If you chose hybrid for APS, are you comfortable with kids going back next month?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS parent here who is currently house hunting - is APS doing concurrent or do they have separate in-person and distance learning classes?

Separate in-person and DL classes for elementary. The elementary model is one class stays together and goes in 2x a week and DL 2x a week with the same teacher. Teacher goes in 2x a week and the group is split in two for those two days and goes back and forth between the kids. An "aide" (extended day person ) babysits one group while the teacher is with the other group. So the teachers are only going in 2 days a week in this model.

Middle school and high school will be concurrent.

Actually, 3-5 will now be concurrent too. Just announced this week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. The vast majority of Arlington families at high hybrid selection schools are not being “extremely conscientious.” You must just have conscientious friends. Many, many families doing leisure travel, going to Disney etc etc.

The areas with higher hybrid selection (blue) have rates per 100K that are less than half the rates in 22204 (orange) where the hybrid selection rates are very low. There are various socioeconomic reasons for that, but the data is definitely showing much lower covid infection rates in the higher hybrid selection area. Clearly there aren't enough people getting Covid at Disney to impact that trend.

https://data-dashboard.arlingtonva.us/covid#cases-by-zip-code

22213 and 22207 (very north ARL) have 1095 cases total (~2900 per 100k); while 22204 has 3437 (6315 per 100k). It is true that the families in neighborhoods that have been impacted the most by COVID have decided to keep their kids home more so than choosing DL. It has impacted them and their neighbors more, they have multi generations to care for in their homes that they are concerned about infecting, some families have paired together because of work schedules (no sick leave) and do not want and cannot literally afford to infect each other. The reasons for wanting to keep their kids and families safe go on and on. On AEM, some parents were truly shocked that the 22204 neighborhoods wanted DL while 22207 wanted Hybrid. One thing is for sure, we are learning more and more about the disparities in our county.

I think that pre Pandemic most sentient beings were well aware of the grotesque, nauseating disparities in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two elementary kids here and I am comfortable sending them back.

It is true that rates are much higher than in September, but that's not the only thing that has changed. We have also gotten a lot more information on schools as spreaders (they're not), kids at risk (they're not), and the total failure that virtual learning is for many. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, but the baseline assumptions are different now and what we know now makes the degree of community not irrelevant, but less important.

these are literally APE talking points and are not true.

We selected hybrid but if they open any time soon, we will be seeking to switch to virtual. Our school said we could do this and that better hold true.

I'm not impressed with APS at all. Sending teachers back now is a clear sign they're going to start hybrid soon. Poor teachers.

Rich families!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two elementary kids here and I am comfortable sending them back.

It is true that rates are much higher than in September, but that's not the only thing that has changed. We have also gotten a lot more information on schools as spreaders (they're not), kids at risk (they're not), and the total failure that virtual learning is for many. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, but the baseline assumptions are different now and what we know now makes the degree of community not irrelevant, but less important.

No, we have not.

Not disputing that VL doesn’t work as well for many. But it’s not just the DL that is causing kids to fail. Stress and trauma, of the PANDEMIC itself is responsible for that. This hybrid plan isn’t any better for education. And frankly, APS is just revealing what a total failure their approach to this past Spring was, and that their approach to reading for the last few years has been crap. The data they’re collecting from Lexia and Dibbels would’ve revealed a huge issue, pandemic or not. The scores would’ve been low even without the pandemic.

+1

Particularly as new mutations surface I’m not sure those are valid assumptions, no matter how much the open schoolers argue it. I also think it is telling that many Open Schoolers are unaware lower income school districts are less willing to go hybrid. To me the whole Open School movement reeks of entitlement. Through work I know many lower income families who have been hit hard by the pandemic. Because many have family members who have worked throughout, they are more likely to know someone who has had a serious case. Most are leery about sending their kids back. And I also disagree with the idea that Open Schoolers aren’t traveling. Half of my elementary kids’ classmates sign in from outside Arlington. In talking about their breaks multiple kids reported on trips, one bragging about Florida. My preschooler currently only has 1 classmate because his in person school has a strict 2 week quarantine policy for traveling - and the teachers were sneaky about asking the kids and families what their plans were pre-break to be sure people complied. Arlington is a Sh*t show and I would prefer my kids keep the consistency of DL at this point, because I don’t see others being cautious and I can’t imagine the kids will get much done while actually in school, especially kinders who have never set foot in a real classroom.

there's your anecdata, folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two elementary kids here and I am comfortable sending them back.

It is true that rates are much higher than in September, but that's not the only thing that has changed. We have also gotten a lot more information on schools as spreaders (they're not), kids at risk (they're not), and the total failure that virtual learning is for many. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, but the baseline assumptions are different now and what we know now makes the degree of community not irrelevant, but less important.

No, we have not.

Not disputing that VL doesn’t work as well for many. But it’s not just the DL that is causing kids to fail. Stress and trauma, of the PANDEMIC itself is responsible for that. This hybrid plan isn’t any better for education. And frankly, APS is just revealing what a total failure their approach to this past Spring was, and that their approach to reading for the last few years has been crap. The data they’re collecting from Lexia and Dibbels would’ve revealed a huge issue, pandemic or not. The scores would’ve been low even without the pandemic.

+1

Particularly as new mutations surface I’m not sure those are valid assumptions, no matter how much the open schoolers argue it. I also think it is telling that many Open Schoolers are unaware lower income school districts are less willing to go hybrid. To me the whole Open School movement reeks of entitlement. Through work I know many lower income families who have been hit hard by the pandemic. Because many have family members who have worked throughout, they are more likely to know someone who has had a serious case. Most are leery about sending their kids back. And I also disagree with the idea that Open Schoolers aren’t traveling. Half of my elementary kids’ classmates sign in from outside Arlington. In talking about their breaks multiple kids reported on trips, one bragging about Florida. My preschooler currently only has 1 classmate because his in person school has a strict 2 week quarantine policy for traveling - and the teachers were sneaky about asking the kids and families what their plans were pre-break to be sure people complied. Arlington is a Sh*t show and I would prefer my kids keep the consistency of DL at this point, because I don’t see others being cautious and I can’t imagine the kids will get much done while actually in school, especially kinders who have never set foot in a real classroom.

there's your anecdata, folks.

The fact that the higher poverty schools have lower numbers of families selecting hybrid is DATA, not anecdata. Our principal confirmed that the split is largely along economic lines, with most families whose children are eligible for fr/l selecting virtual, and most who aren’t economically vulnerable selecting hybrid.