https://richmond.com/news/local/education/dun...27-b51985b8c04c.html

[Anonymous]

For schools that don't open THIS FALL. Almost everyone thinks this is a reasonable position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have a script to use for calling/email?

I have had it with schools not being open for some level of in-person and find it totally unacceptable that they won't try, especially now that the vaccine is available.

Where is the vaccine available? Not in FX. Do you read or watch the news? - https://wjla.com/news/local/vaccines-virginia...cIiTIWUXxyBYaLokaVmw

Don't you read the news? All school system employees are being vaccinated ahead of everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent speech and courageous for a politician to say out loud that a 9 year old's life has more value than a 99 year olds.

That’s not exactly what he said and it’s just going to get people riled up phrasing it this way. Lets’s be accurate. He said “The death of a 99-year-old is not worth closing school for a 9-year-old.”

And I agree with him.

I completely disagree with him on that. No death is trivial and a human being who is 99 years old has so much experience and knowledge to share.

That said, we can give the 99 year old a vaccine AND open schools for 9 year olds, so let’s work on that. Right now, many counties are not doing well by their elders and have been extremely slow in getting them safely vaccinated.

I didn’t watch the speech. It seems like enough people here were impressed with it, but I am not. It sounds like he gave voice to the turbulent dissatisfaction and frustration so many parents have had with public schools, but I imagine he doesn’t have a good workable solution. Penalize schools financially if they don’t open? They already have their yearly budget!

I know it is emotionally fulfilling when people articulate so well the problems you see around you, but right now CP just seems to be pandering to the crowds and taking advantage of an emotionally charged situation. Better he volunteer at a vaccination clinic and figure out ways to speed the roll out, then tell diminish the death of a 99 year old.

In short, I want schools to open, too. Get the teachers and senior citizens vaccinated ASAP so we can do it.

It's like five minutes long. You want to opine on something you didn't watch? OK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have a script to use for calling/email?

I have had it with schools not being open for some level of in-person and find it totally unacceptable that they won't try, especially now that the vaccine is available.

Where is the vaccine available? Not in FX. Do you read or watch the news? - https://wjla.com/news/local/vaccines-virginia...cIiTIWUXxyBYaLokaVmw

You don’t have to have a vaccine for at least a hybrid opening, as hundreds of schools in the country have demonstrated. And every day FCPS teachers are posting photos of themselves getting the vaccine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have a script to use for calling/email?

I have had it with schools not being open for some level of in-person and find it totally unacceptable that they won't try, especially now that the vaccine is available.

Here's one.

<<<Senator (name),
I live at (address) and I am reaching out to you to BEG YOU to support the effort by Senators Petersen, Morrissey and Dunnavant to attach language to the budget that would require schools to be open for in person instruction in order to receive state funds.

Put bluntly, this is the biggest issue facing families in your district. FCPS has demonstrated a total lack of leadership and analysis paralysis. They will never commit to a plan until and unless they have an authority put pressure on them. I am not asking for them to eliminate the virtual school option for families who need that choice, but that you please acknowledge and understand that many children, including my own, are struggling in this virtual-only school.

This has to stop. We cannot continue to ask children to sacrifice their futures when we KNOW that mitigation strategies in schools work. We have seen it world-wide.

The state government got us into this mess when it closed schools "just for two weeks for a deep cleaning" in March. It has been over ten months. It has to stop. The state got us into this mess and it is time for the state to get us out of it.
Thank you. PLEASE support this language

Sincerely,
(your name)
(your contact info)>>>>

The senators like you to put your address in there so they an prioritize constituent emails. Feel free to add in a personal anecdote or data or an article or whatever.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent speech and courageous for a politician to say out loud that a 9 year old's life has more value than a 99 year olds.

That’s not exactly what he said and it’s just going to get people riled up phrasing it this way. Lets’s be accurate. He said “The death of a 99-year-old is not worth closing school for a 9-year-old.”

And I agree with him.

I completely disagree with him on that. No death is trivial and a human being who is 99 years old has so much experience and knowledge to share.

That said, we can give the 99 year old a vaccine AND open schools for 9 year olds, so let’s work on that. Right now, many counties are not doing well by their elders and have been extremely slow in getting them safely vaccinated.

I didn’t watch the speech. It seems like enough people here were impressed with it, but I am not. It sounds like he gave voice to the turbulent dissatisfaction and frustration so many parents have had with public schools, but I imagine he doesn’t have a good workable solution. Penalize schools financially if they don’t open? They already have their yearly budget!

I know it is emotionally fulfilling when people articulate so well the problems you see around you, but right now CP just seems to be pandering to the crowds and taking advantage of an emotionally charged situation. Better he volunteer at a vaccination clinic and figure out ways to speed the roll out, then tell diminish the death of a 99 year old.

In short, I want schools to open, too. Get the teachers and senior citizens vaccinated ASAP so we can do it.

Re: the bolded - he's attaching language to the budget saying they will withhold funding for school districts that don't offer an in-person option. So yes, he does actually have a stick for the schools.
https://richmond.com/news/local/education/dun...27-b51985b8c04c.html

Yes, I imagine that appeals to the punishment hungry mob and it is why it is a popular means to “educational reform.” It doesn’t work. Whenever they come up with one of those “Meet this benchmark or don’t get paid” it just means schools start cutting corners, not improving education in a meaningful way.

The thing is if most adults are vaccinated by fall, there is no reason for schools to stay closed, so this whole “penalty” schtick is just a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent speech and courageous for a politician to say out loud that a 9 year old's life has more value than a 99 year olds.

That’s not exactly what he said and it’s just going to get people riled up phrasing it this way. Lets’s be accurate. He said “The death of a 99-year-old is not worth closing school for a 9-year-old.”

And I agree with him.

I completely disagree with him on that. No death is trivial and a human being who is 99 years old has so much experience and knowledge to share.

That said, we can give the 99 year old a vaccine AND open schools for 9 year olds, so let’s work on that. Right now, many counties are not doing well by their elders and have been extremely slow in getting them safely vaccinated.

I didn’t watch the speech. It seems like enough people here were impressed with it, but I am not. It sounds like he gave voice to the turbulent dissatisfaction and frustration so many parents have had with public schools, but I imagine he doesn’t have a good workable solution. Penalize schools financially if they don’t open? They already have their yearly budget!

I know it is emotionally fulfilling when people articulate so well the problems you see around you, but right now CP just seems to be pandering to the crowds and taking advantage of an emotionally charged situation. Better he volunteer at a vaccination clinic and figure out ways to speed the roll out, then tell diminish the death of a 99 year old.

In short, I want schools to open, too. Get the teachers and senior citizens vaccinated ASAP so we can do it.

Re: the bolded - he's attaching language to the budget saying they will withhold funding for school districts that don't offer an in-person option. So yes, he does actually have a stick for the schools.
https://richmond.com/news/local/education/dun...27-b51985b8c04c.html

Yes, I imagine that appeals to the punishment hungry mob and it is why it is a popular means to “educational reform.” It doesn’t work. Whenever they come up with one of those “Meet this benchmark or don’t get paid” it just means schools start cutting corners, not improving education in a meaningful way.

The thing is if most adults are vaccinated by fall, there is no reason for schools to stay closed, so this whole “penalty” schtick is just a waste of time.

Why would the schools "cut corners"? This doesn't make any sense. They get their money for doing what they planned on doing anyway, opening 5 days a week for instructoin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For schools that don't open THIS FALL. Almost everyone thinks this is a reasonable position.

Right, so why are we wasting out time and energy on this? We all want schools to open in fall and enough adults will be vaccinated that it won’t be a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For schools that don't open THIS FALL. Almost everyone thinks this is a reasonable position.

Right, so why are we wasting out time and energy on this? We all want schools to open in fall and enough adults will be vaccinated that it won’t be a problem.

Because it makes things easier for school superintendents and schools boards. They don't have to argue with rabid teachers and paranoid parents. "We have to open full time to get our money. Sorry. Out of our hands." It makes life much simpler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent speech and courageous for a politician to say out loud that a 9 year old's life has more value than a 99 year olds.

That’s not exactly what he said and it’s just going to get people riled up phrasing it this way. Lets’s be accurate. He said “The death of a 99-year-old is not worth closing school for a 9-year-old.”

And I agree with him.

I completely disagree with him on that. No death is trivial and a human being who is 99 years old has so much experience and knowledge to share.

That said, we can give the 99 year old a vaccine AND open schools for 9 year olds, so let’s work on that. Right now, many counties are not doing well by their elders and have been extremely slow in getting them safely vaccinated.

I didn’t watch the speech. It seems like enough people here were impressed with it, but I am not. It sounds like he gave voice to the turbulent dissatisfaction and frustration so many parents have had with public schools, but I imagine he doesn’t have a good workable solution. Penalize schools financially if they don’t open? They already have their yearly budget!

I know it is emotionally fulfilling when people articulate so well the problems you see around you, but right now CP just seems to be pandering to the crowds and taking advantage of an emotionally charged situation. Better he volunteer at a vaccination clinic and figure out ways to speed the roll out, then tell diminish the death of a 99 year old.

In short, I want schools to open, too. Get the teachers and senior citizens vaccinated ASAP so we can do it.

It's like five minutes long. You want to opine on something you didn't watch? OK.

lol - Might’ve taken PP longer to type that out than watch. And PP is still twisting that quote about 99-year-olds.

I don’t know this man or his history. From what I’m reading here, I wouldn’t agree with his politics. But on this issue, I agree. Schools should be the last to close. If they’re not open in the fall after...what...8 months of vaccine distribution, we’ve got serious issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent speech and courageous for a politician to say out loud that a 9 year old's life has more value than a 99 year olds.

That’s not exactly what he said and it’s just going to get people riled up phrasing it this way. Lets’s be accurate. He said “The death of a 99-year-old is not worth closing school for a 9-year-old.”

And I agree with him.

I completely disagree with him on that. No death is trivial and a human being who is 99 years old has so much experience and knowledge to share.

That said, we can give the 99 year old a vaccine AND open schools for 9 year olds, so let’s work on that. Right now, many counties are not doing well by their elders and have been extremely slow in getting them safely vaccinated.

I didn’t watch the speech. It seems like enough people here were impressed with it, but I am not. It sounds like he gave voice to the turbulent dissatisfaction and frustration so many parents have had with public schools, but I imagine he doesn’t have a good workable solution. Penalize schools financially if they don’t open? They already have their yearly budget!

I know it is emotionally fulfilling when people articulate so well the problems you see around you, but right now CP just seems to be pandering to the crowds and taking advantage of an emotionally charged situation. Better he volunteer at a vaccination clinic and figure out ways to speed the roll out, then tell diminish the death of a 99 year old.

In short, I want schools to open, too. Get the teachers and senior citizens vaccinated ASAP so we can do it.

Re: the bolded - he's attaching language to the budget saying they will withhold funding for school districts that don't offer an in-person option. So yes, he does actually have a stick for the schools.
https://richmond.com/news/local/education/dun...27-b51985b8c04c.html

Yes, I imagine that appeals to the punishment hungry mob and it is why it is a popular means to “educational reform.” It doesn’t work. Whenever they come up with one of those “Meet this benchmark or don’t get paid” it just means schools start cutting corners, not improving education in a meaningful way.

The thing is if most adults are vaccinated by fall, there is no reason for schools to stay closed, so this whole “penalty” schtick is just a waste of time.

Why would the schools "cut corners"? This doesn't make any sense. They get their money for doing what they planned on doing anyway, opening 5 days a week for instructoin.

I am talking about “punitive” style reform in general. What I am trying to say is even if you wanted to, you can’t punish the schools until fall. They already have money for the year. By fall, everyone will be vaccinated so there won’t be problems opening. It is just a waste of time and legislation. We all want schools open and there is no way they won’t be by September!