Has Duran gone mad? (APS)

[Anonymous]

I think it’s funny that the folks claiming that the “parents that want to open are the ones with problem kids” are pearl clutching when the “open now crowd” shares info about the mental health impacts to kids. The former is the one that’s appalling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s funny that the folks claiming that the “parents that want to open are the ones with problem kids” are pearl clutching when the “open now crowd” shares info about the mental health impacts to kids. The former is the one that’s appalling.

Anecdata doesn’t craft policy. We do not have stats on mental health impact to kids that can separate out “school did this” from LIVING IN A STRESSFUL PANDEMIC DID THIS. School isn’t the cause of all problems just as it was never the solution to them all too. Or why did so many students have mental health issues during regular school which we were told was (shocker) schools fault then too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s funny that the folks claiming that the “parents that want to open are the ones with problem kids” are pearl clutching when the “open now crowd” shares info about the mental health impacts to kids. The former is the one that’s appalling.

Anecdata doesn’t craft policy. We do not have stats on mental health impact to kids that can separate out “school did this” from LIVING IN A STRESSFUL PANDEMIC DID THIS. School isn’t the cause of all problems just as it was never the solution to them all too. Or why did so many students have mental health issues during regular school which we were told was (shocker) schools fault then too.

DP. It’s not just “anecdata,” mental health-related ER visits for children are up 24-31% during the pandemic compared to the same period last year. That should worry everyone, even if we disagree on what to do about it.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm

[Anonymous]

The biggest losers next year will be UMC parents in high farms rates elementary schools. That will continue for years to come. Those parents should do themselves a favor and push for in person now and summer school. Or spend the next few years with their child in a very slow and remedial environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is insightful. Maybe it explains the massive disconnect from parents. Parents with generally attentive and enthusiastic students think this is tolerable til it is safer. Parents of disruptive , in attentive students think it’s a disaster.l and worth the risks. Insightful. But doesn’t change the fact that teachers have no say at all and have the greatest risks. Can we wait til March to bring them back for goodness sake. At least the ones in middle and high who will be exposed to 50+ kids per day in hybrid.

This is such a false generalization, you obviously are not engaging in good faith here.

If you want an obvious counter example, take a child with inattentive ADHD. Not disruptive to the class, not taking away from teaching time, just needs the occasional nudge to get back on task when the teacher can see the child’s mind is wandering. That’s a lot harder to detect through distance learning so that child, while still not being disruptive, checks out on an entire lesson without the teacher realizing it and misses all of the content. That chicks isn’t learning effectively during distance learning.

Not that I expect you to care, because you seem to have little concern for students with special needs. Or English language learners. Or minority students. All groups that are seeing disproportionate learning loss during distance learning. Your child is doing fine and you could continue with distance learning for the rest of the year regardless of what other students do. But you still don’t want anyone else to have something different, no matter how much they may need it.

I'm one of the PPs whose children are doing well with distance learning. One of mine does have inattentive ADHD. She's doing really well because she can see everything posted online in an orderly fashion, can pace herself, and isn't as easily distracted. She's able to go back over material she either missed or didn't understand during asynchronous days. I mentioned this during our parent teacher conference and the teacher said she and her colleagues are hearing the same thing from a lot of other parents whose children have the same diagnosis.

Our school is almost 50% ESL/minority students and those parents overwhelmingly selected distance learning. Learning loss seems pretty harmless when compared to an illness that could emotionally and financially devastate your immediate and extended family.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid with ADHD too. DL is not the greatest, but it's tolerable. I do not think buildings should open right now and I am scratching my head at all this sudden concern from the Open Up Now crowd for children with "special needs."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The biggest losers next year will be UMC parents in high farms rates elementary schools. That will continue for years to come. Those parents should do themselves a favor and push for in person now and summer school. Or spend the next few years with their child in a very slow and remedial environment.

Blaming the poors again. Never change DCUM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is insightful. Maybe it explains the massive disconnect from parents. Parents with generally attentive and enthusiastic students think this is tolerable til it is safer. Parents of disruptive , in attentive students think it’s a disaster.l and worth the risks. Insightful. But doesn’t change the fact that teachers have no say at all and have the greatest risks. Can we wait til March to bring them back for goodness sake. At least the ones in middle and high who will be exposed to 50+ kids per day in hybrid.

This is such a false generalization, you obviously are not engaging in good faith here.

If you want an obvious counter example, take a child with inattentive ADHD. Not disruptive to the class, not taking away from teaching time, just needs the occasional nudge to get back on task when the teacher can see the child’s mind is wandering. That’s a lot harder to detect through distance learning so that child, while still not being disruptive, checks out on an entire lesson without the teacher realizing it and misses all of the content. That chicks isn’t learning effectively during distance learning.

Not that I expect you to care, because you seem to have little concern for students with special needs. Or English language learners. Or minority students. All groups that are seeing disproportionate learning loss during distance learning. Your child is doing fine and you could continue with distance learning for the rest of the year regardless of what other students do. But you still don’t want anyone else to have something different, no matter how much they may need it.

I'm one of the PPs whose children are doing well with distance learning. One of mine does have inattentive ADHD. She's doing really well because she can see everything posted online in an orderly fashion, can pace herself, and isn't as easily distracted. She's able to go back over material she either missed or didn't understand during asynchronous days. I mentioned this during our parent teacher conference and the teacher said she and her colleagues are hearing the same thing from a lot of other parents whose children have the same diagnosis.

Our school is almost 50% ESL/minority students and those parents overwhelmingly selected distance learning. Learning loss seems pretty harmless when compared to an illness that could emotionally and financially devastate your immediate and extended family.

See the system-wide data posted on the prior page.

As for the first paragraph, that’s great for your child. Not every child has had the same experience, and it is disingenuous for you to pretend otherwise. When you’re ready to have an honest discussion, I’m happy to chat further.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid with ADHD too. DL is not the greatest, but it's tolerable. I do not think buildings should open right now and I am scratching my head at all this sudden concern from the Open Up Now crowd for children with "special needs."

The data is pretty hard to ignore, and should be of concern to everyone. My question is why aren’t the virtual-only advocates concerned?

This year, the percentage of English-language learners and students with disabilities earning Es increased by 11 and 6.2 percentage points, respectively, [Duran] said.

Among racial and ethnic groups, the percentage of Hispanic and Black English-language learners in secondary grades earning Es increased by 15 and 7 percentage points, respectively, he said.

Economically-disadvantaged students were also hard-hit, according to the report. Last year, 10.3% of economically disadvantaged high schoolers received Es, compared with 17.5% this year. In middle school, the percentage grew from 4% last year to 11% this year.

Meanwhile, white children registered smaller increases in failing grades: 1.4% of middle-schoolers earned Es this year, compared to 0.6% last year, while 3% of high-schoolers earned Es this year, compared to 1.6% last year, according to the report.

https://www.arlnow.com/2020/12/18/failing-grades-increase-at-middle-high-school-level-during-aps-distance-learning/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is insightful. Maybe it explains the massive disconnect from parents. Parents with generally attentive and enthusiastic students think this is tolerable til it is safer. Parents of disruptive , in attentive students think it’s a disaster.l and worth the risks. Insightful. But doesn’t change the fact that teachers have no say at all and have the greatest risks. Can we wait til March to bring them back for goodness sake. At least the ones in middle and high who will be exposed to 50+ kids per day in hybrid.

This is such a false generalization, you obviously are not engaging in good faith here.

If you want an obvious counter example, take a child with inattentive ADHD. Not disruptive to the class, not taking away from teaching time, just needs the occasional nudge to get back on task when the teacher can see the child’s mind is wandering. That’s a lot harder to detect through distance learning so that child, while still not being disruptive, checks out on an entire lesson without the teacher realizing it and misses all of the content. That chicks isn’t learning effectively during distance learning.

Not that I expect you to care, because you seem to have little concern for students with special needs. Or English language learners. Or minority students. All groups that are seeing disproportionate learning loss during distance learning. Your child is doing fine and you could continue with distance learning for the rest of the year regardless of what other students do. But you still don’t want anyone else to have something different, no matter how much they may need it.

I'm one of the PPs whose children are doing well with distance learning. One of mine does have inattentive ADHD. She's doing really well because she can see everything posted online in an orderly fashion, can pace herself, and isn't as easily distracted. She's able to go back over material she either missed or didn't understand during asynchronous days. I mentioned this during our parent teacher conference and the teacher said she and her colleagues are hearing the same thing from a lot of other parents whose children have the same diagnosis.

Our school is almost 50% ESL/minority students and those parents overwhelmingly selected distance learning. Learning loss seems pretty harmless when compared to an illness that could emotionally and financially devastate your immediate and extended family.

See the system-wide data posted on the prior page.

As for the first paragraph, that’s great for your child. Not every child has had the same experience, and it is disingenuous for you to pretend otherwise. When you’re ready to have an honest discussion, I’m happy to chat further.

I'm talking about my kid and our school. You are the one who generalized that kids with inattentive ADHD are not doing well in distance learning. I think the PP who said the Open Now parents are now focusing on kids with special needs is correct. Schools tried, but the lower income and ESL parents couldn't be swayed enough to sell the argument that the neediest families were desperate for in person learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid with ADHD too. DL is not the greatest, but it's tolerable. I do not think buildings should open right now and I am scratching my head at all this sudden concern from the Open Up Now crowd for children with "special needs."

The data is pretty hard to ignore, and should be of concern to everyone. My question is why aren’t the virtual-only advocates concerned?

This year, the percentage of English-language learners and students with disabilities earning Es increased by 11 and 6.2 percentage points, respectively, [Duran] said.

Among racial and ethnic groups, the percentage of Hispanic and Black English-language learners in secondary grades earning Es increased by 15 and 7 percentage points, respectively, he said.

Economically-disadvantaged students were also hard-hit, according to the report. Last year, 10.3% of economically disadvantaged high schoolers received Es, compared with 17.5% this year. In middle school, the percentage grew from 4% last year to 11% this year.

Meanwhile, white children registered smaller increases in failing grades: 1.4% of middle-schoolers earned Es this year, compared to 0.6% last year, while 3% of high-schoolers earned Es this year, compared to 1.6% last year, according to the report.

https://www.arlnow.com/2020/12/18/failing-grades-increase-at-middle-high-school-level-during-aps-distance-learning/

Why don’t you ask why the school systems didn’t actually design an efficient and workable version of remote learning ? It is THEIR “plan” (ie no plan/ just do school like always on a computer ).

They set teachers and kids up to fail. That was THEIR choice and lack of real planning and action and innovation. Then when kids didn’t do well, they said “as punishment everyone goes back in IN THE PEAK.” I really wonder how many teachers yall think will be left after this year.

[Anonymous]

16% of Carlin Springs Elementary chose hybrid. 16%. Return to school isn’t going to do anything for those kids. Pretty much the same at Randolph. So please stop using EL kids as your reason for opening. Especially since APE members are disproportionately from NW Arl.

[Anonymous]

Forcing teachers back at height of pandemic will lead to them quitting and getting sick. We have no subs. So school is going to grind to a halt quickly. And sub standard DL is gonna look good compared to a return to something like Spring 2020 where there’s simply no teachers do some subjects or some grade levels at school. Could’ve stayed DL and at least had classes. WAtch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s funny that the folks claiming that the “parents that want to open are the ones with problem kids” are pearl clutching when the “open now crowd” shares info about the mental health impacts to kids. The former is the one that’s appalling.

Anecdata doesn’t craft policy. We do not have stats on mental health impact to kids that can separate out “school did this” from LIVING IN A STRESSFUL PANDEMIC DID THIS. School isn’t the cause of all problems just as it was never the solution to them all too. Or why did so many students have mental health issues during regular school which we were told was (shocker) schools fault then too.

DP. It’s not just “anecdata,” mental health-related ER visits for children are up 24-31% during the pandemic compared to the same period last year. That should worry everyone, even if we disagree on what to do about it.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm

Why do you think that is? You seem to presume that it is because being at home is causing the problem. I agree partly - being at home means their parents get the full dose of the kid and the parents aren't liking what they're getting. Of course, the saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree comes to mind. I've never met a troubled kid, and I work with high risk kids for a living, who doesn't come from parents who aren't troubled themselves. Nurture plays a strong roll in child behavior outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s funny that the folks claiming that the “parents that want to open are the ones with problem kids” are pearl clutching when the “open now crowd” shares info about the mental health impacts to kids. The former is the one that’s appalling.

Anecdata doesn’t craft policy. We do not have stats on mental health impact to kids that can separate out “school did this” from LIVING IN A STRESSFUL PANDEMIC DID THIS. School isn’t the cause of all problems just as it was never the solution to them all too. Or why did so many students have mental health issues during regular school which we were told was (shocker) schools fault then too.

DP. It’s not just “anecdata,” mental health-related ER visits for children are up 24-31% during the pandemic compared to the same period last year. That should worry everyone, even if we disagree on what to do about it.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm

Obviously it’s worrisome. There is NOTHING that says it’s due to school closures. This entire year has been massively stressful on families and kids. People have died. Parents lost jobs. Some kids had to sit at home with family members they have contentious relationships with. ALL hospitalizations are up so it’s really hard to see how this specific data point is definitively “because schools are closed.” It is pretending there is NO larger context for what causes the schools to be closed and how that has impacted every aspect of life