Here is why we should close schools now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if school closes whether daycares and preschools will follow suit? If so, will you still pay tuition if there is an extended closure?

I want the teachers at our preschool to continue getting paid. But if there is a long term closure and I’m unable to work, there’s no way we can swing dropping over 3k/month on childcare while not collecting a paycheck myself. I’m worried about the widespread effects of this.

no one can answer this at this point. and the answer may be specific to each daycare.

I’m daycare and we are grappling with the same questions you are. If we don’t continue to get paid then we have to lay people off. After all mortgage utilities don’t stop collecting just because we don’t get a paycheck. I would imagine we are a bill for you I would hope that people would continue to pay the day care bill.

I’m the PP who posted this question and right now are plan is to continue to pay it so long as we have our paychecks. My hope is we get paid = preschool teachers get paid. But if I have to take unpaid leave because I’ll be home with the kids then there is no way we can swing that. Our oldest is 5 and starting K in the fall so I’ve even though about disenrolling him in the event of prolonged closures and bandaid-ing with camps over the summer if there are any (that way I can pay for camps if things are open, but not be committed to an expensive monthly preschool bill if things are touch and go. I feel bad b/c I know the teachers will also need time off to care for their own kids if schools close so I don’t know how daycares/preschools will keep running even if they want to. Not to mention some of the teachers are older ladies and I worry they’d get sick from the kids. So many unknowns!

[Anonymous]

Sorry, *our plan. Typing too fast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, I am not trying to be argumentative, but I don't see a lot of clear-headed thinking in this thread. I unfortunately think that we need to prepare for a world where COVID-19 is a widely circulating virus. Do we permanently close schools? What do we do?
——————


No we don’t just like we should not focus on the next year Oscars...
We have a problem now and need solution that fix it now.

Why worry what will or will not this virus become.
All viruses of this sort loose virulency and became weak.
Also where is SARS, MERS, H1N1..SWINE FLU... and who cares..
This virus might be a problem in the future but probably wont since people will get natural immunity. Where is Spanish flu? Nobody vaccinated for it in the subsequent decades..
O resson whatsoever believe this will be perennial. Only if you want to inflict the fear.

There is good reason and data to close the schools. One, it slows down transmission which is very important. It gives researchers better time to try currently approved drugs. To develop a vaccine. To develop new treatments and drugs. To spread out hospital admissions. Throwing up your hands because everyone is currently susceptible is not an appropriate public health response. The steepness of the curve matters. A lot.

I agree that schools ought to close. Extend Spring Break by a week or two. BTW, for the Spanish Flu poster... do you realize how many people died? 20++ million people. But, like you say... No Big Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, I am not trying to be argumentative, but I don't see a lot of clear-headed thinking in this thread. I unfortunately think that we need to prepare for a world where COVID-19 is a widely circulating virus. Do we permanently close schools? What do we do?

——————



A vaccine is being developed now. That is the plan, so we can have it more controlled like the flu. My guess is that a medicine will likely be developed as well, to avoid disruptions that we are experiencing now.

No, we don't need to permanently close anything. Exposure to the novel coronavirus is inevitable. The vaccine will be ready in about 2 years.

BUT.

We need closures now to prevent a deadly spike in cases that will overwhelm our healthcare system, which is already operating at capacity from flu patients.

We need to slow down the epidemic to stagger hospitalizations so that patients aren't dying in corridors, like in Italy or China.

That's all, and it's so simple to understand once you frame it in terms of hospital capacity, but apparently people just don't get it!

Personally I am not convinced that closing schools now will do much to slow the hospitalization rate. I am willing to try, though, and would not oppose it in my district. But I think a lot of the posters in this thread are living in a bit of a fantasy land about the impact and are also myopically ignoring (or don't care) about how most Americans will feed their kids, keep their jobs, or pay their rent if schools are closed. I get a distinct "let them eat cake" sense from the more rabid pro-closure posters that's really off-putting.

How do you think Italy, Chun, S. Korea, Japan managed it? They too have real people with real problems. Americans are too damn whiny, entitled and selfish.

[Anonymous]

Oh look at that: Madrid just closed all schools and universities.

Spain will close all schools within 8 days IMO

Germany should be following soon.

Italy’s extended the lockdown of northern provinces to the entire country.

[Anonymous]

You don’t think Italy is seeing serious economic damage from this shut down? It’s not like people are making money right now anyhow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sort of weird there's so much panic here but very little in real life, at least in my circles. Is it just a few doomsday posters?

Not to sound snippy but it's possible that no-one in your real life circle feels comfortable enough to share their concerns.

Here are two Twitter threads for you to glance over. You may think they are doomers. They sound very reasonable and fact-based to me but it's been adapted for layman understanding and the Twitter platform's format.

On why close schools:
https://twitter.com/NAChristakis/status/1235204443362205699

On what the exponential nature of this disease's spread implies:
https://twitter.com/LizSpecht/status/1236095180459003909

People have certainly discussed concerns, but a number of friends went to indoor birthday parties, took kids ice skating / to sporting events / to restaurants, are all at work today, etc.

A lot of young families are banking on the stats that show they are not likely to be among the unfortunate that actually die. Plus there is a "too cool to close school" mentality which somehow makes them dismissive of the impact on other areas. We see that on DCUM all the time: the Chinese are smokers, the Italians kiss on both cheeks to greet each other, the Korean church was a cult, the Seattle cases were all old folks in a nursing home. Soon COVID-19 will be coming for the rest of us.

Truth!

People do this bargaining because the alternative is too scary. And when it finally does hit them, they are stunned and angry that no one told them they were at risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if school closes whether daycares and preschools will follow suit? If so, will you still pay tuition if there is an extended closure?

I want the teachers at our preschool to continue getting paid. But if there is a long term closure and I’m unable to work, there’s no way we can swing dropping over 3k/month on childcare while not collecting a paycheck myself. I’m worried about the widespread effects of this.

no one can answer this at this point. and the answer may be specific to each daycare.

I’m daycare and we are grappling with the same questions you are. If we don’t continue to get paid then we have to lay people off. After all mortgage utilities don’t stop collecting just because we don’t get a paycheck. I would imagine we are a bill for you I would hope that people would continue to pay the day care bill.

I’m the PP who posted this question and right now are plan is to continue to pay it so long as we have our paychecks. My hope is we get paid = preschool teachers get paid. But if I have to take unpaid leave because I’ll be home with the kids then there is no way we can swing that. Our oldest is 5 and starting K in the fall so I’ve even though about disenrolling him in the event of prolonged closures and bandaid-ing with camps over the summer if there are any (that way I can pay for camps if things are open, but not be committed to an expensive monthly preschool bill if things are touch and go. I feel bad b/c I know the teachers will also need time off to care for their own kids if schools close so I don’t know how daycares/preschools will keep running even if they want to. Not to mention some of the teachers are older ladies and I worry they’d get sick from the kids. So many unknowns!

Many daycares WILL close. In fact, some home daycares with older owners may close even before public schools shut down. PRenys who have to stay home with a two year old are more likely to keep the 5 or 6 year old in K home as well.

I teach in a high poverty middle school and more than a couple students are talking about neighbors asking them if they will babysit if schools closes.

[Anonymous]

The Heights in Potomac closed for this week - lots of international travelers just returned on Saturday from school trips. no known cases. Just being cautious after travel to infected countries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of you advocating for immediate widespread school closures, when do you think they should reopen? What would your trigger be? I see a lot of insistence that school closure will stop or slow an epidemic, but little discussion of how we know that has happened and schools can reopen. One PP above stated they should be closed until manufacturing capacity is improved, which could literally be years. What other triggers should be used?

If your answer is years of timr, I cannot see how school closure is prudent.

My hope would be that schools open again in six weeks and run all summer until October when we will likely see round 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you advocating for immediate widespread school closures, when do you think they should reopen? What would your trigger be? I see a lot of insistence that school closure will stop or slow an epidemic, but little discussion of how we know that has happened and schools can reopen. One PP above stated they should be closed until manufacturing capacity is improved, which could literally be years. What other triggers should be used?

If your answer is years of timr, I cannot see how school closure is prudent.

My hope would be that schools open again in six weeks and run all summer until October when we will likely see round 2.

Your “hope”? Well ok if you say so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, I am not trying to be argumentative, but I don't see a lot of clear-headed thinking in this thread. I unfortunately think that we need to prepare for a world where COVID-19 is a widely circulating virus. Do we permanently close schools? What do we do?

——————



A vaccine is being developed now. That is the plan, so we can have it more controlled like the flu. My guess is that a medicine will likely be developed as well, to avoid disruptions that we are experiencing now.

No, we don't need to permanently close anything. Exposure to the novel coronavirus is inevitable. The vaccine will be ready in about 2 years.

BUT.

We need closures now to prevent a deadly spike in cases that will overwhelm our healthcare system, which is already operating at capacity from flu patients.

We need to slow down the epidemic to stagger hospitalizations so that patients aren't dying in corridors, like in Italy or China.

That's all, and it's so simple to understand once you frame it in terms of hospital capacity, but apparently people just don't get it!

Personally I am not convinced that closing schools now will do much to slow the hospitalization rate. I am willing to try, though, and would not oppose it in my district. But I think a lot of the posters in this thread are living in a bit of a fantasy land about the impact and are also myopically ignoring (or don't care) about how most Americans will feed their kids, keep their jobs, or pay their rent if schools are closed. I get a distinct "let them eat cake" sense from the more rabid pro-closure posters that's really off-putting.

How do you think Italy, Chun, S. Korea, Japan managed it? They too have real people with real problems. Americans are too damn whiny, entitled and selfish.

They haven't managed it. WTF. Have you been following the news at all?

Look, I agree with closure, but there sure seems to be a lot of magical thinking in this thread about the health impact it will have, combined with privilege blindness over the impact of school closures on people's lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you advocating for immediate widespread school closures, when do you think they should reopen? What would your trigger be? I see a lot of insistence that school closure will stop or slow an epidemic, but little discussion of how we know that has happened and schools can reopen. One PP above stated they should be closed until manufacturing capacity is improved, which could literally be years. What other triggers should be used?

If your answer is years of timr, I cannot see how school closure is prudent.

My hope would be that schools open again in six weeks and run all summer until October when we will likely see round 2.

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you advocating for immediate widespread school closures, when do you think they should reopen? What would your trigger be? I see a lot of insistence that school closure will stop or slow an epidemic, but little discussion of how we know that has happened and schools can reopen. One PP above stated they should be closed until manufacturing capacity is improved, which could literally be years. What other triggers should be used?

If your answer is years of timr, I cannot see how school closure is prudent.

I’m a NP but I think we should close for around 2-3 weeks to see what the virus is going and go from there. Of course nobody can give a hard end date. Nobody knows exactly what will happen. We can only guess based on what we’ve seen in other countries.

Almost every place that has closed schools have done it for two or three weeks and have since extended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you advocating for immediate widespread school closures, when do you think they should reopen? What would your trigger be? I see a lot of insistence that school closure will stop or slow an epidemic, but little discussion of how we know that has happened and schools can reopen. One PP above stated they should be closed until manufacturing capacity is improved, which could literally be years. What other triggers should be used?

If your answer is years of timr, I cannot see how school closure is prudent.

My hope would be that schools open again in six weeks and run all summer until October when we will likely see round 2.

No.

No, you don’t hope that?

No, you think schools won’t close?

No, you think schools won’t reopen?

What no?