Organizing to lobby DC to allow larger class sizes under Phase 2/3

[Anonymous]

Uh ..... no thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lobby away. Dcps is just following health guidelines set by DC Health.

But DCPS and the teachers union aren't innovating like they could. Not at all. Come on, in the Nordic countries and Germany, elementary school classes are often taking place outside, e.g. in public parks. No way will the teachers unions permit that in this country. I bet you're going to see charter schools take the lead in keeping learning rolling in the fall, not DCPS. I see charter innovation during the pandemic pushing the District over the cliff into greater enrollment in charters than in DCPS for the first time, within the next two years. I'm not a charter booster, but with elementary school-age kids in DCPS facing 1-2 days a week of in-person learning in the fall, I might become one if local friends with kids in charters are getting considerably more in-person learning than we are (and I bet they will find a way).

Charters "find a way" by finding a way to kick out the children for whom your innovations are not safe. For example, outside classes are great, but not when you have a student with autism who is a flight risk.

My charter school has an autism program and an intellectually disabled program (self-contained). Stop with your nonsense. Both DCPS and Charters will need to innovate to get through this crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lobby away. Dcps is just following health guidelines set by DC Health.

But DCPS and the teachers union aren't innovating like they could. Not at all. Come on, in the Nordic countries and Germany, elementary school classes are often taking place outside, e.g. in public parks. No way will the teachers unions permit that in this country. I bet you're going to see charter schools take the lead in keeping learning rolling in the fall, not DCPS. I see charter innovation during the pandemic pushing the District over the cliff into greater enrollment in charters than in DCPS for the first time, within the next two years. I'm not a charter booster, but with elementary school-age kids in DCPS facing 1-2 days a week of in-person learning in the fall, I might become one if local friends with kids in charters are getting considerably more in-person learning than we are (and I bet they will find a way).

Charters "find a way" by finding a way to kick out the children for whom your innovations are not safe. For example, outside classes are great, but not when you have a student with autism who is a flight risk.

My charter school has an autism program and an intellectually disabled program (self-contained). Stop with your nonsense. Both DCPS and Charters will need to innovate to get through this crisis.

Different PP here.
The charter isn't a self-contained, please do your research. Also I see you didn't try to refute them kicking children out in October
It's actually a well known fact and that's why so many DCPS schools are trying to get the enrollment audit date and policies to change. Because after the October cutoff the charter school student transfers to DCPS however the charter school keeps the money.

And I do think charter schools innovate however they do not have to deal with the same things, with more freedom and the fact that teachers get paid crap AND can't unionize. But you know why they choose charters sometimes despite this? Because they are easier to teach at and less stress.

I think charters should just become private schools, we are the only country who steals money for 'public private schools,' it makes no sense and it definitely hasn't helped the United States close the gap we have to some top performing countries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I question OP's motivation in posting here, I completely agree with the sentiment. Not sure who at the CDC came up with the 10 person limit per classroom that is now spreading through school districts throughout the nation as some magic threshold, that person has no understanding of most public schools, which typically have a classroom target size of 25 students plus a teacher. It's a pretty random number that is completely unrelated to the foot print of the classroom or the size of the class.

And, it is completely hypocritical if classrooms are kept at this low size of 9 students in Phase 3 but other "gatherings" of up to 250 are allowed. I can only hope that the Mayor uses her discretion to decide to put students first and resume in person instruction in the Fall. As she has noted a couple of times, she is not bound to follow the ReOpen DC committee recommendations.

It doesn’t feel random to me. I can get that 10 -12 people, socially distanced at 6 feet apart at their desks is about what most of the many classrooms I’ve been in could manage. If you think it’s random and unrelated to typical classroom footprints, do you have any specific information supporting that?

Other gatherings are clearly not confined to classrooms or even indoors — so I don’t see the point of this comparison. I think this actually IS putting students first. Many students and many members of their households might be in at risk categories. Attending school is quite different from an adult making a personal decision to hang out in a beer garden or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No thank you. What they are doing is not safe, and a one-time visit to a restaurant for an hour or two is less risky than going to school for many hours every single day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lobby away. Dcps is just following health guidelines set by DC Health.

But DCPS and the teachers union aren't innovating like they could. Not at all. Come on, in the Nordic countries and Germany, elementary school classes are often taking place outside, e.g. in public parks. No way will the teachers unions permit that in this country. I bet you're going to see charter schools take the lead in keeping learning rolling in the fall, not DCPS. I see charter innovation during the pandemic pushing the District over the cliff into greater enrollment in charters than in DCPS for the first time, within the next two years. I'm not a charter booster, but with elementary school-age kids in DCPS facing 1-2 days a week of in-person learning in the fall, I might become one if local friends with kids in charters are getting considerably more in-person learning than we are (and I bet they will find a way).

Charters "find a way" by finding a way to kick out the children for whom your innovations are not safe. For example, outside classes are great, but not when you have a student with autism who is a flight risk.

My charter school has an autism program and an intellectually disabled program (self-contained). Stop with your nonsense. Both DCPS and Charters will need to innovate to get through this crisis.

And I do think charter schools innovate however they do not have to deal with the same things, with more freedom and the fact that teachers get paid crap AND can't unionize.

.

Charter teachers can form a union. MV P St did a year ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the CDC said large protests were okay ( and I understand and support why people protested), then having kids attend school should also be okay. Mass gatherings of thousands of people, even outside, were risky. But we tolerated the increased risk because the cause was good. We should adopt the same attitude for schools. Accept some risk because having kids attend schools is important.

+ 1000

And can all the fear mongers please post the research that shows that children are super spreaders .

Just what is denying their education based on unless this is really about DC teacher’s Union

Oh, someone already said how DC was prioritizing education last ( that is after nail salons and restaurants)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain how the rising cases of the virus in this country lines up with the WHO article.

Are screening at airports even ?

Seems easy enough to test every passenger on every flight headed to USA

We check their bags . Some people even get their social media read prior to passport control


So maybe covid testing before you board for USA

They weren’t checking anyone even in early March

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks - these are the guidelines today. Based on the information (misinformation?) provided by the CDC at the time.

There is new information about COVID published from real researched studies (not Trump medicine) that:
1. Spread from asymptomatic individuals is minimal
2. Spread from touching stuff is minimal

So this is new information this week - think about what this means.

In my mind the 2 most important elements are:
1. check everyone daily before entering the building.
2. Wear masks to limit spread from airborne transmission

of course lots of handwashing.

I expect the numbers will change for how many children can be in a room safely given precautions and this will align with new guidance received from the CDC.

#1 and #2 are false. There is no new study and both claims were back tracked. They just said they believe majority was transmitted by airborne droplets, but without much more contact tracing there is no certainty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lobby away. Dcps is just following health guidelines set by DC Health.

But DCPS and the teachers union aren't innovating like they could. Not at all. Come on, in the Nordic countries and Germany, elementary school classes are often taking place outside, e.g. in public parks. No way will the teachers unions permit that in this country. I bet you're going to see charter schools take the lead in keeping learning rolling in the fall, not DCPS. I see charter innovation during the pandemic pushing the District over the cliff into greater enrollment in charters than in DCPS for the first time, within the next two years. I'm not a charter booster, but with elementary school-age kids in DCPS facing 1-2 days a week of in-person learning in the fall, I might become one if local friends with kids in charters are getting considerably more in-person learning than we are (and I bet they will find a way).

Charters "find a way" by finding a way to kick out the children for whom your innovations are not safe. For example, outside classes are great, but not when you have a student with autism who is a flight risk.

My charter school has an autism program and an intellectually disabled program (self-contained). Stop with your nonsense. Both DCPS and Charters will need to innovate to get through this crisis.

And I do think charter schools innovate however they do not have to deal with the same things, with more freedom and the fact that teachers get paid crap AND can't unionize.

.

Charter teachers can form a union. MV P St did a year ago.

Only if they strongly protest. And that is the ONLY charter school in DC that has allowed it.
Exceptions don't make the rule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks - these are the guidelines today. Based on the information (misinformation?) provided by the CDC at the time.

There is new information about COVID published from real researched studies (not Trump medicine) that:
1. Spread from asymptomatic individuals is minimal
2. Spread from touching stuff is minimal

So this is new information this week - think about what this means.

In my mind the 2 most important elements are:
1. check everyone daily before entering the building.
2. Wear masks to limit spread from airborne transmission

of course lots of handwashing.

I expect the numbers will change for how many children can be in a room safely given precautions and this will align with new guidance received from the CDC.

#1 and #2 are false. There is no new study and both claims were back tracked. They just said they believe majority was transmitted by airborne droplets, but without much more contact tracing there is no certainty.

There is sufficient evidence that surfaces are less important than previously thought and that child transmission and risk is relatively low to shape public policy, in part, around those facts. If it were about kids, kids would be back in school. It’s clearly about teachers and, while teachers are important, I just don’t understand why public policy is being shaped around prioritizing their interests over Chikdrens’ interest when they are doing a paid, voluntary job. No one said doctors, nurses, policemen,, mailmen, delivery workers, firemen, EMS, grocery store workers, garbage man, metro employees, bus drivers, etc didn’t have to deliver the service for which they are paid.

[Anonymous]

You can lobby all you like. DCPS does not care what you think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks - these are the guidelines today. Based on the information (misinformation?) provided by the CDC at the time.

There is new information about COVID published from real researched studies (not Trump medicine) that:
1. Spread from asymptomatic individuals is minimal
2. Spread from touching stuff is minimal

So this is new information this week - think about what this means.

In my mind the 2 most important elements are:
1. check everyone daily before entering the building.
2. Wear masks to limit spread from airborne transmission

of course lots of handwashing.

I expect the numbers will change for how many children can be in a room safely given precautions and this will align with new guidance received from the CDC.

#1 and #2 are false. There is no new study and both claims were back tracked. They just said they believe majority was transmitted by airborne droplets, but without much more contact tracing there is no certainty.

If you can’t get the virus from surface transmission then why would they recommend constant hand washing and hand sanitizer? Why no sharing of materials? Wouldn’t make sense, would it?

[Anonymous]

You CAN get it from surfaces, it just may only survive hours instead of days. Hand sanitizer still a good idea, folks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks - these are the guidelines today. Based on the information (misinformation?) provided by the CDC at the time.

There is new information about COVID published from real researched studies (not Trump medicine) that:
1. Spread from asymptomatic individuals is minimal
2. Spread from touching stuff is minimal

So this is new information this week - think about what this means.

In my mind the 2 most important elements are:
1. check everyone daily before entering the building.
2. Wear masks to limit spread from airborne transmission

of course lots of handwashing.

I expect the numbers will change for how many children can be in a room safely given precautions and this will align with new guidance received from the CDC.

#1 and #2 are false. There is no new study and both claims were back tracked. They just said they believe majority was transmitted by airborne droplets, but without much more contact tracing there is no certainty.

Please don't confuse airborne transmission and droplet transmission. The two are different, and airborne transmission by way of very small particles is still thought to be mainly an issue in the hospital environment. Masks protect well against droplet transmission, which is the main issue in everyday contact, including schools.

https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations