Should we prepare for virtual schooling starting in January?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'll know better how omnicron is going by the end of winter break. Speculating at this point seems only to cause anxiety.

Catch up. We already know how omicrom is going. Cases are up, beyond anything in the entire pandemic. Because of the sheer numbers it is overwhelming our health care system.
Testing centers are booked up and there won't be any testing for people returning from vacations before school starts. Schools will open with thousands of omicron exposures and no way to test or prevent spread.

Oh well. If a school exceeds the 5 percent threshold, it sounds like they’ll do a short-term closure.

And if all the schools do, the entire system closes.

For a short spell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What the parents who seem obsessed with "if schools close down, everything needs to shut down..." are failing to see, is the problem isn't shutting down because of omicron itself. The problem is staffing shortages. Teachers are getting sick and cannot be at school. There is no one there to cover for them. Not sure why you're not comprehending this or getting it through your head. School closures will be due to staff shortages. Period.

Actually I think that most people understand school closures that are due to staff shortages...

They will just pack the kids into the auditoriums if there are not enough staff. Expect few actual school closures. The testing is so delayed and hard to manage that we will rarely hit 5%. Loads of unvaxed/untested kids in the buildings who refuse to get tested, vaxed, or wear masks appropriately. Society says at this point it is best to keep kids in the buildings no matter what.

Yep. We tried the other extreme-closing schools for 400 days and then “returning” part time and it didn’t work out so well. So yes, we are going to try the other way. Stay tuned. I think it’s going to be fine.

Ugh, why can't they just avoid both extremes, be reasonable and go virtual for 2 or 3 weeks in January so there's some orderly albeit imperfect learning going on rather than waiting for dozens of kids and staff to get sick before being forced to shut down with tons of teachers sick and unable to teach (and kids sick and unable to learn)? Obviously what happened last year was extreme, but so is forcing teachers and kids to get sick in the middle of a brutally contagious but likely shortlived outbreak and contribute to an overstressed medical and hospital system before most schools just shut down anyway, when there's an easy solution to sidestep all that.

What’s ridiculous is that students have no choice at this point. If they don’t want to catch covid at school, then they have to quit school for a month

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?

We don’t need virtual. You want virtual. Those are two very different things.

The thing is MCPS totally ignores that a good portion of students now want to switch to virtual but there is no option for them

You mean like how they ignored all the students who wanted to go in-person for most of the 2020-2021 school year, but had no option to do so? Funny how that works, isn’t it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What the parents who seem obsessed with "if schools close down, everything needs to shut down..." are failing to see, is the problem isn't shutting down because of omicron itself. The problem is staffing shortages. Teachers are getting sick and cannot be at school. There is no one there to cover for them. Not sure why you're not comprehending this or getting it through your head. School closures will be due to staff shortages. Period.

Actually I think that most people understand school closures that are due to staff shortages...

They will just pack the kids into the auditoriums if there are not enough staff. Expect few actual school closures. The testing is so delayed and hard to manage that we will rarely hit 5%. Loads of unvaxed/untested kids in the buildings who refuse to get tested, vaxed, or wear masks appropriately. Society says at this point it is best to keep kids in the buildings no matter what.

Yep. We tried the other extreme-closing schools for 400 days and then “returning” part time and it didn’t work out so well. So yes, we are going to try the other way. Stay tuned. I think it’s going to be fine.

Ugh, why can't they just avoid both extremes, be reasonable and go virtual for 2 or 3 weeks in January so there's some orderly albeit imperfect learning going on rather than waiting for dozens of kids and staff to get sick before being forced to shut down with tons of teachers sick and unable to teach (and kids sick and unable to learn)? Obviously what happened last year was extreme, but so is forcing teachers and kids to get sick in the middle of a brutally contagious but likely shortlived outbreak and contribute to an overstressed medical and hospital system before most schools just shut down anyway, when there's an easy solution to sidestep all that.

What’s ridiculous is that students have no choice at this point. If they don’t want to catch covid at school, then they have to quit school for a month

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?

We don’t need virtual. You want virtual. Those are two very different things.

The thing is MCPS totally ignores that a good portion of students now want to switch to virtual but there is no option for them

You mean like how they ignored all the students who wanted to go in-person for most of the 2020-2021 school year, but had no option to do so? Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Also, what does PP mean by a "good portion of students" want to switch to virtual? Where does that stat come from besides their butt?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'll know better how omnicron is going by the end of winter break. Speculating at this point seems only to cause anxiety.

Catch up. We already know how omicrom is going. Cases are up, beyond anything in the entire pandemic. Because of the sheer numbers it is overwhelming our health care system.
Testing centers are booked up and there won't be any testing for people returning from vacations before school starts. Schools will open with thousands of omicron exposures and no way to test or prevent spread.

1. Many people have at home tests so the import of testing centers being booked is unclear. I also can’t imagine there are fewer tests available now than there were this time last year. I also question….what is the actual utility of testing if the symptoms are milder? The reason why testing was so important earlier in the pandemic was because of how serious the symptoms were. The most frequently reported symptoms of omicron are headache, runny nose, etc. The normal course of pandemics is that the virus mutates to become milder over time. Exactly what happened with h1n1 and the Spanish influenza. The end of this whole thing is not going to be the eradication of all coronaviruses.
2. Anything non-anecdotal about hospitals being overwhelmed?
3. I personally think that omicron has been here since November and all that has changed is people’s awareness of it.

[Anonymous]

So with all the studies showing this is much milder than previous strains. Can we stop the stupid panic and stay open

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So with all the studies showing this is much milder than previous strains. Can we stop the stupid panic and stay open

If "much milder" meant no hospitalizations or deaths, sure, but it doesn't. What we do know for sure is that it is much more transmissible, which means that more people will get it. If more people get it, that can still strain the healthcare system and kill people even if it is milder on average. But you know all this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So with all the studies showing this is much milder than previous strains. Can we stop the stupid panic and stay open

If "much milder" meant no hospitalizations or deaths, sure, but it doesn't. What we do know for sure is that it is much more transmissible, which means that more people will get it. If more people get it, that can still strain the healthcare system and kill people even if it is milder on average. But you know all this.

Agreed, we really need to stop the panic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What the parents who seem obsessed with "if schools close down, everything needs to shut down..." are failing to see, is the problem isn't shutting down because of omicron itself. The problem is staffing shortages. Teachers are getting sick and cannot be at school. There is no one there to cover for them. Not sure why you're not comprehending this or getting it through your head. School closures will be due to staff shortages. Period.

Actually I think that most people understand school closures that are due to staff shortages...

They will just pack the kids into the auditoriums if there are not enough staff. Expect few actual school closures. The testing is so delayed and hard to manage that we will rarely hit 5%. Loads of unvaxed/untested kids in the buildings who refuse to get tested, vaxed, or wear masks appropriately. Society says at this point it is best to keep kids in the buildings no matter what.

Yep. We tried the other extreme-closing schools for 400 days and then “returning” part time and it didn’t work out so well. So yes, we are going to try the other way. Stay tuned. I think it’s going to be fine.

Ugh, why can't they just avoid both extremes, be reasonable and go virtual for 2 or 3 weeks in January so there's some orderly albeit imperfect learning going on rather than waiting for dozens of kids and staff to get sick before being forced to shut down with tons of teachers sick and unable to teach (and kids sick and unable to learn)? Obviously what happened last year was extreme, but so is forcing teachers and kids to get sick in the middle of a brutally contagious but likely shortlived outbreak and contribute to an overstressed medical and hospital system before most schools just shut down anyway, when there's an easy solution to sidestep all that.

What’s ridiculous is that students have no choice at this point. If they don’t want to catch covid at school, then they have to quit school for a month

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?

We don’t need virtual. You want virtual. Those are two very different things.

The thing is MCPS totally ignores that a good portion of students now want to switch to virtual but there is no option for them

You mean like how they ignored all the students who wanted to go in-person for most of the 2020-2021 school year, but had no option to do so? Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Also, what does PP mean by a "good portion of students" want to switch to virtual? Where does that stat come from besides their butt?

I sincerely doubt a "good portion" of students want to go virtual. But then again I have as much information as PP - which is none. lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We'll know better how omnicron is going by the end of winter break. Speculating at this point seems only to cause anxiety.

Catch up. We already know how omicrom is going. Cases are up, beyond anything in the entire pandemic. Because of the sheer numbers it is overwhelming our health care system.
Testing centers are booked up and there won't be any testing for people returning from vacations before school starts. Schools will open with thousands of omicron exposures and no way to test or prevent spread.

1. Many people have at home tests so the import of testing centers being booked is unclear. I also can’t imagine there are fewer tests available now than there were this time last year. I also question….what is the actual utility of testing if the symptoms are milder? The reason why testing was so important earlier in the pandemic was because of how serious the symptoms were. The most frequently reported symptoms of omicron are headache, runny nose, etc. The normal course of pandemics is that the virus mutates to become milder over time. Exactly what happened with h1n1 and the Spanish influenza. The end of this whole thing is not going to be the eradication of all coronaviruses.
2. Anything non-anecdotal about hospitals being overwhelmed?
3. I personally think that omicron has been here since November and all that has changed is people’s awareness of it.

Yes got a PSA txt that Maryland has now surpassed 1500 Covid hospitalizations

[Anonymous]

Txt is from #MdReady

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What the parents who seem obsessed with "if schools close down, everything needs to shut down..." are failing to see, is the problem isn't shutting down because of omicron itself. The problem is staffing shortages. Teachers are getting sick and cannot be at school. There is no one there to cover for them. Not sure why you're not comprehending this or getting it through your head. School closures will be due to staff shortages. Period.

Actually I think that most people understand school closures that are due to staff shortages...

They will just pack the kids into the auditoriums if there are not enough staff. Expect few actual school closures. The testing is so delayed and hard to manage that we will rarely hit 5%. Loads of unvaxed/untested kids in the buildings who refuse to get tested, vaxed, or wear masks appropriately. Society says at this point it is best to keep kids in the buildings no matter what.

Yep. We tried the other extreme-closing schools for 400 days and then “returning” part time and it didn’t work out so well. So yes, we are going to try the other way. Stay tuned. I think it’s going to be fine.

Ugh, why can't they just avoid both extremes, be reasonable and go virtual for 2 or 3 weeks in January so there's some orderly albeit imperfect learning going on rather than waiting for dozens of kids and staff to get sick before being forced to shut down with tons of teachers sick and unable to teach (and kids sick and unable to learn)? Obviously what happened last year was extreme, but so is forcing teachers and kids to get sick in the middle of a brutally contagious but likely shortlived outbreak and contribute to an overstressed medical and hospital system before most schools just shut down anyway, when there's an easy solution to sidestep all that.

What’s ridiculous is that students have no choice at this point. If they don’t want to catch covid at school, then they have to quit school for a month

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?

We don’t need virtual. You want virtual. Those are two very different things.

The thing is MCPS totally ignores that a good portion of students now want to switch to virtual but there is no option for them

Actually, no, MCPS offered virtual to students who wanted it. They offered it in May/June/July and extended it through August for applications. If you choose to go in person, that was a decision you made so stop complaining. MCPS has 3000 students in virtual. Unfortunately they don't have more space as they don't have enough teaching staff and some of the families who were planing to switch to in person have now decided to stay. It was obvious this was coming and would happen. Your failure to plan doesn't make it an emergency on MCPS. Families demanded in person. Families demanded we stay open no matter what.

When families were concerned over the summer we were told to homeschool, go private or pay for a private program/tutor. Those are the same options you have available to you. If you look at past posts from the summer, we posted the two state approved virtual programs (which looked pretty bad in comparison to MCPS).

Expecting in person schools to run both virtually and in person without more staff is unreasonable.

Your kids, your problem. Those of us who were concerned, planned according as they are our kids and our problem.

Not to worry, according to DCUM, your kids cannot get covid vaccinated but if they do it will be mild for all of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What the parents who seem obsessed with "if schools close down, everything needs to shut down..." are failing to see, is the problem isn't shutting down because of omicron itself. The problem is staffing shortages. Teachers are getting sick and cannot be at school. There is no one there to cover for them. Not sure why you're not comprehending this or getting it through your head. School closures will be due to staff shortages. Period.

Actually I think that most people understand school closures that are due to staff shortages...

They will just pack the kids into the auditoriums if there are not enough staff. Expect few actual school closures. The testing is so delayed and hard to manage that we will rarely hit 5%. Loads of unvaxed/untested kids in the buildings who refuse to get tested, vaxed, or wear masks appropriately. Society says at this point it is best to keep kids in the buildings no matter what.

Yep. We tried the other extreme-closing schools for 400 days and then “returning” part time and it didn’t work out so well. So yes, we are going to try the other way. Stay tuned. I think it’s going to be fine.

Ugh, why can't they just avoid both extremes, be reasonable and go virtual for 2 or 3 weeks in January so there's some orderly albeit imperfect learning going on rather than waiting for dozens of kids and staff to get sick before being forced to shut down with tons of teachers sick and unable to teach (and kids sick and unable to learn)? Obviously what happened last year was extreme, but so is forcing teachers and kids to get sick in the middle of a brutally contagious but likely shortlived outbreak and contribute to an overstressed medical and hospital system before most schools just shut down anyway, when there's an easy solution to sidestep all that.

What’s ridiculous is that students have no choice at this point. If they don’t want to catch covid at school, then they have to quit school for a month

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?

We don’t need virtual. You want virtual. Those are two very different things.

The thing is MCPS totally ignores that a good portion of students now want to switch to virtual but there is no option for them

You mean like how they ignored all the students who wanted to go in-person for most of the 2020-2021 school year, but had no option to do so? Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Also, what does PP mean by a "good portion of students" want to switch to virtual? Where does that stat come from besides their butt?

I sincerely doubt a "good portion" of students want to go virtual. But then again I have as much information as PP - which is none. lol.

Those students can apply to VA and go on the waitlist. There are about 500 students prior to this on the waitlist. Problem solved.

That is your virtual option or you can pay for a private program.

You were offered virtual over the summer and choose in person. Just like you told some of us to "deal with it" over the summer when we were concerned abotu a surge, now its your turn to "deal with it."

You can always homeschool like you told us to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So with all the studies showing this is much milder than previous strains. Can we stop the stupid panic and stay open

If "much milder" meant no hospitalizations or deaths, sure, but it doesn't. What we do know for sure is that it is much more transmissible, which means that more people will get it. If more people get it, that can still strain the healthcare system and kill people even if it is milder on average. But you know all this.

Agreed, we really need to stop the panic.

The concern isn't over just hospitalizations but if that's how they want to justify their poor behavior, its ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So with all the studies showing this is much milder than previous strains. Can we stop the stupid panic and stay open

If "much milder" meant no hospitalizations or deaths, sure, but it doesn't. What we do know for sure is that it is much more transmissible, which means that more people will get it. If more people get it, that can still strain the healthcare system and kill people even if it is milder on average. But you know all this.

Agreed, we really need to stop the panic.

The concern isn't over just hospitalizations but if that's how they want to justify their poor behavior, its ok.

Poor to you is good to me. It's about point of view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So with all the studies showing this is much milder than previous strains. Can we stop the stupid panic and stay open

If "much milder" meant no hospitalizations or deaths, sure, but it doesn't. What we do know for sure is that it is much more transmissible, which means that more people will get it. If more people get it, that can still strain the healthcare system and kill people even if it is milder on average. But you know all this.

Agreed, we really need to stop the panic.

The concern isn't over just hospitalizations but if that's how they want to justify their poor behavior, its ok.

Learning to give with covid means shifting the focus to severity and hospitalizations. It isn’t realistic to eradicate covid— it will always be spreading in significant numbers.