Why doesn't MCPS seem to have a covid plan for the fall?

[spudmqueen]

Anonymous wrote:A year and a half in, has MCPS made any investments in building ventilation?

Yes they have

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

spudmqueen wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP, school starts in 3 weeks. They need to share the plan.

I agree. How is MCPS not even providing updates. At the least they could announce they are working on alternatives. Very disappointing.

They have said their plan. Return to normal, just like pre-covid days with the only exception being masking. A decent teacher will keep the desks separated in ES and keep kids as best distanced as they can but the pictures MCPS has posted from summer school show no distancing of teachers or kids.

There’s not even room in the classrooms to do this properly w 25+ kids. They need to come up with a better plan ASAP.

It's masks with quarantines where necessary. Are you guys really just looking for some kind of language that shuts the whole thing down again? They used up all their capital on that last year. They need kids back in the classroom this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

spudmqueen wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP, school starts in 3 weeks. They need to share the plan.

I agree. How is MCPS not even providing updates. At the least they could announce they are working on alternatives. Very disappointing.

They have said their plan. Return to normal, just like pre-covid days with the only exception being masking. A decent teacher will keep the desks separated in ES and keep kids as best distanced as they can but the pictures MCPS has posted from summer school show no distancing of teachers or kids.

There’s not even room in the classrooms to do this properly w 25+ kids. They need to come up with a better plan ASAP.

It's masks with quarantines where necessary. Are you guys really just looking for some kind of language that shuts the whole thing down again? They used up all their capital on that last year. They need kids back in the classroom this year.

+1
So much fear mongering going on. Find an alternative for your child if you are not comfortable sending your kid in person. No need to ruin the school year for the rest of us. Kids might get covid but they are mostly fine. Look at the numbers from across the world. In UK 47 kids between 0-17 died since the start of the pandemic. Even with delta kids seemed to be doing better than adults. So stop this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

spudmqueen wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP, school starts in 3 weeks. They need to share the plan.

I agree. How is MCPS not even providing updates. At the least they could announce they are working on alternatives. Very disappointing.

They have said their plan. Return to normal, just like pre-covid days with the only exception being masking. A decent teacher will keep the desks separated in ES and keep kids as best distanced as they can but the pictures MCPS has posted from summer school show no distancing of teachers or kids.

There’s not even room in the classrooms to do this properly w 25+ kids. They need to come up with a better plan ASAP.

It's masks with quarantines where necessary. Are you guys really just looking for some kind of language that shuts the whole thing down again? They used up all their capital on that last year. They need kids back in the classroom this year.

not fear mongering. I would just like to know what the plan is for our crowded lunch room where the kids sit shoulder to shoulder. PE which is always indoors. Recess when it’s raining……… I’m sending my kid, but I’d still like to know the plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many threads do we need on this topic? MCPS has a plan. It’s to return in person, full time, 100% masked, following CDC guidelines. This year is not last year. The guidelines are different. In case of positive cases, they will follow the health department guidance, as they are already doing. They already said that they would share contingency plans in case of wider spread of cases n a school at September board meeting.

I beg to differ. These are the latest cdc guidelines for schools:

In addition to universal indoor masking, CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as screening testing.

Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.

By my tally, they aren’t maintaining 3ft of distance (all distancing markers removed). They are not layering in screening testing. It is questionable whether they will do any contact tracing. They are eliminating attestation and are not screening for illness before letting kids in the door (requiring students to stay home when sick). They’re not requiring sick students to get tested before returning to school, nor are they planning to offer Covid testing when a student is sent to the nurse. The whole quarantine and isolation plan is a big question mark, but I think the plan is to skip that strategy as well. We all know they are not cleaning or disinfecting in a meaningful way. So no, I wouldn’t say they’re following cdc guidelines. They’re relying entirely on masks, except, you know, when they all take them off to eat in the cafeteria.

MCPS doesn't do contact tracing. The state does that: https://covidlink.maryland.gov/content/answer-the-call/

The attestations last spring were complete nonsense, and cleaning/disinfecting are covid theater.

I agree with these points but I’m not the one who wrote the cdc guidelines, which include these layers!

The point is that contact tracing is happening.

The CDC guidelines do not call for attestations.

People do not have to cooperate with contact tracing. They lie all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

People do not have to cooperate with contact tracing. They lie all the time.

What's your point? Contact tracing is being done. The state is doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

People do not have to cooperate with contact tracing. They lie all the time.

What's your point? Contact tracing is being done. The state is doing it.

Many do not cooperate. Do you really think all will provide the information they request?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

People do not have to cooperate with contact tracing. They lie all the time.

What's your point? Contact tracing is being done. The state is doing it.

Many do not cooperate. Do you really think all will provide the information they request?

Probably not since some won't even get vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

People do not have to cooperate with contact tracing. They lie all the time.

What's your point? Contact tracing is being done. The state is doing it.

Many do not cooperate. Do you really think all will provide the information they request?

Seriously, what's your point? The CDC calls for contact tracing, and contract tracing is being done. If that not good enough for you, then keep your child at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

People do not have to cooperate with contact tracing. They lie all the time.

What's your point? Contact tracing is being done. The state is doing it.

Many do not cooperate. Do you really think all will provide the information they request?

Seriously, what's your point? The CDC calls for contact tracing, and contract tracing is being done. If that not good enough for you, then keep your child at home.

People lie all the time. They send sick kids to school all the time. We are forgetting about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

spudmqueen wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP, school starts in 3 weeks. They need to share the plan.

I agree. How is MCPS not even providing updates. At the least they could announce they are working on alternatives. Very disappointing.

They have said their plan. Return to normal, just like pre-covid days with the only exception being masking. A decent teacher will keep the desks separated in ES and keep kids as best distanced as they can but the pictures MCPS has posted from summer school show no distancing of teachers or kids.

There’s not even room in the classrooms to do this properly w 25+ kids. They need to come up with a better plan ASAP.

It's masks with quarantines where necessary. Are you guys really just looking for some kind of language that shuts the whole thing down again? They used up all their capital on that last year. They need kids back in the classroom this year.

not fear mongering. I would just like to know what the plan is for our crowded lunch room where the kids sit shoulder to shoulder. PE which is always indoors. Recess when it’s raining……… I’m sending my kid, but I’d still like to know the plan.

Wouldn't that be school-specific? This isn't board-level stuff. Reach out to your principal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

People do not have to cooperate with contact tracing. They lie all the time.

What's your point? Contact tracing is being done. The state is doing it.

Many do not cooperate. Do you really think all will provide the information they request?

Seriously, what's your point? The CDC calls for contact tracing, and contract tracing is being done. If that not good enough for you, then keep your child at home.

People lie all the time. They send sick kids to school all the time. We are forgetting about this.

Who's "we"? Also, what's your point?

[Anonymous]

I think the pertinent question is when they will send a whole class of kids home to quarantine.

If one kid in class is positive, is my kid out for 2 weeks?

Or perhaps I won't even be notified??

I could frankly imagine either extreme, and I'd like to know which to expect.

[Anonymous]

spudmqueen wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A year and a half in, has MCPS made any investments in building ventilation?

Yes they have

Here is the tracker for ventilation updates: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/default.aspx?id=674571

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the pertinent question is when they will send a whole class of kids home to quarantine.

If one kid in class is positive, is my kid out for 2 weeks?

Or perhaps I won't even be notified??

I could frankly imagine either extreme, and I'd like to know which to expect.

I emailed my ES principal last week to ask her what the protocol is. She said there is no official plan yet, but that they likely will follow protocol from Summer School, which is: the school will do contact tracing and if it's just one kid who is positive, that kid is out for 10 days at home and will have to get work to do at home from their teacher. If the covid positive kid is considered in close contact with the whole class, then the whole class quarantines for 10 days and the teacher goes to virtual learning.

I do not know what they're doing for lunch. I hope it's outside, but I doubt it.

My kid did go to a one-week camp this summer where all the kids ate lunch in a cafeteria together, indoors. I didn't love the idea but it ended up being fine.