Howard County remote until April 2021.
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Anonymous
We left for catholic schools and are very happy. The teachers are teaching both virutal and in person classes at the same time. It's going well. We have family in South Carolina who have teachers doing the same. No regrets. The examples of how to safely reopen are out there. |
Anonymous
You mean a school with much less population and teachers who literally have no one backing them up (?)- they are paid poorly, no tenure, no benefits, oh, and not certified. These teachers basically have to quit their already low paying jobs or just go along. Be careful when you talk about how "safe" it is. I see exploitation of a situation. Private schools are more than HAPPY to take kids leaving the public system. |
Anonymous
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Check out Iowa and other states.... and keep in mind that there's no mandate to accurately report incidence. Tons of covid cases, teacher cases, and yes, death. Get over yourselves and start thinking about what's best, not what's best for you.
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Anonymous
You absolutely cannot use Iowa of a model of anything other than how not to reopen schools. It is disingenuous to suggest otherwise, as their metrics and guidance were outrageous and basically unconscionable. Interesting that you mention what's best. What's best for whom? Obviously the answer is teachers, and that should be acknowledged when you attack people. |
Anonymous
Is the PP trying to support the argument that there hasn't been a populated school system in this area which has opened without becoming a COVID hotspot? Like NYC? Or Boston? Or the Achdiocese of Baltimore? Seriously, this is not a controversy. School systems have been opened and are safely educating children. Whether HoCo wants to do that or not is up for them to decide. I can't imagine not finding a new school for my child if I could afford it and waiting for the county to open. If it's so unsafe, which whatever, then if you can find a safer school and can afford it, you need to do so. The public system is not worth waiting for. There are so many other schools in the area which are open on campus and using safety mitigations that are working. If you are worried still, then keep your child home. The learning loss is real from DL. |
Anonymous
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Ha. Let's see how many of you are willing to sign up to teach in a classroom of kidsin a building with hundreds of people or even half that. And yes, there has been plenty of incidence. I love the folks who suggest only a small percentage of death, as if there is any metric that would indicate that's ok.
Show me a private school with no incidence and no spread and I'll show you a school who has hid the "metrics." Money talks, but not much else. One of the many failures of this administration is the lack of accountability..no mandatory reporting, no real contact tracing. You cannot speak of metrics that are not apparent. |
Anonymous
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Before anyone posts about how safe private schools are, consider doing some actual reading. Also consider that teachers in private schools have NO choice, as well as the fact that private schools don't have to address any legal requirements regarding student disabilities. Private schools also have far less numbers, flexibility with time and space, and all the $$ parents are willing to throw at them.
Stop acting like private schools have prevailed in this mess. They basically saw financial opportunity, that's all. They aren't open because they are more virtuous, caring, or more informed. It's a business, that's all- and that includes parochial schools. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/maryland-school-outbreaks/2020/11/20/464a0b08-29eb-11eb-9b14-ad872157ebc9_story.html https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article246646938.html https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/virginia-private-schools-virtual-after-coronavirus-outbreak/65-8f17c9ae-e505-4c85-85ad-08ba9c3d3f32 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/08/09/schools-cite-hipaa-hide-coronavirus-numbers-they-cant-do-that/3323986001/ https://www.whas11.com/article/news/investigations/focus/kentucky-schools-required-disclose-info-covid-19-coronavirus/417-aa903102-622d-491a-ade2-de1ea6b8930e |
Anonymous
Why does private school success make you angry? Of course it is easier because the population is smaller. Perhaps you should actually do some reading. All schools in Maryland are required to report COVID cases. The first article you cited involved public and private schools. Two of the articles you cited involve other states, not Maryland. One of your articles addresses a Virginia cluster associated with a non-school sponsored event, so it does not demonstrate school transmission. Yes, there have been some outbreaks in private schools, but that was expected. The level of COVID in any school is related to the level of community spread, which is very high. Private schools, due in part to their smaller classes, were able to open their doors for in person learning when the metrics were lower; something HCPSS was not able to do. I hope you aren't an HCPSS teacher. Whoever you are, ask yourself why a choice made by any family to find an educational environment outside of public school that works better for their family is so offensive. My family left HCPSS for a private school before the pandemic and have been happy with that choice. We are even more grateful for that decision this year. |
Anonymous
No, I am not a HCPSS teacher. One doesn't need to be to support the reasons behind virtual learning during a global pandemic. It isn't only the teachers who understand the merit of the current instructional offering. (And if I were an HCPSS teacher, I still would be well within my rights to defend my own life, I would imagine. The fact that you cannot imagine that a teacher would be concerned explains everything, here.) ,*It is that comment, (I hope you are not a HCPSS teacher) that is absolutely indicative of your entire misunderstanding because it is about the teachers. They don't serve at your pleasure or convenience. Regardless, I work in an entirely different field, and have been working virtually, I might add since March 23 of this year. I'm guessing you have, as well. I have fully explained why opening private schools is dangerous and exploitive. Secondly, you fully admit that a private school has the physical plant to possibly accommodate far less students, which exposes WHY a public school cannot open- all the while railing against public schools for NOT opening. It appears that you are arguing against your own point. So, only the wealthy and privileged should get to choose, is that correct? ( This is so convenient considering it is on the tails of the redistricting opposition, I find. Tsk Tsk Tsk.....) Why do I oppose your reasoning to go to a private school? Here's why- 1. You are contributing to community spread and exploiting underpaid and under qualified teachers who don't have the support to teach virtually because their schools have to open to generate cash. If the privates went virtual, none of their client base would opt to stay. In opening, they are also able to entice public parents with money who want to bail out. 2. You have deemed yourself as beyond privileged, not willing to even make an effort or assist in the public program, while defaulting immediately to plan B, all the while assuring everyone that it's safe. Safe for whom? You mention incidence happening outside of schools, not schools...well, where do you think the kid goes? And how are you so sure where point of infection is? And why is it ALWAYS an event outside of school...(see my next comment about reporting.) Your statement is rather naive. 3. I can assure you that most or many open privates are not reporting cases in Md accurately or consistently. There are so many ways to "not report" COVID. You have zero understanding of this. (See my comment about naivete above.) 4. Your behavior, your feeling of entitlement, your preferences puts others at risk. Period. You are no different than the anti maskers, or even an actress who bribes her kids into college! Your big problem is not with the BOE, who are clearly doing what everyone is or should be doing. Schools are not likely to return this year to a building as so many other workplaces will not be operating in person as well - and all for the same reasons. It's not about you and your needs. Meanwhile, I'm fairly certain where I can find opinions similar to yours, or even yours (!), from that ever disturbing concensus of seriously addled individuals that plague a couple or more local FB sites with their frequent horror posts-should I choose to read any of them again, so there's little need to respond here. Maybe you loggerheads can sue...Oh wait......   (Yeah, THAT went well, didn't it?)
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Anonymous
You aren't particularly adept at reading comprehension, because I noted in my prior post that my family left HCPSS several years before the pandemic. So no, we didn't immediately default to plan B. You are also arguing against your own point in terms of the ability of private schools to adapt during the pandemic. I acknowledge that it is much easier for private schools to offer in person learning in a reasonably safe manner, which is a reason that public schools should remain closed for a majority of students, or at minimum, older students. Private schools have smaller classes that allow physical distancing. They do not have to provide transportation to students, which is a concern for public schools. They have the ability to adapt by distinguishing between different populations (younger versus older students) and creating different offerings. Heck, public schools can't even provide a single day in the fall for little kids to come to an outside space to meeting their teachers, masked and distanced, in person. It is the little things that build community. Even one day a week of in person every other week would be helpful for student well-being (if a family is comfortable with it), but there is no flexibility with public schools. It is fine to say that public school is not childcare, but for parents of younger children, schools do provide a place for students to go while parents work. I have older children, but I can tell you that the people I know with younger kids who have been called back into the office to perform their federal government jobs, the hair dressers, doctors and nurses, and many other jobs that require in person presence need somewhere for their children to be. Why should it not be in the schools for which they pay tuition? Otherwise, there will be additional exposure via pods, in home care, or daycare, or don't you care about the lives of those workers? Or maybe you resent those parents for working at all? Does participating in the "public program," whatever the heck that means, require giving up a family's income so that they don't have to leave the house? You sound resentful that private schools exist at all as a option for families at any time, suggesting racist motivations for anyone choosing this option. To be sure, HCPSS has many offerings that cannot be duplicated at most private schools. There are pros and cons for both, and we gave up many of the benefits of HCPSS when we switched. It isn't that one is necessarily better than the other, but in this case, the smaller nature of private schools has made them better able to adapt to these circumstances. We decided several years ago that smaller classes were beneficial to our kids (and trust me, there are drawbacks too). During the pandemic, that decision has allowed our kids to have some in person learning this year. Were you complaining when families moved and thereby made our extremely overcrowded school less crowded? As you say, BOE decisions are not about my needs or the needs of any family. Yes, that's exactly why many families opt for private schools, as we did before the pandemic. Private schools have to consider the needs of families and students and have more flexibility to accommodate them by offering reasonable schedules including later start times for older kids, fewer random days off of school, later school day end times, and more timely and responsive communications. Consistent policies and communication would help all kids, especially those who are struggling or who have less intrinsic motivation, but policies that would actually help student learning aren't important to the BOE. To meet with a high school teacher in public school, you have to leave work in the middle of the day. The same is true for a student obtaining after school help (which in my experience, was rarely available in public school), who will need to be picked up in the middle of the day. Elementary school starts at 9:30 a.m. and high school activities require pickups before three. There are any number of random days off school in a normal year, requiring the use of leave to care for children during those days. Is it any wonder that working families from all socioeconomic backgrounds have trouble connecting and becoming actively involved with their children's public school education? The greater good is best served when the health of wellbeing of all of its stakeholders are considered. You mention redistricting, as you imply that opting for private school is motivated by racism. I live in a diverse community and I have argued for years that more should be done to promote greater socioeconomic diversity throughout the county schools. I would gladly pay more in taxes for HCPSS to offer more, even with my kids out of school. I spent years of my life volunteering at my kids' HCPSS schools. I participated in the "public program," yet each year, it became more apparent that the schools were not working for our family. I supported the last round of redistricting, although I don't think it went far enough. However, I don't support the general proposition that the same families in particular areas of the county should be subjected to redistricting, or even redistricting debates, every year or two. The process divides communities and leads to too much uncertainty. I would be happy having my children attend any HCPSS school, but I would not have been happy having my high school aged children attending two different middle or high schools, or even worse, having to switch schools in the middle of middle school or high school. The HCPSS BOE has good intentions in its quest to promote equity, before and during the pandemic. However, it is going about it in the wrong way. Offering less to everyone is not going to help students most in need succeed. I don't have a problem with the BOE deciding not to open. I do, however, have a problem with the fact that they have accomplished nothing to plan for a return of any student population to school buildings when the metrics allow. It is more of the same - good intentions and plenty of pontificating amounting to no meaningful action. All of the virtue signaling in the world will not change that fact. But of course, you, like the BOE members, know better than public health experts about when it might be safe to allow even small populations of students into the buildings. You profess to know how to help disadvantaged populations, without actually doing anything to help them. People like you are the ones driving families away from public schools, and the consequences will be felt for years to come, perhaps most acutely by the very people you say you want to help. By the way, the county health officer approved our school's reopening plan. If you don't want private schools open, take it up with the county health officers and stop judging private school families, many of whom are not wealthy, especially in the parochial schools. If you truly believe that educating children should be the lowest priority for our society during a pandemic, feel free to keep advocating for fewer children to have the benefit of in person education. That will solve everything. |
Anonymous
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If you would leave your child in a school system which is failing to educate them because of a warped sense of a public program or the greater good - you are insane.
Your child should come first. If you can afford better, do better. |
Anonymous
Ah, and there it is. This pandemic certainly highlighted the real problem in our society, hasn't it? Who lives, who dies, who gets treatment, who doesn't, who can eat, who can't, who keeps their house, who can be educated, by those teachers at the bottom of that societal spectrum who need those jobs so they can eat, keep their house, etc., because they are not given safe alternatives in which to keep their jobs. So glad you can afford to "do better." So glad your child comes first. Good for YOU. |
Anonymous
Read both answers: 1. County Execs were overruled by Hogan from shutting down privates this summer. MCPS, in fact, tried everything trying to shut them down. 2. I'm not seeing the word "racist" anywhere in the previous post, but I do find it fascinating that you did. I suspect the word implied was "elitist." But, again, why bring up racism, PP? That is the most interesting and revealing part of your whole response. (!!) 3. And, yes, it does appear that you are proving the point- that a private has far fewer students, so if you feel that is why they can open, then surely you can understand why public schools cannot open. 4. This county's BOE is really going to be a breath of fresh air, and long after the pandemic is front and central. Thank Goodness. |
Anonymous
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I’m alarmed that there seems to be some agreement here that HoCo schools will be remote next Fall. A strong majority of adults will be vaccinated by then, and we’ve already seen significant evidence that opening up preschools and younger grades can even be done safely now. Staying closed next year, particularly for elementary students, seems irresponsible and dangerous. (With the caveat of proper vaccine distribution.)
I’m not interested in blaming teachers for this decision or not, but keeping schools closed would be a huge blow in so many ways. I hope whoever is advocating for keeping schools closed is equally vocal about closing flipping indoor dining. |
Anonymous
If we get a best case scenario with vaccine distribution, maybe not. My concern is that we don't have sense of when it would be safe enough to bring any students back, even after all these months. |