Chap Petersen mask letter from 2/8 to FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is someone really saying with a straight face that parents should be able to opt out of rules they don’t like?

Since you clearly haven’t been following the news…many, including our governor and state legislature, are saying that parents should be able to opt out of one specific rule for their children that many believe not only to be ineffectual, but moreover to be doing harm to children.

Masks work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private schools are allowing opt out and cases aren’t going up.

Other districts in Virginia and the country aren’t either, some all year!!!

You all don’t realize what a messed up bubble the DMV is. Fear breeds fear so we just keep it going.

Our private school went straight down after Youngkin's EO.

We were over a dozen the week before his EO and are now down to zero.

I teach in a public school with 900+ students. We really haven’t had many staff or student cases. I’ve had no paused students.

I teach in a public school with 2400+ students and I'm really tired of having to spend so much extra time catching up students who are out sick with covid for a week at a time. I've had one out on average per week since October. If the numbers increase beyond what they are now, they're on their own. I'm not their personal tutor.

[Anonymous]

Why not just ramp up the peer pressure and threat of public shaming on parents and kids that refuse to mask? The mandate may have changed but there are other ways to ensure compliance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not just ramp up the peer pressure and threat of public shaming on parents and kids that refuse to mask? The mandate may have changed but there are other ways to ensure compliance.

Punks jump up to get beat down.

I suggest you shut up and worry about your own face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not just ramp up the peer pressure and threat of public shaming on parents and kids that refuse to mask? The mandate may have changed but there are other ways to ensure compliance.

Punks jump up to get beat down.

I suggest you shut up and worry about your own face.

You think it’s over. No it’s not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I totally missed the boat on this thread and don't want to read 36 pages of posts. Can anyone sum up what's going on? I read today in the Post that it was likely that a bill would pass that would give parents choice about masking in schools. Does this apply to teachers getting to take the masks off as well? And what is the deal with the timeline? It sounded like it could either be July (sad face) or end of February (happy face).

Summing it up:

Yes, there is a bill, likely to pass and be signed by the gov for emergency implementation --- meaning masks could be optional by Feb. 21 in VA schools. HOWEVER, as a teacher, your employer might be able to tell you to keep your mask or else.

That said, our case rate is down to 32 cases per 100k people, so it very likely will drop enough that FCPS should be withdrawing the mask requirement by the end of the month anyway.

What's FCPS's published metrics for dropping the mask requirement?

FCPS has been trying to follow American Federation of Teachers requests throughout the covid pandemic until the law forces them to be reasonable.

The federation wants ZERO covid cases anywhere as the metric for removing mask mandates in schools.

Since the fcps tends to jump when she says jump, it is safe to assume that since fcps has refused to publish any metrics, their off ramp is either zero cases of covid anywhere, or Youngkin, Peterson and the state government forcing their hand.

Liar. They were asking the CDC for guidance and have been talking about off-ramps for months.

^^ the American Federation of Teachers

Yes, the “off ramp” being the old “14 days no new cases.” Lol. Not at all realistic.

Liar.

Randi Weingarten - August 2021
What we’ve seen, again, in beginning of July, completely supported the CDC that said, if you’re vaccinated, you don’t have to wear a mask. We just didn’t want to be the mask police, obviously. Teachers didn’t want to do that in their classrooms. Given the Delta surge and that kids under 12 can’t get vaccinated and that half the kids 12 and over are not vaccinated — even more, I think 60% — that universal masking is necessary, at least right now. I understand when parents are saying, where’s the offramp? We can’t have masks forever. And I agree with them, and I understand that about the social cues and wanting to see smiles and wanting to see kids’ faces. And frankly, as an asthmatic, I really understand the point about labored breathing, because I have labored breathing every time I wear my damn mask. You know, so we do have to have some offramps in terms of, when can we get rid of these masks? But given the Delta variant, we completely agree with the CDC that there should be universal masking.


If you schmucks vaccinated your kids we could have gotten rid of masks earlier.

Well, that is just not even a little true.

Fcps high schools are approaching 90% vaccinated.

Everyone but wrestlers and basketball players/coaches are required to mask. Because fcps just loves to follow the science.

Bullsh1t.

<30% had been boosted.

Boosters are unnecessary for children. #science

They are for high schoolers who had their initial shots >5 months ago.

Teen boys are at least 20x more likely to get myocarditis from the shot than they are 5o die from covid.

What % chance of getting myocarditis from covid infection?

Guess they should mask up either way if they are really worried about myocarditis.

All of it.

This is just based off the Vaers reporting for vaccine reactions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private schools are allowing opt out and cases aren’t going up.

Other districts in Virginia and the country aren’t either, some all year!!!

You all don’t realize what a messed up bubble the DMV is. Fear breeds fear so we just keep it going.

Our private school went straight down after Youngkin's EO.

We were over a dozen the week before his EO and are now down to zero.

I teach in a public school with 900+ students. We really haven’t had many staff or student cases. I’ve had no paused students.

I teach in a public school with 2400+ students and I'm really tired of having to spend so much extra time catching up students who are out sick with covid for a week at a time. I've had one out on average per week since October. If the numbers increase beyond what they are now, they're on their own. I'm not their personal tutor.

I wonder why you've had so many. Are you doing Stream In/Check In for each one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private schools are allowing opt out and cases aren’t going up.

Other districts in Virginia and the country aren’t either, some all year!!!

You all don’t realize what a messed up bubble the DMV is. Fear breeds fear so we just keep it going.

Our private school went straight down after Youngkin's EO.

We were over a dozen the week before his EO and are now down to zero.

I teach in a public school with 900+ students. We really haven’t had many staff or student cases. I’ve had no paused students.

I’m curious what your restrictions are like?

We are about 600 students. Separated seating, staggered lunch, no carpet, etc on the restrictions. Seems most cases have been community and didn’t spread. But I don’t know if it’s because we’ve had super strict restrictions or if it doesn’t really matter.

Seating arrangement in the classroom has been pretty normal. For much of the year so far I've had the desks set up in groups of 3 because from seat to seat (facing each other) they are considered more than 3' apart. I now have them in parallel rows, most desks touching at the sides and about 5 completely separate. We have had no restrictions as far as using the carpeted (rugs) area, so that's also used "normally" (read aloud, morning meeting, focus lesson). We have only one grade level at a time in the cafeteria and students are assigned to every other seat and there is plexiglass down the middle of the tables. They are probably about 4-5' apart during lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When can these darn masks come off?

Is FCPS still contact tracing? I didn’t think so but my kids say they are.

FCPS is still contact tracing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not just ramp up the peer pressure and threat of public shaming on parents and kids that refuse to mask? The mandate may have changed but there are other ways to ensure compliance.

Wjy not? Because most people want to be done with school mask mandates. That's why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not just ramp up the peer pressure and threat of public shaming on parents and kids that refuse to mask? The mandate may have changed but there are other ways to ensure compliance.

Punks jump up to get beat down.

I suggest you shut up and worry about your own face.

You think it’s over. No it’s not.

Run up on the wrong one. Please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private schools are allowing opt out and cases aren’t going up.

Other districts in Virginia and the country aren’t either, some all year!!!

You all don’t realize what a messed up bubble the DMV is. Fear breeds fear so we just keep it going.

Our private school went straight down after Youngkin's EO.

We were over a dozen the week before his EO and are now down to zero.

I teach in a public school with 900+ students. We really haven’t had many staff or student cases. I’ve had no paused students.

I teach in a public school with 2400+ students and I'm really tired of having to spend so much extra time catching up students who are out sick with covid for a week at a time. I've had one out on average per week since October. If the numbers increase beyond what they are now, they're on their own. I'm not their personal tutor.

I wonder why you've had so many. Are you doing Stream In/Check In for each one?

Yes. They don't show up for either. And then they come to class not having read through notes or done any work and expect individualized lessons. Although to be frank, that's true this year of a ton of students, regardless of the reason why they missed class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private schools are allowing opt out and cases aren’t going up.

Other districts in Virginia and the country aren’t either, some all year!!!

You all don’t realize what a messed up bubble the DMV is. Fear breeds fear so we just keep it going.

Our private school went straight down after Youngkin's EO.

We were over a dozen the week before his EO and are now down to zero.

I teach in a public school with 900+ students. We really haven’t had many staff or student cases. I’ve had no paused students.

I teach in a public school with 2400+ students and I'm really tired of having to spend so much extra time catching up students who are out sick with covid for a week at a time. I've had one out on average per week since October. If the numbers increase beyond what they are now, they're on their own. I'm not their personal tutor.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the last time: kids are not to blame for hospitalizations when adults and senior citizens are not getting vaccinated and boosted.

And no one from the government will touch the prevalent risk factor after extreme age, which is obesity.

So they are focused on restricting and masking children, whose covid risk factor is a big fat zero.

If they were serious about lowering covid risk, hospitalization and death, the leaders would have addressed gluttony, not masking 2 year olds.

This. Other countries have addressed the obesity issue regarding covid outcomes - but we’re too scared of hurting people’s feelings here in the US.

Also, if they’re so worried about hospitals and healthcare workers being overwhelmed, the obesity epidemic is to blame for that as well, prior to covid. Heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, etc. Nobody cared about hospitals being overwhelmed by people with lifestyle diseases - because 75% of American adults are overweight or obese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the last time: kids are not to blame for hospitalizations when adults and senior citizens are not getting vaccinated and boosted.

And no one from the government will touch the prevalent risk factor after extreme age, which is obesity.

So they are focused on restricting and masking children, whose covid risk factor is a big fat zero.

If they were serious about lowering covid risk, hospitalization and death, the leaders would have addressed gluttony, not masking 2 year olds.

This. Other countries have addressed the obesity issue regarding covid outcomes - but we’re too scared of hurting people’s feelings here in the US.

Also, if they’re so worried about hospitals and healthcare workers being overwhelmed, the obesity epidemic is to blame for that as well, prior to covid. Heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, etc. Nobody cared about hospitals being overwhelmed by people with lifestyle diseases - because 75% of American adults are overweight or obese.

Which ones? I live in a much stricter country re covid protocol and permissions, and higher vax rate. There are lot of countries who have had to adopt them to keep their smaller healthcare systems safe. There are none that I know of that made any sort of differentiated measures or protocols based on obesity.

Also it's now widely being recognized in medical lit that no overweight people are being severely under diagnosed for diabetes, it brings the rate of diabetes to nearly 50/50 among healthy vs non healthy weight (their criteria). It's pretty interesting, leading to a lot more missed diagnoses.