Why are DC privates the most conservative when in comes to COVID precautions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because of informal teacher political activism amongst private school teachers following the teachers unions on Facebook and Twitter and trying to copy their tactics. It's election season! Who cares about education when there is an election going on?

Say it louder for the hacks in the back!

Oh, sweetie, go on back home to Kansas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many schools are planning to return in hybrid.

I think the schools should either open fully or do DL. My sister's kids go to a school that is practicing hybrid learning and it's an absolute mess. The kids who are learning from home just stare at the screen as the teacher teaches the kids who are physically at school. Because the teacher is away from the computer, she doesn't see when kids at home have questions. When the hybrid groups have switched places, the teacher has had to teach the material again as many of the kids at home didn't understand the lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day all schools will be in person by the end of the year, except MCPS, GDS and Sidwell.

Lol. Hope they show their true colors then so we can all proceed appropriately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe some of it is the requirements that DC government has placed on the schools. These are the three that seem the most restrictive to adhere to:

No more than 12 total individuals clustered in one group, and no more than one group per room (so a school can't put more than 11 students in a huge space, like the gymnasium.)

Grouping the same students and staff together each day and throughout the day. (I'm not sure what this requirement means - but if it means students 1 through 10 need to stay together each time they are at school, high school is going to be almost impossible. High school students don't all take the same identical classes.)

No mixing between groups to include entry and exit of the building, at meal time, in the rest room, on the playground, in the hallway, and other shared spaces

It's this.

Most DC schools simply can't meet these requirements that exist in Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the reopening guidelines. They don't have enough space.

Also worth noting DC has some very strict metrics when it comes to reopening, as they are pretty much the only state/government reporting "percentage of infections from close contacts" which tracks how widespread the virus is moving vs. the effectiveness of contact tracers. The goal is 60% of new cases coming from contacts of existing cases (as it is in places like Hong Kong and Korea) but DC is currently averaging about 4 or 5%, meaning 95% of the cases are coming from unknown sources. Absent meeting that rather strict goal Phase 3 is far off.

Some of those "metrics" are designed to fail They will be impossible to meet.

Correct, it’s a political set up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most DC private schools are ultra liberal. This is a mix of a political issue (a majority of democrats that heavily identify with party ideology do not believe it is safe to go to school) and the way the media reports on and talks about COVID. The media loves click bait so they have to focus on stories that raise fear, anxiety, and opposition to Trump. The President deserves plenty of criticism regarding his views and response to COVID but the mainstream media will simply not report on stories that would ever suggest it is safe to go to school with proper precautions. There seems to be an unspoken rule that no stories can be written that could be viewed as inline with something the President says. All of this makes teachers terrified to return to to the classroom. Therefore schools like Sidwell will likely have DL for the entire year (or until a Democratic President is elected and says kids should go back to school).

Hope not but I deeply fear so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many factors at play;

- metrics by DC that are more difficult to obtain than other state metrics particularly in an environment of heavy testing and CT cycles that can cause false positives (NYT)
- less of a teaching population that maybe willing to teach in contrast to more teachers willing (but obviously not all) at schools in NOVA and Moco
- no Governor or state health department that over rides DC decisions. (Hogan) Or Governor that has some political balance / pressure to allow private schools to open (Northam)
- anecdotally have heard less parents At DC privates want to go back in contrast to VA and MD privates
- anecdotally have heard more parents at DC privates are very vocal about not opening
- no organized group of parents fighting for schools to open creating pressure
- for the big 3 schools, no fear of loss of applicants , tuition or donations in contrast to some of the MD / VA schools; large endowments at some of the schools. Large PPE payments at some schools. Will not hurt financially to stay close in contrast to some schools in MD : Va

All unacceptable and irrational not to at least over an option.

[Anonymous]

Offer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most DC private schools are ultra liberal. This is a mix of a political issue (a majority of democrats that heavily identify with party ideology do not believe it is safe to go to school) and the way the media reports on and talks about COVID. The media loves click bait so they have to focus on stories that raise fear, anxiety, and opposition to Trump. The President deserves plenty of criticism regarding his views and response to COVID but the mainstream media will simply not report on stories that would ever suggest it is safe to go to school with proper precautions. There seems to be an unspoken rule that no stories can be written that could be viewed as inline with something the President says. All of this makes teachers terrified to return to to the classroom. Therefore schools like Sidwell will likely have DL for the entire year (or until a Democratic President is elected and says kids should go back to school).

Hope not but I deeply fear so.

Four years of DL is a long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are DC privates seemingly the only private schools in the country that are doing full DL? I have friends with kids in privates in Chicago, Seattle, CT, Florida and even Manhattan (FFS) who are back at school between two and five days a week. Our COVID rates are just as low or lower than most of those places. And we have space to have the kids outside (versus some of the NYC schools.). Every day that goes by, we get closer to winter/cold weather/flu season, and I get more frustrated. What will it take for DC privates to have kids on campus in any capacity?

Perhaps because DC has the 2nd highest percentage of commuters of any city in the Nation except Manhattan and DC Privates draw there faculty and staff as well as students from, not just DC, but from MD and NOVA- both of which have an RO above 1.

Maybe because the Federal Gov't is being prioritized so that it can keep dysfuntioning ? Just a couple reasaons

[Anonymous]

Bowser set a metric that will never be met - tracing positive cases back to source.
The folks testing positive are not sharing their close contacts or are providing just one, according to Bowser.

Changing reporting behavior won’t ever happen. As PPs have said - some of the ridiculous measures Bowser has in place - can’t be met by large schools and sadly, don’t do much to prevent or contain spread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Liability.

Politics

+1000

+1000000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bowser set a metric that will never be met - tracing positive cases back to source.
The folks testing positive are not sharing their close contacts or are providing just one, according to Bowser.

Changing reporting behavior won’t ever happen. As PPs have said - some of the ridiculous measures Bowser has in place - can’t be met by large schools and sadly, don’t do much to prevent or contain spread.

Only place with that new asinine term.

Can’t wait to put in for a relo out of here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bowser set a metric that will never be met - tracing positive cases back to source.
The folks testing positive are not sharing their close contacts or are providing just one, according to Bowser.

Changing reporting behavior won’t ever happen. As PPs have said - some of the ridiculous measures Bowser has in place - can’t be met by large schools and sadly, don’t do much to prevent or contain spread.

Only place with that new asinine term.

Can’t wait to put in for a relo out of here.

Does not explain why certain dc privates are doing all of that Bowser asks, all that teachers ask (outside of turning to into a permanent remote learning plan for the year), and still will not implement their hybrid plans to their ability now or in the next three weeks. There is much more to this decision than the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Liability.

Politics

+1000

+1000000

-1001000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are DC privates seemingly the only private schools in the country that are doing full DL? I have friends with kids in privates in Chicago, Seattle, CT, Florida and even Manhattan (FFS) who are back at school between two and five days a week. Our COVID rates are just as low or lower than most of those places. And we have space to have the kids outside (versus some of the NYC schools.). Every day that goes by, we get closer to winter/cold weather/flu season, and I get more frustrated. What will it take for DC privates to have kids on campus in any capacity?

More leftist politics from schools, teachers and small group of parents. Everyone else remains silent. Kids in DC get another semester of subpar education and social development. And then another and another.

+1. We've got to start speaking up. I, for one, am starting to bang the drum about this. There is NO REASON that DC privates are not back in hybrid at this point. Please - if you agree with me - say something to your school!