APS: Open Now group (APE) fundraising for new signs for 5 day a week school

[Anonymous]

Does SMS have a waitlist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well without some pressure I’m sure APS would have easily committed to a full virtual year. They needed a push from the Governor to even start hybrid. And the governor needs to see that the community supports these moves. My neighbor is an APS Admin and complimented my open schools now sign and said he signs are helpful in keeping the pressure which is needed in some corners at APS. Our teachers are vaccinated and we have a lot of learning loss to make up for, how can we settle for something less than 5 days asap?

1000%. We are not covid-deniers. We are concerned parents that want our kids to get an education. Teachers are vaccinated, time to go back FT.

[Anonymous]

Yeah. We are nowhere near the CDC caseload parameters for full time. Not. Even. Close. Dream on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah. We are nowhere near the CDC caseload parameters for full time. Not. Even. Close. Dream on.

https://www.statnews.com/2021/02/20/new-cdc-school-opening-guidelines-dont-follow-the-science/

"The new school opening guidelines advise schools to open or close (or operate in “hybrid” mode) based on a four-tier color-coded system. Each color is tied to the number of new Covid-19 cases during the previous week. The red, or most restrictive category, is more than 100 cases a week per 100,000 people. By this metric, more than 90% of the country is currently in the most restrictive tier, ruling out full-time, in-person learning for elementary-aged students and any sort of in-person school for older children without screening tests.

"Yet many schools in such communities already have in-person school — and have done so for months — without issue."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well without some pressure I’m sure APS would have easily committed to a full virtual year. They needed a push from the Governor to even start hybrid. And the governor needs to see that the community supports these moves. My neighbor is an APS Admin and complimented my open schools now sign and said he signs are helpful in keeping the pressure which is needed in some corners at APS. Our teachers are vaccinated and we have a lot of learning loss to make up for, how can we settle for something less than 5 days asap?

1000%. We are not covid-deniers. We are concerned parents that want our kids to get an education. Teachers are vaccinated, time to go back FT.

Yeah, pack them back in the overcrowded schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah. We are nowhere near the CDC caseload parameters for full time. Not. Even. Close. Dream on.

actually, that's really not true at all. the CDC recommends full time school k-12 in yellow 'moderate transmission'. The yellow zone is defined as test positivity rate of 5%-7.9% and case loads summed over 7 days per 100,000 persons of 10-49.
The Arlington test positivity rate has been below 7.9 percent since the end of January. For much of that time its been below 5%- putting it in the 'blue zone.'
In terms of caseloads- they are steadily dropping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well without some pressure I’m sure APS would have easily committed to a full virtual year. They needed a push from the Governor to even start hybrid. And the governor needs to see that the community supports these moves. My neighbor is an APS Admin and complimented my open schools now sign and said he signs are helpful in keeping the pressure which is needed in some corners at APS. Our teachers are vaccinated and we have a lot of learning loss to make up for, how can we settle for something less than 5 days asap?

1000%. We are not covid-deniers. We are concerned parents that want our kids to get an education. Teachers are vaccinated, time to go back FT.

What is your plan for childcare when students have potential exposures and need to stay home and quarantine for two weeks? That's the big problem. Send them in now 2x/week in cohorts where kids are 6' apart and exposures result in a two day "pause". At less than 6', they can't go back to school for two weeks. My husband and I can't go into the office. No more sports or extracurriculars. The slow role in with distance will ultimately make my life easier and result in my kids having more in-person school this spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah. We are nowhere near the CDC caseload parameters for full time. Not. Even. Close. Dream on.

actually, that's really not true at all. the CDC recommends full time school k-12 in yellow 'moderate transmission'. The yellow zone is defined as test positivity rate of 5%-7.9% and case loads summed over 7 days per 100,000 persons of 10-49.
The Arlington test positivity rate has been below 7.9 percent since the end of January. For much of that time its been below 5%- putting it in the 'blue zone.'
In terms of caseloads- they are steadily dropping.

Where are we now? I haven't checked recently. Anywhere close to 49?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well without some pressure I’m sure APS would have easily committed to a full virtual year. They needed a push from the Governor to even start hybrid. And the governor needs to see that the community supports these moves. My neighbor is an APS Admin and complimented my open schools now sign and said he signs are helpful in keeping the pressure which is needed in some corners at APS. Our teachers are vaccinated and we have a lot of learning loss to make up for, how can we settle for something less than 5 days asap?

1000%. We are not covid-deniers. We are concerned parents that want our kids to get an education. Teachers are vaccinated, time to go back FT.

What is your plan for childcare when students have potential exposures and need to stay home and quarantine for two weeks? That's the big problem. Send them in now 2x/week in cohorts where kids are 6' apart and exposures result in a two day "pause". At less than 6', they can't go back to school for two weeks. My husband and I can't go into the office. No more sports or extracurriculars. The slow role in with distance will ultimately make my life easier and result in my kids having more in-person school this spring.

Yes, if near someone <6' for 15+ minutes kids would need to quarantine for any exposures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah. We are nowhere near the CDC caseload parameters for full time. Not. Even. Close. Dream on.

actually, that's really not true at all. the CDC recommends full time school k-12 in yellow 'moderate transmission'. The yellow zone is defined as test positivity rate of 5%-7.9% and case loads summed over 7 days per 100,000 persons of 10-49.
The Arlington test positivity rate has been below 7.9 percent since the end of January. For much of that time its been below 5%- putting it in the 'blue zone.'
In terms of caseloads- they are steadily dropping.

Where are we now? I haven't checked recently. Anywhere close to 49?

How do you get to that 7 day/100000 summed number? Looks like Virginia Department of health only posts the 14 day summed total per 100000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So that didn't take long. Elementary students returned yesterday and already APE is fundraising for new signs that say:

Your Student, Every Day
APS is Ready

Did I miss the announcement that COVID is over? Because I swear I just heard the CDC Director and President Biden say now is not the time to relax our mitigation efforts because 50,000 people a day are catching COVID and 2,000 people a day are still dying from it. Presumably this mitigation includes the social distancing that is impossible if all students go back right now. I also heard President Biden say yesterday that adults will be vaccinated by the end of May, so maybe it's worth waiting for at least that?

WTAF is wrong with them?

I think it's funny that people are wasting their money on lawn signs. That's really what's going to get us to 5 day a week school.

It's every bit as effective as 100-person "protests" on weekends outside buildings that aren't open and pointless online petitions imagine if they channelled all this wasted time helping their kids do the schoolwork that they claim they "have no time to help with.""

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well without some pressure I’m sure APS would have easily committed to a full virtual year. They needed a push from the Governor to even start hybrid. And the governor needs to see that the community supports these moves. My neighbor is an APS Admin and complimented my open schools now sign and said he signs are helpful in keeping the pressure which is needed in some corners at APS. Our teachers are vaccinated and we have a lot of learning loss to make up for, how can we settle for something less than 5 days asap?

1000%. We are not covid-deniers. We are concerned parents that want our kids to get an education. Teachers are vaccinated, time to go back FT.

What is your plan for childcare when students have potential exposures and need to stay home and quarantine for two weeks? That's the big problem. Send them in now 2x/week in cohorts where kids are 6' apart and exposures result in a two day "pause". At less than 6', they can't go back to school for two weeks. My husband and I can't go into the office. No more sports or extracurriculars. The slow role in with distance will ultimately make my life easier and result in my kids having more in-person school this spring.

You're making a lot of assumption. School with 3 feet distancing have been able to stay open with minimal quarantines even at the height of the surge. Our declining numbers and vaccinated staff make 5 days possible, especially at elementary. Hybrid for MS/HS but get these elementary kids back to school 5 days a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So that didn't take long. Elementary students returned yesterday and already APE is fundraising for new signs that say:

Your Student, Every Day
APS is Ready

Did I miss the announcement that COVID is over? Because I swear I just heard the CDC Director and President Biden say now is not the time to relax our mitigation efforts because 50,000 people a day are catching COVID and 2,000 people a day are still dying from it. Presumably this mitigation includes the social distancing that is impossible if all students go back right now. I also heard President Biden say yesterday that adults will be vaccinated by the end of May, so maybe it's worth waiting for at least that?

WTAF is wrong with them?

Did you miss the announcement that school is essential and should be opened?

The data is not really on the CDC's side on this one. (source). If they'd released science-backed school re-opening guidelines, that sure would've helped.

School buildings have been closed, not schools. There's a difference.

Given the learning loss and number of students who are just ... gone ... from public schools, I’m not sure there is. But that’s a nice talking point I see a lot. “Just because buildings are closed doesn’t mean there’s no school!”

Sorry you don't like the truth. Shrug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So that didn't take long. Elementary students returned yesterday and already APE is fundraising for new signs that say:

Your Student, Every Day
APS is Ready

Did I miss the announcement that COVID is over? Because I swear I just heard the CDC Director and President Biden say now is not the time to relax our mitigation efforts because 50,000 people a day are catching COVID and 2,000 people a day are still dying from it. Presumably this mitigation includes the social distancing that is impossible if all students go back right now. I also heard President Biden say yesterday that adults will be vaccinated by the end of May, so maybe it's worth waiting for at least that?

WTAF is wrong with them?

Wow, thanks for creating this PR for us! https://arlingtonparentsforeducation.org is the website. Reach out if you're interested in donating.

And of COURSE they come crawling on here begging for money. LOL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So that didn't take long. Elementary students returned yesterday and already APE is fundraising for new signs that say:

Your Student, Every Day
APS is Ready

Did I miss the announcement that COVID is over? Because I swear I just heard the CDC Director and President Biden say now is not the time to relax our mitigation efforts because 50,000 people a day are catching COVID and 2,000 people a day are still dying from it. Presumably this mitigation includes the social distancing that is impossible if all students go back right now. I also heard President Biden say yesterday that adults will be vaccinated by the end of May, so maybe it's worth waiting for at least that?

WTAF is wrong with them?

It's so funny. It's like these parents believe they are important stakeholders in this discussion. They aren't.