MCPS will now send kids home for ten days based on symptoms only

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This happened Friday at our school. Long story short: the kid got a rapid test with a negative result that evening, so nobody will be quarantined next week (the plan was for the kid’s entire class to be quarantined unless the kid tested negative).

The point of the policy is to force parents to quickly test their kids.

If schools could simply test immediately onsite, then we wouldn’t have these false alarms.

Yup. And they have the federal money to do just that. They just won't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been a part of numerous discussions this weekend where parents discussed telling their kids not to go to the nurse or report things, across parents in multiple ES, so at least from my limited sample this seems to really be having a perverse effect.

Well, the good part about ES kids is they tell on their parents constantly. Everyone will know who is lying, sorry to the insane parents hoping this would work.

LoL we aren't 5 year olds. No one cares if you think we're lying. There's zero consequences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why everyone keeps saying MCPS is sending kids home. You do know that the DHHS health room nurse is the one who decides, right?

That is an interesting point. So are you saying the nurse works for the health department and not MCPS? Is that true?

Yes they (the nurse and health tech) are employees of the health department. I didn't realize that until my 2nd year teaching. I always assumed that they were mcps employees.

Who tells them who to quarantine? MCPS. They aren’t in the classroom right? So confusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This happened Friday at our school. Long story short: the kid got a rapid test with a negative result that evening, so nobody will be quarantined next week (the plan was for the kid’s entire class to be quarantined unless the kid tested negative).

The point of the policy is to force parents to quickly test their kids.

If schools could simply test immediately onsite, then we wouldn’t have these false alarms.

Yup. And they have the federal money to do just that. They just won't.

There's federal money for that? From CARES act? Ugh. Why won't they do it?

[Anonymous]

Serious question -- I am as angry as everyone else but I don't understand why to opt out of testing. I mean, if my kid tests positive I DO want the kids to quarantine right? I'm not sure hiding actual real positive cases is the answer? The problem is them being overly cautious about symptoms not real cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Serious question -- I am as angry as everyone else but I don't understand why to opt out of testing. I mean, if my kid tests positive I DO want the kids to quarantine right? I'm not sure hiding actual real positive cases is the answer? The problem is them being overly cautious about symptoms not real cases.

What testing? None of my kids’ schools have communicated anything about opting in to testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Serious question -- I am as angry as everyone else but I don't understand why to opt out of testing. I mean, if my kid tests positive I DO want the kids to quarantine right? I'm not sure hiding actual real positive cases is the answer? The problem is them being overly cautious about symptoms not real cases.

What testing? None of my kids’ schools have communicated anything about opting in to testing.

The opt-in testing messages have come from central office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This happened Friday at our school. Long story short: the kid got a rapid test with a negative result that evening, so nobody will be quarantined next week (the plan was for the kid’s entire class to be quarantined unless the kid tested negative).

The point of the policy is to force parents to quickly test their kids.

If schools could simply test immediately onsite, then we wouldn’t have these false alarms.

Yup. And they have the federal money to do just that. They just won't.

Parents need to pressure them to set up tents on school grounds.

Why? Because otherwise pharmacies and private centers might be overwhelmed rapidly and families won't be able to test their kids.
Private schools have partnered with testing providers to set up their own testing centers on school grounds.
Public schools must do this as well.

If they do, this new policy actually becomes quite good!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This happened Friday at our school. Long story short: the kid got a rapid test with a negative result that evening, so nobody will be quarantined next week (the plan was for the kid’s entire class to be quarantined unless the kid tested negative).

The point of the policy is to force parents to quickly test their kids.

If schools could simply test immediately onsite, then we wouldn’t have these false alarms.

Yup. And they have the federal money to do just that. They just won't.

This is could really cut into my me time. Thanks, MCPS!

[Anonymous]

I think that if a parent sends their kid to school with one of those symptoms and no explanation, and then refuses to get them medical care including a test, CPS should be involved. I think that parents who want in person school need to realize it comes with the obligation to test if symptomatic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the new “guidance” confirms what we’ve been hearing. If a child has “symptoms” associated with COVID (could be a runny nose) their close contacts (this has been interpreted as the entire class in many schools) are quarantined for ten days.

This is completely ludicrous and not based in science or CDC guidelines.

Great and of course people can return sooner if they can provide a negative test which seems perfectly reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why everyone keeps saying MCPS is sending kids home. You do know that the DHHS health room nurse is the one who decides, right?

and how would they know who to quarantine? In the health room? Must be some communication?

Because the nurse talks to the teachers and asks who was in close contact. Nurses and techs work for DHHS, not MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why everyone keeps saying MCPS is sending kids home. You do know that the DHHS health room nurse is the one who decides, right?

That is an interesting point. So are you saying the nurse works for the health department and not MCPS? Is that true?

Yes they (the nurse and health tech) are employees of the health department. I didn't realize that until my 2nd year teaching. I always assumed that they were mcps employees.

Who tells them who to quarantine? MCPS. They aren’t in the classroom right? So confusing.

The nurse/tech asks the student and the teacher is the classroom. None of these decisions are made by MCPS. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at the health department.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the end I just feel so defeated and betrayed by all of this. I so stupidly trusted them all summer when they promised us over and over again it would be five days a week. I am not a regular complainer at school. We have been nothing but happy with MCPS except for this. It has exposed so much about how they operate on all levels. It just kind of takes my breath away to think of them dropping this on us just before a holiday weekend, with happy kids finishing their first full week of school, to try and bury it. I support strong covid protections but this is so beyond CDC or anyone else. Why not rapid testing?

It’s also just another symptom of how everyone in our country has to be extreme something. In the South it’s raging and kids don’t have to wear masks. Here the rates are still extremely low, even with the spike, and our kids are quarantining because of exposure to one person with one symptom while they were wearing masks.

I really, really thought BOE had wised up. Struck a practical and safe balance for school openings. I was just thinking well, this might be enough to not angrily vote against every BOE member I can find in the next election or three. This week all of my mom friends and I are texting each other about how we cannot wait to vote against every single one of them. Whether they made this decision or not, they still can control it.

+1 This!

Also, it sounds like there were maybe 30 or so actual positive cases so far this week. This is not actually a shocking number given the cases in the community. What on earth prompted mcps and dhhs to revise their policy from just a few weeks ago when community transmission was essentially similar? Did they expect zero cases in schools? Do they think their goal is to prevent transmission 100 percent at the expense of educating children full time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Serious question -- I am as angry as everyone else but I don't understand why to opt out of testing. I mean, if my kid tests positive I DO want the kids to quarantine right? I'm not sure hiding actual real positive cases is the answer? The problem is them being overly cautious about symptoms not real cases.

What testing? None of my kids’ schools have communicated anything about opting in to testing.

The opt-in testing messages have come from central office.

I have not received any communication from our ES school, or MCPS about opting in. I didn’t think they were starting it up yet and I’ve been waiting to hear official word.