PETITION: MCPS Board of Eduction - Keep Schools Open for In-Person Learning!
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Anonymous
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Sorry to bring this back up, but I am still very confused about how the fact I want my child to be in person at our public school is born from some sort of privilege? I am not trying to be snarky, I just truly do not understand it. So many people throwing out angry stereotypes here. Agreed there are people of all stripes on both sides of this. Personally, in person school is just crucial for my kids mental health (they were so miserable during virtual) and I don't think there is yet enough evidence of community spread. The teacher shortages, I understand.
Aside from trolls who say parents who want in person school just want babysitting, I don't understand the class arguments at all. |
Anonymous
+ 1000 |
Anonymous
Working class POC in Montgomery County are more likely (emphasis so no one pops up with their opposing anecdote, if that's all they have) than wealthier white families to: -Suffer poorer outcomes from COVID -Have already lost loved ones to COVID -Live with older, more vulnerable relatives -Have at least a few close community members they can rely on to swap virtual supervision duties with -Per above, have jobs where they can actually be completely off of work at least 1-2 days (during daytime) during the week -Have those same hourly/shift jobs that don't allow them to take any or many sick days-- which means both a greater likelihood of sending kids in sick or exposed (if in person) and a stronger preference that the kids not get sick in the first place -Even if they don't want to send their kids in-person, be unable to keep kids home truant d/t less supervision (without virtual-- but with virtual, they would be more able to swap childcare) -Be harassed if they keep their kids home truant (without virtual) -Etc. There are several reasons that WC POC were far more likely to keep their kids in virtual last spring than UMC white families, including language barriers I won't discount, but the above accounted for a lot of them. It's also the case that though they are underserved by virtual, many have reported facing less racism/classism in discipline with virtual than in-person. It's definitely true that WC POC are more likely than the opposite to have their kids not sign in for virtual or be really unsupported if they are struggling, d/t lack of resources, having only an older sibling to supervise, etc. However, those cases are in the minority. People are inferring-- and there is some truth to it-- that working class families need the "free childcare" more than wealthier families. But they're making a few errors. Among them is the assumption that the only way for kids to do passably in virtual is for each child's parent to be at home and providing heavy supervision and assistance (on average). Clearly parents are less able (again, on average) to provide this if they WOH than WFH. But there's no proof that it makes such an incredible difference for the average kid that it's strictly necessary. Another error, of course, is assuming that if schools are not in session, WC POC have no options for childcare other than paid childcare, which they have less money for. In fact, they're more likely to have trusted, unpaid, flexible childcare than UMC white parents. And of course, risk assessment is different when you're at higher risk of devastation from COVID. So... I hope that helps. That's not even comprehensive, on any side, and I don't claim it is. It's just off the top of my head because I have a work break. I think statements about privilege are (or should be) more about not considering other people in different, more challenging circumstances. It is a privilege to be ignorant of... well, all the things you are apparently ignorant of. People who are less privileged, on average, actually must have some understanding of the perspectives and circumstances of the more-privileged in order to survive. It's related to what WEB DuBois calls Double Consciousness, but anyhow. What I'm talking about is the idea that if you're the ant, you have to know where the boot is going to step, but if you're the boot, the comings and goings of the ant aren't all that salient to you. |
Anonymous
DP, and thank you. That all makes sense; even though I'm not the PP who asked, I appreciate your taking the time to spell it out. I do think the bolded is problematic, vis a vis evidence showing accelerated learning loss among WC POC vs. white students. Something's happening that those kids aren't doing as well at virtual (if doing well at virtual is even a thing). And the risk-benefit analysis of COVID vs. school matters hugely, of course, but then there's also data suggesting that, somewhat counterintuitively, kids are safer from COVID in school than at home. And this doesn't even get into the mental health considerations, which are compounded by stigma around mental illness related to race, ethnicity, and class. It's very messy and very complicated. And, of course, no one has a crystal ball to predict exactly how these different combinations of circumstances will play out. |
Anonymous
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I just read in the POst that the United States is poised to surpass its record for covid-19 hospitalizations as soon as Tuesday, with no end in sight to skyrocketing case loads, falling staff levels and the struggles of a medical system trying to provide care amid an unprecedented surge of the coronavirus. This stay open at all costs doesn't seem to be working. :/
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Anonymous
+1. Shut down the sources of spread - schools are not spreaders; they mirror what’s happening in the community. Bars, restaurants, large gatherings. These need to temporarily pause before we shut the doors on in-person school. |
Anonymous
What kind of a country shuts down schools before bars?! |
Anonymous
| And where is your petition to keep schools in-person? |
Anonymous
I just read an article that stated that we are headed for a rapid drop in omicron in most places in the country. I don't know if we have hit the peak, but the UK is now seeing declines, and we are a week or so behind them. The UK has schools open. The way they handled it was to just "rip the bandaid off" in one go, whereas other European countries are taking the bandaid off slowly which means omicron will linger longer. In the early phase of covid, when we didn't know much about it, did not have a good idea how to deal with it, didn't have vaxx, it made perfect sense to shutdown. But, now we have vaxx; know how to deal with it. I don't think we need to shutdown the schools. For most people, omicron is like a cold. My family members have had it. All vaxxed. There is a 0.0004% chance your child may need hospitalization due to covid. That is very very low. Hang in there, folks. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-washington-pandemics-160ded1ce8d82075057630e11b610358
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Anonymous
| I think that this anonymous blog is just the same few people reposting over and over again. The comments are way to similar. |
Anonymous
a country that is all about individual freedoms over the collective good. Think about the proliferation of guns in this country. |
Anonymous
no different to the other thread topics. |
Anonymous
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Well, let me also re-repost my question that no pro-in-person has been able to answer yet..
Where is your poll to keep kids in-person? |
Anonymous
Yawn. |
Anonymous
We will petition, call and write however we please. We don’t need your permission, Internet Nobody, but thanks for your input. |