ACPS mask policy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello. I just read a PTA email that said masks would be optional starting March 1. Has anyone else heard a date?

What PTA sent that? ACPS school board hasn’t even voted on the issue yet.

What do they need to vote on? The ability to opt out of wearing a mask is now the law.

Just because something was signed into law doesn’t mean it’s automatically enforceable and binding. Plenty of illegal laws on the books. Some of this regarding masking in schools is still playing out in the courts, including a challenge under federal ADA for students with disabilities.

I can guarantee they will follow the law AND they would not do anything that might ever cause them to be accused of segregating students within a school on purpose and with intent. And if you didn’t know that, you haven’t paid attention.

If you are that fearful, homeschool. Seriously. To act as if some unmasked little kids will cause your masked child harm is the height of paranoia and you should embarrassed by your hysteria.

You all love to accuse everyone of paranoia and hysteria. I was merely commenting from a legal perspective, no fear over here. You read way too much into my comments! My kids will continue attending school in person, but thanks for suggesting homeschooling.

Schools “segregate” students all the time according to characteristics they can legally do so (ie they cannot segregate on race, need to put disabled children in the least restrictive environment, etc.). I don’t think it is clear that there is anything stopping a school from “segregating” students at least to some extent based on whether there parents direct their children to put others at risk by not wearing a mask.

Operational logistics make it impossible regardless. Three kids unmask next week, ten kids the following, your kid tells you they're still masking but aren't, etc. I don't don't if you're being argumentative or just aren't particularly clever.

[Anonymous]

* know

[Anonymous]

Have any of you had kids in your child’s class with severe peanut allergies and complied with school requests to not pack any peanut items? We have had this come up multiple years. If you can do that, then you can also feasibly comply with a request to have your child wear a mask because there is a severely immunocompromised student in your child’s classroom.

Or, are you the type of parent who would just pack a PB&J sandwich anyway and say it was the allergic kid’s problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello. I just read a PTA email that said masks would be optional starting March 1. Has anyone else heard a date?

What PTA sent that? ACPS school board hasn’t even voted on the issue yet.

What do they need to vote on? The ability to opt out of wearing a mask is now the law.

Just because something was signed into law doesn’t mean it’s automatically enforceable and binding. Plenty of illegal laws on the books. Some of this regarding masking in schools is still playing out in the courts, including a challenge under federal ADA for students with disabilities.

I can guarantee they will follow the law AND they would not do anything that might ever cause them to be accused of segregating students within a school on purpose and with intent. And if you didn’t know that, you haven’t paid attention.

If you are that fearful, homeschool. Seriously. To act as if some unmasked little kids will cause your masked child harm is the height of paranoia and you should embarrassed by your hysteria.

You all love to accuse everyone of paranoia and hysteria. I was merely commenting from a legal perspective, no fear over here. You read way too much into my comments! My kids will continue attending school in person, but thanks for suggesting homeschooling.

Schools “segregate” students all the time according to characteristics they can legally do so (ie they cannot segregate on race, need to put disabled children in the least restrictive environment, etc.). I don’t think it is clear that there is anything stopping a school from “segregating” students at least to some extent based on whether there parents direct their children to put others at risk by not wearing a mask.

Operational logistics make it impossible regardless. Three kids unmask next week, ten kids the following, your kid tells you they're still masking but aren't, etc. I don't don't if you're being argumentative or just aren't particularly clever.

I do agree because of legitimate operational difficulties and ACPS’s general incompetence that it is likely not to happen. I am only arguing what can legally be done and should be done to continue to protect children whose parents are willing to have their children continue protect themselves and others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you had kids in your child’s class with severe peanut allergies and complied with school requests to not pack any peanut items? We have had this come up multiple years. If you can do that, then you can also feasibly comply with a request to have your child wear a mask because there is a severely immunocompromised student in your child’s classroom.

Or, are you the type of parent who would just pack a PB&J sandwich anyway and say it was the allergic kid’s problem?

The severely immunocompromised student should consider other accommodations. It's unlikely that masks (cloth, poorly fitted, inconsistently-used) are sufficient mitigation in that scenario any way. Expect some students to begin masking next week and that trend to accelerate over time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you had kids in your child’s class with severe peanut allergies and complied with school requests to not pack any peanut items? We have had this come up multiple years. If you can do that, then you can also feasibly comply with a request to have your child wear a mask because there is a severely immunocompromised student in your child’s classroom.

Or, are you the type of parent who would just pack a PB&J sandwich anyway and say it was the allergic kid’s problem?

The severely immunocompromised student should consider other accommodations. It's unlikely that masks (cloth, poorly fitted, inconsistently-used) are sufficient mitigation in that scenario any way. Expect some students to begin masking next week and that trend to accelerate over time.

* unmasking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello. I just read a PTA email that said masks would be optional starting March 1. Has anyone else heard a date?

What PTA sent that? ACPS school board hasn’t even voted on the issue yet.

What do they need to vote on? The ability to opt out of wearing a mask is now the law.

Just because something was signed into law doesn’t mean it’s automatically enforceable and binding. Plenty of illegal laws on the books. Some of this regarding masking in schools is still playing out in the courts, including a challenge under federal ADA for students with disabilities.

I can guarantee they will follow the law AND they would not do anything that might ever cause them to be accused of segregating students within a school on purpose and with intent. And if you didn’t know that, you haven’t paid attention.

If you are that fearful, homeschool. Seriously. To act as if some unmasked little kids will cause your masked child harm is the height of paranoia and you should embarrassed by your hysteria.

You all love to accuse everyone of paranoia and hysteria. I was merely commenting from a legal perspective, no fear over here. You read way too much into my comments! My kids will continue attending school in person, but thanks for suggesting homeschooling.

Schools “segregate” students all the time according to characteristics they can legally do so (ie they cannot segregate on race, need to put disabled children in the least restrictive environment, etc.). I don’t think it is clear that there is anything stopping a school from “segregating” students at least to some extent based on whether there parents direct their children to put others at risk by not wearing a mask.

Let me explain for you since you can’t seem to figure it out

All it takes is one non white student who is not wearing a mask and a white student who is wearing a mask:
“‘my mommy says kids like you need to be put in a separate room and I am supposed to stay away from you. ”
or perhaps the monmy at pick up time gets overheard “I don’t want my child around kids like that! they need to put them in a separate room together so they don’t infect the others”
The news stories and headlines would read “ Alexandria City parents accuse the school of segregation. In a flashback to the City’s past ….”
ACPS knows their white parents too well and no way they are going to take any chances.
So if you are worried get your kid whatever mask or maybe industrial respirator? Or homeschool.

[Anonymous]

I find it really strange that people are so opposed to wearing masks. My kid is vaccinated (and boostered), so the chance of him becoming seriously ill if he gets COVID is quite small. Still, I'd prefer him to wear a mask to avoid it at all if possible. I don't want him to have to miss school or sports, and I don't want him to pass it on to more vulnerable individuals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello. I just read a PTA email that said masks would be optional starting March 1. Has anyone else heard a date?

What PTA sent that? ACPS school board hasn’t even voted on the issue yet.

What do they need to vote on? The ability to opt out of wearing a mask is now the law.

I would hope ACPS will consider some limitations on how unmasked student interact with masked students. Let the unmasked kids give each other Covid if their parents want that.

AMEN. I really don't want my kids in classrooms with a bunch of kids who are unvaccinated and who aren't wearing masks. Put all the unmasked kids in a room with an unmasked teacher and let the rest of our kids keep on doing what they were doing.

Is this just message board whining given you know that's not going to happen?

Not really. Because there are quite a few parents like me and the other poster. We don't want our kids anywhere near you (or your kid if, God help us all, you are indeed a parent). Just like the hysterical unmaskers have something to say, so do those of us who would like a little more prudent behavior before the great unmasking of all of the rest of you. In case you didn't get the message, public schools need to respond to all stakeholders, not only the crazy ones like you.

Segregation and not legal. Separate but equal? You cannot separate the students this way. Please, be careful with your mindset here. You are advocating for some dangerous concepts (and please don't deflect with "but they should be masked, they're the ones that are dangerous, etc"). It doesn't matter my personal beliefs re masking, and it doesn't matter re yours either, but pushing for students who do not mask, within the confines of the law, to be separated into a different room with a different teacher is pretty straight forward segregation.

As a disabled person who was warehoused as a child by the public school system, this is a huge hot button. You cannot do this. I would except the ACLU to get involved in something like this, if they are actually still supportive of civil rights.

There is a difference when the children being separated pose a physical danger to the rest of the population. Children who are unmasked and unvaccinated pose a significant risk to the rest of the school population. Either they go virtual or they get separated so that they don't harm the greater community. Even the ACLU understands basic concepts like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello. I just read a PTA email that said masks would be optional starting March 1. Has anyone else heard a date?

What PTA sent that? ACPS school board hasn’t even voted on the issue yet.

What do they need to vote on? The ability to opt out of wearing a mask is now the law.

Just because something was signed into law doesn’t mean it’s automatically enforceable and binding. Plenty of illegal laws on the books. Some of this regarding masking in schools is still playing out in the courts, including a challenge under federal ADA for students with disabilities.

I can guarantee they will follow the law AND they would not do anything that might ever cause them to be accused of segregating students within a school on purpose and with intent. And if you didn’t know that, you haven’t paid attention.

If you are that fearful, homeschool. Seriously. To act as if some unmasked little kids will cause your masked child harm is the height of paranoia and you should embarrassed by your hysteria.

You all love to accuse everyone of paranoia and hysteria. I was merely commenting from a legal perspective, no fear over here. You read way too much into my comments! My kids will continue attending school in person, but thanks for suggesting homeschooling.

Schools “segregate” students all the time according to characteristics they can legally do so (ie they cannot segregate on race, need to put disabled children in the least restrictive environment, etc.). I don’t think it is clear that there is anything stopping a school from “segregating” students at least to some extent based on whether there parents direct their children to put others at risk by not wearing a mask.

Let me explain for you since you can’t seem to figure it out

All it takes is one non white student who is not wearing a mask and a white student who is wearing a mask:
“‘my mommy says kids like you need to be put in a separate room and I am supposed to stay away from you. ”
or perhaps the monmy at pick up time gets overheard “I don’t want my child around kids like that! they need to put them in a separate room together so they don’t infect the others”
The news stories and headlines would read “ Alexandria City parents accuse the school of segregation. In a flashback to the City’s past ….”
ACPS knows their white parents too well and no way they are going to take any chances.
So if you are worried get your kid whatever mask or maybe industrial respirator? Or homeschool.

DP. It is a smaller number of people who want their kids to unmask; ergo, they should be the ones who homeschool or go virtual. Let the rest of us continue as we have been, with masks on kids and masks on teachers. Majority rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you had kids in your child’s class with severe peanut allergies and complied with school requests to not pack any peanut items? We have had this come up multiple years. If you can do that, then you can also feasibly comply with a request to have your child wear a mask because there is a severely immunocompromised student in your child’s classroom.

Or, are you the type of parent who would just pack a PB&J sandwich anyway and say it was the allergic kid’s problem?

Exactly. Although my interpretation from what I'm reading here is that they would say it was the allergic kid's problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you had kids in your child’s class with severe peanut allergies and complied with school requests to not pack any peanut items? We have had this come up multiple years. If you can do that, then you can also feasibly comply with a request to have your child wear a mask because there is a severely immunocompromised student in your child’s classroom.

Or, are you the type of parent who would just pack a PB&J sandwich anyway and say it was the allergic kid’s problem?

The severely immunocompromised student should consider other accommodations. It's unlikely that masks (cloth, poorly fitted, inconsistently-used) are sufficient mitigation in that scenario any way. Expect some students to begin masking next week and that trend to accelerate over time.

My child has a classmate with cancer. The masks do create a protective environment and we will continue masking for that child’s health and safety. Many students are now wearing KN95 and surgical masks, plus some use the well-fitting ACPS cloth. No, the accommodation is not to send that child home or isolate them, they have a right to the least restrictive, most inclusive environment that can safely be created.

If you’re not willing to mask your child to keep another kid safe, you suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you had kids in your child’s class with severe peanut allergies and complied with school requests to not pack any peanut items? We have had this come up multiple years. If you can do that, then you can also feasibly comply with a request to have your child wear a mask because there is a severely immunocompromised student in your child’s classroom.

Or, are you the type of parent who would just pack a PB&J sandwich anyway and say it was the allergic kid’s problem?

The severely immunocompromised student should consider other accommodations. It's unlikely that masks (cloth, poorly fitted, inconsistently-used) are sufficient mitigation in that scenario any way. Expect some students to begin masking next week and that trend to accelerate over time.

My child has a classmate with cancer. The masks do create a protective environment and we will continue masking for that child’s health and safety. Many students are now wearing KN95 and surgical masks, plus some use the well-fitting ACPS cloth. No, the accommodation is not to send that child home or isolate them, they have a right to the least restrictive, most inclusive environment that can safely be created.

If you’re not willing to mask your child to keep another kid safe, you suck.

x1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello. I just read a PTA email that said masks would be optional starting March 1. Has anyone else heard a date?

What PTA sent that? ACPS school board hasn’t even voted on the issue yet.

What do they need to vote on? The ability to opt out of wearing a mask is now the law.

Just because something was signed into law doesn’t mean it’s automatically enforceable and binding. Plenty of illegal laws on the books. Some of this regarding masking in schools is still playing out in the courts, including a challenge under federal ADA for students with disabilities.

I can guarantee they will follow the law AND they would not do anything that might ever cause them to be accused of segregating students within a school on purpose and with intent. And if you didn’t know that, you haven’t paid attention.

If you are that fearful, homeschool. Seriously. To act as if some unmasked little kids will cause your masked child harm is the height of paranoia and you should embarrassed by your hysteria.

You all love to accuse everyone of paranoia and hysteria. I was merely commenting from a legal perspective, no fear over here. You read way too much into my comments! My kids will continue attending school in person, but thanks for suggesting homeschooling.

Schools “segregate” students all the time according to characteristics they can legally do so (ie they cannot segregate on race, need to put disabled children in the least restrictive environment, etc.). I don’t think it is clear that there is anything stopping a school from “segregating” students at least to some extent based on whether there parents direct their children to put others at risk by not wearing a mask.

Let me explain for you since you can’t seem to figure it out

All it takes is one non white student who is not wearing a mask and a white student who is wearing a mask:
“‘my mommy says kids like you need to be put in a separate room and I am supposed to stay away from you. ”
or perhaps the monmy at pick up time gets overheard “I don’t want my child around kids like that! they need to put them in a separate room together so they don’t infect the others”
The news stories and headlines would read “ Alexandria City parents accuse the school of segregation. In a flashback to the City’s past ….”
ACPS knows their white parents too well and no way they are going to take any chances.
So if you are worried get your kid whatever mask or maybe industrial respirator? Or homeschool.

DP. It is a smaller number of people who want their kids to unmask; ergo, they should be the ones who homeschool or go virtual. Let the rest of us continue as we have been, with masks on kids and masks on teachers. Majority rules.

Also x1000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you had kids in your child’s class with severe peanut allergies and complied with school requests to not pack any peanut items? We have had this come up multiple years. If you can do that, then you can also feasibly comply with a request to have your child wear a mask because there is a severely immunocompromised student in your child’s classroom.

Or, are you the type of parent who would just pack a PB&J sandwich anyway and say it was the allergic kid’s problem?

The severely immunocompromised student should consider other accommodations. It's unlikely that masks (cloth, poorly fitted, inconsistently-used) are sufficient mitigation in that scenario any way. Expect some students to begin masking next week and that trend to accelerate over time.

My child has a classmate with cancer. The masks do create a protective environment and we will continue masking for that child’s health and safety. Many students are now wearing KN95 and surgical masks, plus some use the well-fitting ACPS cloth. No, the accommodation is not to send that child home or isolate them, they have a right to the least restrictive, most inclusive environment that can safely be created.

If you’re not willing to mask your child to keep another kid safe, you suck.

Until when? What is your magic number for unmasking? Just a hypothetical question of course because whatever you answer is irrelevant.