How could a school the size of Blair reopen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The number of people out is not small.

Yup. I live near a major road. 6 weeks ago, it was silent and stayed relatively quiet for about 3 weeks. In the last 3 weeks, traffic has increased steadily. Today, it is nearly as loud as it ever gets. This is just my observation, but I'm sure other areas have increasing traffic and activity.

Traffic does not equate to large crowds gathering in schools, movie theaters, concerts etc... People driving around in cars are not spreading the virus to other cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The number of people out is not small.

Yup. I live near a major road. 6 weeks ago, it was silent and stayed relatively quiet for about 3 weeks. In the last 3 weeks, traffic has increased steadily. Today, it is nearly as loud as it ever gets. This is just my observation, but I'm sure other areas have increasing traffic and activity.

Traffic does not equate to large crowds gathering in schools, movie theaters, concerts etc... People driving around in cars are not spreading the virus to other cars.

All those people driving around in cars are going somewhere and getting out of their cars when they get there.

[Anonymous]

Blair will go back with the same policy that all the other schools go back with and at the same time. Blair is at no greater risk than any other school. Now there could be individual closures in the fall if hot spots develop which is a possibility due the low income density that feeds Blair. That would be reactionary policy once it happens though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone will have to wear masks in school.

How's that going to work for lunch?

You might be able to get HS students to wear masks effectively other times, but what about elementary students? Pre-K?

I think it's likely that we're going to see very different solutions for elementary vs. high school.

There's evidence, but not yet proof, that kids under 10 aren't spreading the virus, or doing so in smaller numbers. So, it may be that there's a decision that masks start at a certain age.

It's also more realistic to set up routines so that elementary students are only exposed to others in their own class. Whether that's specials being done virtually (e.g. teacher projected on whiteboard), eating in the classroom, staggered arrivals and dismissals, assigned seats on the bus so kids are next to others in their class etc . . .

On the other hand, from an economic point of view, reopening elementary schools is key. Right now, if schools are closed, 12.5 percent of the workforce can't work. So, getting those parents back to work means getting care for their kids.

On the other hand, I think we're more likely to see some kind of blended solution for high schoolers. I can imagine, for example, going to a block schedule (4 classes that last a semester, rather than 8 that last all year, or even 2 classes that last a quarter). So, a student might have 4 classes, 2 of which meet on campus, and come to school every other day.

But we're months away from reopening, and hopefully we'll have a lot more information by the end of that period, about whether and how kids spread the virus, and what kind of interventions have the most power to slow down spread.

Man, most teachers did not sign up for putting their lives at risk to teach school. It'll be interesting to see how they react, especially those who are older and close to retirement eligiblity.

Neither did grocery store employees or meat processors.

1. Notice that food workers are fighting for PPE and threatening to strike. Don’t think teachers won’t do the same.
2. Most teachers have more economic/alternative career options than grocery store employees and food processors. How many feds do know you married to a cashier at Safeway or a chicken processor?

Teachers can practice social distancing much more than a store clerk or any of the students and unfortunately with unemployment so high right now, teachers can not easily walk out and find a replacement job.

[Anonymous]

The high school magnets and entire DCC consortium are a big problem in this whole thing as they spread the exposure risk across broader geographic areas. Think of this from a contact tracing standpoint. If you have a kid in a magnet class that is identified as an asymptomatic carrier then you have a far larger web of all the geographic areas and people to trace out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The high school magnets and entire DCC consortium are a big problem in this whole thing as they spread the exposure risk across broader geographic areas. Think of this from a contact tracing standpoint. If you have a kid in a magnet class that is identified as an asymptomatic carrier then you have a far larger web of all the geographic areas and people to trace out.

Do kids in magnet programs come into contact with more people than home-school kids? I don't know why that would be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The high school magnets and entire DCC consortium are a big problem in this whole thing as they spread the exposure risk across broader geographic areas. Think of this from a contact tracing standpoint. If you have a kid in a magnet class that is identified as an asymptomatic carrier then you have a far larger web of all the geographic areas and people to trace out.

Why is it harder to trace a magnet kid who lives in a SFH in Bethesda VS a local kid who may live in a cramped apt building often with multiple families. You think the 45 min bus ride is a harder obstacle than a large undocumented community with language and trust barriers?

[Anonymous]

Unenroll your high schooler and sign up for home schooling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The high school magnets and entire DCC consortium are a big problem in this whole thing as they spread the exposure risk across broader geographic areas. Think of this from a contact tracing standpoint. If you have a kid in a magnet class that is identified as an asymptomatic carrier then you have a far larger web of all the geographic areas and people to trace out.

No different then parents going to work from all over the place.

[Anonymous]

Very few young people get this disease. The risks are to the teachers over 50, janitorial staff, and office staff with conditions and over 50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The high school magnets and entire DCC consortium are a big problem in this whole thing as they spread the exposure risk across broader geographic areas. Think of this from a contact tracing standpoint. If you have a kid in a magnet class that is identified as an asymptomatic carrier then you have a far larger web of all the geographic areas and people to trace out.


Why is it harder to trace a magnet kid who lives in a SFH in Bethesda VS a local kid who may live in a cramped apt building often with multiple families. You think the 45 min bus ride is a harder obstacle than a large undocumented community with language and trust barriers?

Because its a larger web of communities. The magnet kids come from Bethesda, Rockville, North Potomac, Potomac. They have the same PE classes with kids who are local to Blair or in caps and elsewhere in the DCC through CAPS or the choice program. Each kid from a different geographic area has a family that has siblings at elementary schools, grocery shops, sees doctors, engages with neighbors in a completely different location. It magnifies the spread.

[Anonymous]

it doesn't really matter how the schools are assembled via boundaries, they are all melting pots at every level. I would rather my kids be in a school with lots of resources and with other kids from families who I know will stay on top of things but that isn't something Blair can fix now. FARMS isn't just about eating it is also most likely a decent proxy for health insurance too. Large FARMS populations will most likely be affected by the virus at higher rates, adjacent middle class kids will then in turn be affected at rates similar and bring it home to their parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The number of people out is not small.

Yup. I live near a major road. 6 weeks ago, it was silent and stayed relatively quiet for about 3 weeks. In the last 3 weeks, traffic has increased steadily. Today, it is nearly as loud as it ever gets. This is just my observation, but I'm sure other areas have increasing traffic and activity.

Traffic does not equate to large crowds gathering in schools, movie theaters, concerts etc... People driving around in cars are not spreading the virus to other cars.

All those people driving around in cars are going somewhere and getting out of their cars when they get there.

Exactly. It's a means to get *somewhere*, and it's not simply a scenic drive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very few young people get this disease. The risks are to the teachers over 50, janitorial staff, and office staff with conditions and over 50.

They may not get the disease, but they can spread the disease.

The question is: how much do schools spread the disease? Nobody knows yet. If schools are a major component of spreading, then it makes sense to keep them closed. If schools are not a major component of spreading, then we have got to re-open the schools.

Schools in Israel have re-opened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The high school magnets and entire DCC consortium are a big problem in this whole thing as they spread the exposure risk across broader geographic areas. Think of this from a contact tracing standpoint. If you have a kid in a magnet class that is identified as an asymptomatic carrier then you have a far larger web of all the geographic areas and people to trace out.


Why is it harder to trace a magnet kid who lives in a SFH in Bethesda VS a local kid who may live in a cramped apt building often with multiple families. You think the 45 min bus ride is a harder obstacle than a large undocumented community with language and trust barriers?

Because its a larger web of communities. The magnet kids come from Bethesda, Rockville, North Potomac, Potomac. They have the same PE classes with kids who are local to Blair or in caps and elsewhere in the DCC through CAPS or the choice program. Each kid from a different geographic area has a family that has siblings at elementary schools, grocery shops, sees doctors, engages with neighbors in a completely different location. It magnifies the spread.

Your biggest risk factor isn't the 100 kids from the west side of town, it is the 2000 mostly lower income kids from all over the world who live on top of each other with limited access to Gov Services and healthcare that make up a large part of the Blair community. You are welcome to petition the County to move the magnet program out of the school. I know many who would support that who share in your concern exposing the Magnet kids to the Blair regular population.