All schools should offer an all-virtual option

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am pretty sure this is what’s going to happen. There are what, four weeks until school opens? Day by day things are getting worse. All of you people posting that this isn’t feasible are going to be lucky if schools open at all.

Stop. Just stop. Covid rates are up in DC but the picture is NOT bad. Hospitalizations are not spiking. Deaths are not spiking. More people are dying from guns in DC than from covid. Last year we had in-person school *pre-vaccine* with worse numbers - and it was fine.

You do realize that we are still *pre-vaccine* for a lot of children, right?

the point is, the adult vaccine slows spread to kids and from kids. we’re shifting the goal posts now. T3 and T4 were FINE. there a mounting hysteria happening unrelated to facts on the ground. NO CHILDREN have died in DC from covid, and daycares, schools, and camps have been open. There is no reason to be freaking out now. the kids need to be in school. you may homeschool or find an online charter.

T3 and T4 were hybrid, pre-Delta. That data tells us nothing.

You can’t throw it entirely out like that. But even so Delta is not proving to be any worse than prior. The gov is emphasizing its contagiousness in order to get more adults to vax now. Your kid will be fine even if they get Delta.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am pretty sure this is what’s going to happen. There are what, four weeks until school opens? Day by day things are getting worse. All of you people posting that this isn’t feasible are going to be lucky if schools open at all.

Stop. Just stop. Covid rates are up in DC but the picture is NOT bad. Hospitalizations are not spiking. Deaths are not spiking. More people are dying from guns in DC than from covid. Last year we had in-person school *pre-vaccine* with worse numbers - and it was fine.

You do realize that we are still *pre-vaccine* for a lot of children, right?

the point is, the adult vaccine slows spread to kids and from kids. we’re shifting the goal posts now. T3 and T4 were FINE. there a mounting hysteria happening unrelated to facts on the ground. NO CHILDREN have died in DC from covid, and daycares, schools, and camps have been open. There is no reason to be freaking out now. the kids need to be in school. you may homeschool or find an online charter.

T3 and T4 were hybrid, pre-Delta. That data tells us nothing.

please stay home.

here in reality land - Delta absolutely tells us that vaccines are highly protective which will translate into less spread to and from kids. Take a look at the DC data. there is NO reason to be hysterical.

[Anonymous]

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That isn't what OP is asking for. We want something that bridges the gap to the vaccine, creates a structure for the inevitable back-and-forth to virtual for those families who prefer in-person, and maintains the belonging to their own school community.

I want a 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom single family home with a large yard, near rock creek park but on the east side. And, I want it for 650k or less.

If we are taking about things we want that are completely unrealistic.

No, we are talking about strictly what was offered last year at plenty of schools around the country and in DC.
There are various names for it, depending on the state, simulcast in DC, concurrent elsewhere in the DMV.
Teachers and districts have a year+ of collective, global even, experience with it, and we have the delta variant staring us in the face.

You know what we educators have? Data. Data that shows what a gross disservice all of this was to many many many kids and mostly to the kids who were already struggling the most. If you can swing virtual fine, you can keep your kid learning fine. Select homeschool or a DC virtual option (there are more than one). Maybe not in your desired bilingual program but so be it, your choice.

+1 We cannot do the hell that was virtual school (either 100% or simulcast) again

this. I realize Delta increases the chances that I or my kid will get sick, but the actual risks of serious illness are minimal and we need to get back to normal.

[Anonymous]

Everyone who is scared and posting here. Please go on the DC covid data site and spend some time looking at the data. Cases are up, but hospitalizations and deaths are *flat*. They plummeted when vax rates went up, and have stayed low. I expect our case rates to increase for a few weeks, and some uptick in hospitalization and deaths, but this is TOTALLY different from fall and winter.

Also - although the breakthrough case data has not been updated since Jul 11, that looks fantastic too. I expect a lot more breakthrough cases when the data is updated, but vaccinated hospitalization and deaths will not increase at the same rate as cases by a long shot.

There is NO evidence DC kids are being impacted by Delta. Camps are open; summer school is open. There are no kids dying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ridiculous. DCPS only needs to offer/host/launch one virtual school (or better, contract with a company that does this well because that’s all they do). Want virtual? Sign your child up for that school and give up your rights to whatever in-person school you attended previously. It’s absurd to expect every individual school to divvy up its budget between inperson and virtual and expect to do it all well.

Yes - there are parents freaking out and want online school, but they have to give up that they will be connected to their specific school. That connection just makes things worse for everyone students and teachers. Maybe DC could contract with virtual Virginia to give families that option if they want it, but definitely not connected to specific DC schools.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all the bad news about Delta, there are enough parents that would prefer to keep their kids all virtual for the few months until they get vaccinated. Schools should offer this. It would get kids out of the classroom, making it safer for the kids choosing in-person. Parents should not be forced to choose to leave their school in order to keep their kids safe.

I don't understand where this few months idea is originating. Perhaps in a few months YOUR kids might be vaccinated. But, that will mean nothing for the overall safety for the school community. (And, while I hope you are right, we have no idea when there will be approval.)

Also, you are not at your school when you are online everyday. There is no high quality virtual instruction. If it worked well for your family last year, that's because you have undeniable resources not available to many/most others. That's not bad ... they will serve you well at an online charter if that's what you want. But the idea that you're being forced to leave your school community when what you want is to not be there is a bit silly. (If this is a dual language school by any chance, even more so, because high quality dual language at home just doesn't happen.)

Finally, its not feasible. It may seem nice to you that kids in school would have fewer peers around but they would also have fewer teachers around and an administration trying to be two things at once. Which we saw last year, didn't work well at all.

+1

As has been the case since March 2020, many parents have tunnel vision and when they talk about "schools" or "students" or "families", they are really only talking about their school, their student, their family.

My child is under 6. She will not be vaccinated in a few months. There are strong odds she might not be vaccinated in a year or more. She also absolutely cannot do virtual school. Trust me, if we could we would have figured it out by now. I went part time this year to try and make it work. It didn't. She needs to be in school.

If someone has an older child for whom distance learning works and does not want to be in person because of fears of delta, I support them in exploring home schooling options. But if they try to change DCPS policy to accommodate their unique minority position while arguing for what "kids need" then I will fight tooth and nail to make sure they understand that not all kids are like their kids. Stop.

+1 to these 2 pp's. Virtual was hell for many families with elementary school kids. If you have the resources to do it well for your kids, then just homeschool. You'll get even better results than trying to do virtual, which was essentially homeschooling on the teacher's schedule plus too much homework and technology.

Those of us with jobs and/or multiple kids and/or SN kids (all of the above for my family) CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN AND NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAD TO FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all the bad news about Delta, there are enough parents that would prefer to keep their kids all virtual for the few months until they get vaccinated. Schools should offer this. It would get kids out of the classroom, making it safer for the kids choosing in-person. Parents should not be forced to choose to leave their school in order to keep their kids safe.

I don't understand where this few months idea is originating. Perhaps in a few months YOUR kids might be vaccinated. But, that will mean nothing for the overall safety for the school community. (And, while I hope you are right, we have no idea when there will be approval.)

Also, you are not at your school when you are online everyday. There is no high quality virtual instruction. If it worked well for your family last year, that's because you have undeniable resources not available to many/most others. That's not bad ... they will serve you well at an online charter if that's what you want. But the idea that you're being forced to leave your school community when what you want is to not be there is a bit silly. (If this is a dual language school by any chance, even more so, because high quality dual language at home just doesn't happen.)

Finally, its not feasible. It may seem nice to you that kids in school would have fewer peers around but they would also have fewer teachers around and an administration trying to be two things at once. Which we saw last year, didn't work well at all.

+1

As has been the case since March 2020, many parents have tunnel vision and when they talk about "schools" or "students" or "families", they are really only talking about their school, their student, their family.

My child is under 6. She will not be vaccinated in a few months. There are strong odds she might not be vaccinated in a year or more. She also absolutely cannot do virtual school. Trust me, if we could we would have figured it out by now. I went part time this year to try and make it work. It didn't. She needs to be in school.

If someone has an older child for whom distance learning works and does not want to be in person because of fears of delta, I support them in exploring home schooling options. But if they try to change DCPS policy to accommodate their unique minority position while arguing for what "kids need" then I will fight tooth and nail to make sure they understand that not all kids are like their kids. Stop.

+1 to these 2 pp's. Virtual was hell for many families with elementary school kids. If you have the resources to do it well for your kids, then just homeschool. You'll get even better results than trying to do virtual, which was essentially homeschooling on the teacher's schedule plus too much homework and technology.

Those of us with jobs and/or multiple kids and/or SN kids (all of the above for my family) CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN AND NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAD TO FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR!!!!!

please check this space for my lawsuit if schools don’t reopen for SN kids in particular…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If you are opposed to virtual class, are you comfortable with the idea that your kid would be completely isolated from their school apart from some homework assignments for weeks on time multiple times at unpredictable interval through the year, sometimes just your kids, sometimes their whole class?
That sounds awful.
What we're asking for sounds less awful for everyone.
A contingent following along from home, a less densely packed classroom, quarantining kids occasionally joining those following along virtually.

My kids were online all last year and it was isolating, often unpredictable, and not an education. So, I am comfortable if we need to be home some weeks, if other weeks we are getting actual full day instruction.

So you want the best for your kids, half the time, accepting that half the time nobody gets anything, and everyone is forced to take on the same amount of historical risk, instead of letting virtual families follow along. It's just so weird of you.

Teacher here. I think the disconnect here is that there is no simply “following along” that happens with simulcasting. It’s not like you simply point a camera generally at the front of the classroom and let ‘er rip. Teachers must sit in front of the computer, thereby forcing in person kids to also sit in front is screens even in the same room. Lessons and materials need to be constantly adapted for both audiences. Posting on Canvas is a lengthy process. It’s a MUCH more challenging job with poor results for students on both ends. Not to mention that in person students can’t ever leave the classroom to, for example, read outside or go look for things in nature, etc.

Correct. Imagine how boring it would be to stare at a screen all day, sometimes with a teacher you could kind of hear on camera and sometimes looking at a blank whiteboard. If it’s just a camera pointed at front of room that’s what you get. No engagement of your at home student, no teacher looking at them, acknowledging their existence, calling on them, etc. with the tech equipment currently available in most dcps classrooms (and across the country) that’s what you get. Teachers aren’t standing behind a lectern with a mic and lecturing all day. Simulcasting stinks unless teacher is in front of computer seeing at home kids. And that means only way to see in person kids is for them to be online too, in the same room as teacher. Not good for anyone involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If you are opposed to virtual class, are you comfortable with the idea that your kid would be completely isolated from their school apart from some homework assignments for weeks on time multiple times at unpredictable interval through the year, sometimes just your kids, sometimes their whole class?
That sounds awful.
What we're asking for sounds less awful for everyone.
A contingent following along from home, a less densely packed classroom, quarantining kids occasionally joining those following along virtually.

My kids were online all last year and it was isolating, often unpredictable, and not an education. So, I am comfortable if we need to be home some weeks, if other weeks we are getting actual full day instruction.

So you want the best for your kids, half the time, accepting that half the time nobody gets anything, and everyone is forced to take on the same amount of historical risk, instead of letting virtual families follow along. It's just so weird of you.

Teacher here. I think the disconnect here is that there is no simply “following along” that happens with simulcasting. It’s not like you simply point a camera generally at the front of the classroom and let ‘er rip. Teachers must sit in front of the computer, thereby forcing in person kids to also sit in front is screens even in the same room. Lessons and materials need to be constantly adapted for both audiences. Posting on Canvas is a lengthy process. It’s a MUCH more challenging job with poor results for students on both ends. Not to mention that in person students can’t ever leave the classroom to, for example, read outside or go look for things in nature, etc.

Correct. Imagine how boring it would be to stare at a screen all day, sometimes with a teacher you could kind of hear on camera and sometimes looking at a blank whiteboard. If it’s just a camera pointed at front of room that’s what you get. No engagement of your at home student, no teacher looking at them, acknowledging their existence, calling on them, etc. with the tech equipment currently available in most dcps classrooms (and across the country) that’s what you get. Teachers aren’t standing behind a lectern with a mic and lecturing all day. Simulcasting stinks unless teacher is in front of computer seeing at home kids. And that means only way to see in person kids is for them to be online too, in the same room as teacher. Not good for anyone involved.

Wow, that looks suboptimal. I'll take my chances with kid delta long covid then. Really?

[Anonymous]

Delta will most likely fade soon. Back to school and the office!

[Anonymous]

Also, no materials to work with at home, no feedback from teacher or chances to ask questions. Simulcasting requires very specific equipment to do even halfway well, not to mention experience with it and an extra classroom aide to adapt and post written materials online and review work. You’d need, essentially, more than one full time teacher per class and more very good quality tech equipment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
T3 and T4 were hybrid, pre-Delta. That data tells us nothing.

If delta is giving you this much anxiety, absolutely choose one of the virtual options. Scary things will continue to happen. If you feel safer at home and with your kids home, that is just fine. But, there is no reason to expect, LAMB, or Inspired Teaching, or CMI, or DCB, or Two Rivers or wherever this original poster clear sends her kids to school to attempt the impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If you are opposed to virtual class, are you comfortable with the idea that your kid would be completely isolated from their school apart from some homework assignments for weeks on time multiple times at unpredictable interval through the year, sometimes just your kids, sometimes their whole class?
That sounds awful.
What we're asking for sounds less awful for everyone.
A contingent following along from home, a less densely packed classroom, quarantining kids occasionally joining those following along virtually.

My kids were online all last year and it was isolating, often unpredictable, and not an education. So, I am comfortable if we need to be home some weeks, if other weeks we are getting actual full day instruction.

So you want the best for your kids, half the time, accepting that half the time nobody gets anything, and everyone is forced to take on the same amount of historical risk, instead of letting virtual families follow along. It's just so weird of you.

Teacher here. I think the disconnect here is that there is no simply “following along” that happens with simulcasting. It’s not like you simply point a camera generally at the front of the classroom and let ‘er rip. Teachers must sit in front of the computer, thereby forcing in person kids to also sit in front is screens even in the same room. Lessons and materials need to be constantly adapted for both audiences. Posting on Canvas is a lengthy process. It’s a MUCH more challenging job with poor results for students on both ends. Not to mention that in person students can’t ever leave the classroom to, for example, read outside or go look for things in nature, etc.

Correct. Imagine how boring it would be to stare at a screen all day, sometimes with a teacher you could kind of hear on camera and sometimes looking at a blank whiteboard. If it’s just a camera pointed at front of room that’s what you get. No engagement of your at home student, no teacher looking at them, acknowledging their existence, calling on them, etc. with the tech equipment currently available in most dcps classrooms (and across the country) that’s what you get. Teachers aren’t standing behind a lectern with a mic and lecturing all day. Simulcasting stinks unless teacher is in front of computer seeing at home kids. And that means only way to see in person kids is for them to be online too, in the same room as teacher. Not good for anyone involved.

Wow, that looks suboptimal. I'll take my chances with kid delta long covid then. Really?

The problem is that what you are demanding would also make school suboptimal (an understatement) for those who are willing to take that tiny risk. It’s not just about you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If you are opposed to virtual class, are you comfortable with the idea that your kid would be completely isolated from their school apart from some homework assignments for weeks on time multiple times at unpredictable interval through the year, sometimes just your kids, sometimes their whole class?
That sounds awful.
What we're asking for sounds less awful for everyone.
A contingent following along from home, a less densely packed classroom, quarantining kids occasionally joining those following along virtually.

My kids were online all last year and it was isolating, often unpredictable, and not an education. So, I am comfortable if we need to be home some weeks, if other weeks we are getting actual full day instruction.

So you want the best for your kids, half the time, accepting that half the time nobody gets anything, and everyone is forced to take on the same amount of historical risk, instead of letting virtual families follow along. It's just so weird of you.

Teacher here. I think the disconnect here is that there is no simply “following along” that happens with simulcasting. It’s not like you simply point a camera generally at the front of the classroom and let ‘er rip. Teachers must sit in front of the computer, thereby forcing in person kids to also sit in front is screens even in the same room. Lessons and materials need to be constantly adapted for both audiences. Posting on Canvas is a lengthy process. It’s a MUCH more challenging job with poor results for students on both ends. Not to mention that in person students can’t ever leave the classroom to, for example, read outside or go look for things in nature, etc.

Correct. Imagine how boring it would be to stare at a screen all day, sometimes with a teacher you could kind of hear on camera and sometimes looking at a blank whiteboard. If it’s just a camera pointed at front of room that’s what you get. No engagement of your at home student, no teacher looking at them, acknowledging their existence, calling on them, etc. with the tech equipment currently available in most dcps classrooms (and across the country) that’s what you get. Teachers aren’t standing behind a lectern with a mic and lecturing all day. Simulcasting stinks unless teacher is in front of computer seeing at home kids. And that means only way to see in person kids is for them to be online too, in the same room as teacher. Not good for anyone involved.

Wow, that looks suboptimal. I'll take my chances with kid delta long covid then. Really?

The problem is that what you are demanding would also make school suboptimal (an understatement) for those who are willing to take that tiny risk. It’s not just about you.

+1000 Remember, OP, it's all about community, right? I don't want my kids' education to suffer because your's are at home.

[Anonymous]

I’m a teacher. I’ve made my peace with going back to the classroom 5 days a week no matter how bad Covid gets because I did virtual last year and it did not work for 90% if my kids. And I teach older grades not even pre-K-2.
However if I am asked to simulcast I will quit. Simulcasting takes up so much time to prepare and it doesn’t work for either group. Finally, read the science. Covid is no worse than the flu for young kids. I have a 7 year old and I have no issues with sending her back to school. I’m more worried about crime and violence in the city impacting my child than her catching Covid. My husband and I are vaccinated. We could still catch Covid again obviously but chances are high that we will survive and be ok. We need to move on from Covid. Kids need an education otherwise they will be negatively impacted the rest of their lives