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Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
Should we prepare for virtual schooling starting in January?
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Anonymous
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^^^
Anonymous
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Lunch is only one small part of the issue. You can keep focusing on that but its pointless. Parents send their kids sick. There is no distancing, poorly fitting masks, very limited opt in testing, portable air filters in limited spaces at older schools, very limited school cleanings (may not help for covid, but cold and flu), and many other issues.
Schools will be on break starting later this week. Plan for covid if you choose to return your kids the first week back because of others not caring and sending their sick kids in. |
Anonymous
Its not just bars and sporting events and the students aren't going to bars. |
Anonymous
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looks like MCPS is preparing to go virtual in January.
Dr. McKnight says MCPS recorded about 1200 COVID positive cases in past 3 weeks and also consider that the reporting is delayed with lead time to test and confirm. An Average 400 per week is a huge jump compared to previous months PG county is virtual and it seems like most of the private schools are going virtual in metro area considering the health and safety of the students. How does the accountability works at MCPS? Will Dr. McKnight be held accountable for her decision if things get worse at MCPS due to this variant? |
Anonymous
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=12567&type=&startYear=&pageNumber=&mode= December 20, 2021 COVID-19 Testing, Face Coverings, Stressing Vaccinations and a Request to the Community to Follow Mitigation Strategies is Focus of MCPS Approach to Recent Positive Case Rise In line with national and statewide trends, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is experiencing a substantial increase in COVID-19 cases. The district has seen more student and staff cases in December than in the first three months of the school year combined. Nonetheless, positive case rates in MCPS are still one of the lowest in the state of Maryland. As MCPS confronts this concerning pattern, the district remains committed to keeping schools open for fully in-person learning. Maintaining in-person instruction provides students with the best environment for addressing the learning disruptions that resulted from virtual and hybrid learning in the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 school years. During a December 20 press conference, Dr. Monifa B. McKnight, Interim Superintendent of Schools, reaffirmed the commitment to keeping schools open. Dr. McKnight was joined by Dr. James Bridgers, acting county health officer for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). MCPS has partnered with DHHS through the pandemic, and their recommendations have guided MCPS for the past 21 months. “This past summer, our staff worked incredibly hard to be able to welcome students back to school five days a week for in-person instruction because we know that in-person learning is what is best for students,” said Dr. McKnight. “I am very grateful for the hard work of all staff, our partnership with our employee associations and our entire community to make this happen. We must do what is right for each and every one of our students and that is to teach, in-person.” The following parameter will require the consideration of individual school closures. To ensure the safety of students and staff, MCPS will be following DHHS guidance around individual school outbreaks as defined by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Beginning in January, if 5 percent or more of unrelated students/teachers/staff (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff) test positive in a 14-day period, then DHHS and MCPS will work together to determine if the school should be closed for 14 days and the students would transition to virtual learning. Upholding the commitment to in-person instruction requires the entire Montgomery County community to remain vigilant to all health and safety measures available. Those strategies are: Get the shot. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and available for everyone ages 5 and older. Get the booster shot. The third shot to ensure you are sufficiently protected is now available for everyone 16 and above. Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth whenever you are in an MCPS building or in public buildings. Wash your hands frequently before and after eating or touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Say Yes to the Test. Give permission for the random and rapid COVID-19 screening programs in MCPS schools. This is critical to identifying cases and reducing the number of students in quarantine. Socialize outdoors. If you meet with others indoors, avoid crowded, poorly ventilated spaces. See more recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Planning to travel? Know what the CDC has to say about how to do that safely. Although as a community we may be experiencing pandemic fatigue, it is crucial that we continue practicing the preventive behaviors that have helped to keep our community safe. Important Resources Need the shot? Visit the Montgomery County Health and Human Services website to find a clinic and to register for a free vaccine. https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/ Say Yes to the Test COVID-19 Testing Information, Forms and Flyers: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/coronavirus/random-testing.aspx English PSA https://youtu.be/5bWVDTZNL4A Spanish PSA https://youtu.be/UtJ8ikU4hcU Say Yes to The Test Flyers: English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Amharic Do you have symptoms? Did you travel? Did you gather with others? Get a free test. https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/testing.html Latest news and information about COVID-19 in Montgomery County https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/news/index.html ### |
Anonymous
I’m not going to be your researcher, lazy bones. Go do some very basic Googling and get actual data from reputable public health and epidemiology entities. FFS. |
Anonymous
| Its Covid trebled and add a dash of Flu A. Add a vomiting bug. The sick rooms are truly Sick health rooms. |
Anonymous
A different thread said that MCPS shelled out 11M in legal costs. Do you really think she cares? The only way you'll get better decisions is to cut their legal budget |
Anonymous
| Yes. |
Anonymous
MCPS has paid millions for years to fight parents instead of educating students with disabilities. Dr. McKnight is part of the problem - not the solution. She prioritized more half days for students and 7 extra days off for school administrators instead of using Winter Break to develop a plan. Closing individual schools is still denying students in person instruction no matter how her expensive PR consultant wants to spin the narrative. All schools should remain open after Winter Break and there should be more testing of students and staff. Restaurants and bars pose a greater threat than schools, |
Anonymous
Except that was the conversation all last year about why xyz is open but schools were not. And then schools reopened and are very short staffed and there few subs |
Anonymous
Unbelieveable! opportunity to write a book on MCPS and impact on future generation. Book or journal will be invaluable asset for future generations to look back and see what was done in the rearview mirror and learn from it if they wish to. |
Anonymous
THIS!!!!! And the people on here who say that kids who are afraid of Covid, afraid of bringing Covid home to a vulnerable family member or kids who are vulnerable themselves should just be homeschooled are absolutely ridiculous. I can't homeschool my kid in Pre Calculus or AP Psychology. Kids are entitled to an education and this pandemic is certainly not their fault yet they are used as pawns. MCPS is afraid to go virtual because parents will freak out. Some parents don't care about Covid, some have real reasons why they can't care for kids during the day and some special needs kids struggle with virtual. I get it. Maybe we have some in person options if needed. Certainly a limited in person situation is better than the shoulder to shoulder option we have now. Are there really no viable options for virtual learning if we are headed toward crisis but not quite there yet? Surely a team teaching approach where one teacher is online that day and another is planning or providing support could minimize the burden (yes classes would be bigger) I've been furious all along that kids with Covid or in quarantine are not entitled to any education while they are out. This places a strain on high school kids especially and their teachers are constantly having to deal with kids making up work. WE NEED A VIRTUAL OPTION during this current crisis. I don't want to hear that my kid's school is at 4.98% Covid infection and if another few kids fall, we go virtual. That seems a bit cruel. Why isn't health and safety the #1 priority? |
Anonymous
I really don't think they have a legal budget. I've luckily never had to really think about suing the school but when I spoke to a consultant once about what are the options if my kid doesn't get the services he needs, I was told that suing is tough because they have bottomless pockets and I don't. McKnight seems awful so far. I usually give these people the benefit of the doubt but she seems to be way too afraid to really do what's in the best interest of the students. Hogan's a fool with political aspirations that require pandering to the right so he's unlikely to support closing schools. He plays middle of the road when nobody is watching but he knows a shut down here will be tough on his future political ambitions so our kids are going to pay the price for that. |
Anonymous
| Furthermore, the percentage is an entirely made up number based on how many tests each school actually does. Don't test? Stay open. |