Barriers to more fully opening schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

At our dcps elementary school, #2 is per day. The daily am and pm cohorts taught by the same teacher each have totally separate classrooms. This seems I necessary and doing away with this would greatly increase the number of children in school. An hour in between cohorts is sufficient to wipe down surfaces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

At our dcps elementary school, #2 is per day. The daily am and pm cohorts taught by the same teacher each have totally separate classrooms. This seems I necessary and doing away with this would greatly increase the number of children in school. An hour in between cohorts is sufficient to wipe down surfaces.

Sorry meant to say it’s UNNECESSARY to have separate classrooms for am and pm cohorts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

At our dcps elementary school, #2 is per day. The daily am and pm cohorts taught by the same teacher each have totally separate classrooms. This seems I necessary and doing away with this would greatly increase the number of children in school. An hour in between cohorts is sufficient to wipe down surfaces.

Sorry meant to say it’s UNNECESSARY to have separate classrooms for am and pm cohorts.

Saying it is unnecessary is a very kind way to put it - it is INSANE to keep any, let alone many, kids out of school due to a thoroughly debunked theory of the threat of surface transmission from the early days of the pandemic. Yes, the virus lasts on surfaces, but it getting transmitted this way is extremely rare. It's this kind of unscientific, fear-based approach that aims to eliminate every residual risk (no pun intended) that is ruining everybody's life and especially those of kids.

[Anonymous]

In some schools -- ventilation. I think an hour is plenty to wipe down surfaces between cohorts, but you need to have a robust ventilation system (HVAC, air purifiers, opening windows) to fully turn over the air in the space. And you need an HVAC system that isn't recirculating air, but is pulling 100 percent in from outside, plus air purifiers in the classroom to cycle the air several times an hour while the kids are in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In some schools -- ventilation. I think an hour is plenty to wipe down surfaces between cohorts, but you need to have a robust ventilation system (HVAC, air purifiers, opening windows) to fully turn over the air in the space. And you need an HVAC system that isn't recirculating air, but is pulling 100 percent in from outside, plus air purifiers in the classroom to cycle the air several times an hour while the kids are in the classroom.

Can you say which schools? I was under the impression, through the various plans that DCPS puts out on each school + the walk-throughs + the recent arbitration that ventilation concerns had been addressed at all DCPS schools (maybe except for two, and those issues were being remedied).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

The limit on 11 students per classroom is HUGE and also very dumb.

[Anonymous]

Direct your complaints to:

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

At our dcps elementary school, #2 is per day. The daily am and pm cohorts taught by the same teacher each have totally separate classrooms. This seems I necessary and doing away with this would greatly increase the number of children in school. An hour in between cohorts is sufficient to wipe down surfaces.

Sorry meant to say it’s UNNECESSARY to have separate classrooms for am and pm cohorts.

ITA. Open the doors and windows, run the air filter, and bring in the second class. There aren’t that many communal surfaces, and they can be wiped down quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

The limit on 11 students per classroom is HUGE and also very dumb.

I'm in favor of the limits, because that's how you maintain distance, which is one part of reopening safely.

[Anonymous]

If teachers are vaccinated or the vaccine is at least made avaiable to all of them, how can they refuse to come back to the classroom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If teachers are vaccinated or the vaccine is at least made avaiable to all of them, how can they refuse to come back to the classroom?

Because charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

At our dcps elementary school, #2 is per day. The daily am and pm cohorts taught by the same teacher each have totally separate classrooms. This seems I necessary and doing away with this would greatly increase the number of children in school. An hour in between cohorts is sufficient to wipe down surfaces.

Sorry meant to say it’s UNNECESSARY to have separate classrooms for am and pm cohorts.

Saying it is unnecessary is a very kind way to put it - it is INSANE to keep any, let alone many, kids out of school due to a thoroughly debunked theory of the threat of surface transmission from the early days of the pandemic. Yes, the virus lasts on surfaces, but it getting transmitted this way is extremely rare. It's this kind of unscientific, fear-based approach that aims to eliminate every residual risk (no pun intended) that is ruining everybody's life and especially those of kids.

And yet the CDC has said otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone provide the link to the OSSE/DOH guidance that has required schools to limit number of cohorts in classrooms and with teachers? Or any guidance on bathroom usage at schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

The limit on 11 students per classroom is HUGE and also very dumb.

I'm in favor of the limits, because that's how you maintain distance, which is one part of reopening safely.

For elementary school they should allow 3 feet between students but 6 feet away from the teacher. Keeping kids out of school has consequences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to determine the requirements that are preventing schools from opening more fully for a letter to DOH and the mayor/councilmembers. Here are the ones I have come up with so far and would appreciate it if others would chime in if there are others:

1. Six feet of distance between each student/desk in the classroom.

2. No classroom can be used for more than one cohort (is this per day? or needs to be cleaned between cohorts?)

3. Bathrooms- how many classrooms/kids can use at the same time?

4. No more than 11 students in a classroom at a time.

At our dcps elementary school, #2 is per day. The daily am and pm cohorts taught by the same teacher each have totally separate classrooms. This seems I necessary and doing away with this would greatly increase the number of children in school. An hour in between cohorts is sufficient to wipe down surfaces.

Sorry meant to say it’s UNNECESSARY to have separate classrooms for am and pm cohorts.

Saying it is unnecessary is a very kind way to put it - it is INSANE to keep any, let alone many, kids out of school due to a thoroughly debunked theory of the threat of surface transmission from the early days of the pandemic. Yes, the virus lasts on surfaces, but it getting transmitted this way is extremely rare. It's this kind of unscientific, fear-based approach that aims to eliminate every residual risk (no pun intended) that is ruining everybody's life and especially those of kids.

And yet the CDC has said otherwise.

Well, the CDC, or the CDC people who wrote the guidelines, are being excessively cautious based on outdated information. No surprise that there would be a certain amount of inertia and also no surprise that people at the CDC aren’t immune to the fear-based discourse around Covid, but if it causes this much harm, it needs to get called out.