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

[Anonymous]

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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.

Then the school calls the health department to ask who to quarantine. It’s the health dept that makes the call, sadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid sometimes throws up in the morning due to a combination of anxiety and reflux. We've discussed with a doctor. This is never a result of being sick so we never keep them at home for it. Has never once happened at school.

After seeing the new policy, we told them to never ever mention that they threw up in the morning to anyone at school.

Yeah my kid does this occasionally too- for a while it was often as once a month but, knock on wood, it’s been around 6 months now so maybe he’s growing out of it. We’d always keep him gone for the day when it happened just in case, but it’s always the same pattern- pukes upon waking up and then half hour later is eating breakfast and back to his normal self.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:^ this just happened to us

And did you force the rest of the class into quarantine or get your kid tested?

Ridiculous question. Nobody is forcing a class to quarantine. Tested and false alarm

At our school, multiple full classes are currently in quarantine based on one student exhibiting one symptom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ this just happened to us

And did you force the rest of the class into quarantine or get your kid tested?

Ridiculous question. Nobody is forcing a class to quarantine. Tested and false alarm

At our school, multiple full classes are currently in quarantine based on one student exhibiting one symptom.

Too be clear - one student in each class with one symptom

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have a 3rd grade kid in a class that was sent home. A classmate complained of a headache and got sent home. The whole class was instructed to isolate. The kid with a headache got a negative covid test so the class is allowed to return on Wednesday (Tuesday is a no school day). I think it’s too much. Kids shouldn’t be forced to isolate for symptoms only.

Without regular testing, that's the only way to do it.

FFS. No it is NOT. Send the sick kid home only. There is no reason to send hundreds of healthy kids home. None. Look at how every other school district in the world is handling this.

Yes but MoCo is so so much smarter than everyone else:

I know and I'm so glad I live in a place that is run by responsible people safe guarding our children.

Or maybe does children unnecessary harm. People have been asked to do a lot of draconian things without much if any evidence that that the draconian thing has better outcomes or doesn’t result in harm compared to alternatives. Parents need to start questioning these policies.

Really sad how some of you don’t care about keeping your kids safe.

Really sad that you can’t see the damage that forcing kids to stay home and miss school when someone has a headache and no a covid diagnosis can cause.

My kids are responsible and choose to stay home. They get why and reading the posts here they made a good choice. It’s not just a headache. Be real. This is why we need mandatory twice weekly testing. Mine will go back when mcps handles things responsibly since parents cannot self regulate.

Guessing your kids are older if they are able to make a knowledgeable decision about this. I would not entrust my 5yo to make that sort of choice nor do I feel that it’s remotely developmentally appropriate for him to sit on a computer all day. But glad you are happy with your choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid sometimes throws up in the morning due to a combination of anxiety and reflux. We've discussed with a doctor. This is never a result of being sick so we never keep them at home for it. Has never once happened at school.

After seeing the new policy, we told them to never ever mention that they threw up in the morning to anyone at school.

Yeah my kid does this occasionally too- for a while it was often as once a month but, knock on wood, it’s been around 6 months now so maybe he’s growing out of it. We’d always keep him gone for the day when it happened just in case, but it’s always the same pattern- pukes upon waking up and then half hour later is eating breakfast and back to his normal self.

You don’t have to hide it. It’s a known and documented illeness:event. Have the doctor give you a note.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ this just happened to us

And did you force the rest of the class into quarantine or get your kid tested?

Ridiculous question. Nobody is forcing a class to quarantine. Tested and false alarm

At our school, multiple full classes are currently in quarantine based on one student exhibiting one symptom.

Which school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No they can’t. They can only return once the child with the symptom provides a negative test. If your child tests negative it has no effect.

You can’t even make up such an absurd policy. But MCPS somehow implemented it. Classrooms held hostage.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote: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.

Settle down, Suzy.

Let me explain how easy it is for this to happen to any student…including those with a perfect mother. Here’s what has happened at our school:

Kid complains of a headache or tummy ache or sneezes and has a runny nose or coughs three times over the course of an hour.

^^^
It only takes one such “symptom” for a nervous teacher to send the kid to the health room and the end result could be quarantining the entire class unless/until the kid presents a negative covid test result.

This scenario is expedited if a kid pukes in the classroom.

Again: this can and will happen…even to kids with perfect parents…and most of the time it’s a false alarm.

Of course it happens. And then the responsible parent takes their kid to get tested that day and if it isn’t covid no one is quarantined the next day. My comment was about people who refuse to test and force the rest of the class to quarantine for ten days.

Your privilege is showing.

Not everyone can quickly line up a rapid covid test…particularly when you get notice at 3pm.

That’s why the schools should be equipped to test.

Suggesting CPS get involved is beyond ridiculous. Far beyond.

No your privilege is showing, asking an entire class full of kids’ families to give up work because of one kid isn’t fair and I will tell you from my experience as a teacher in a diverse setting the people who pull crap like that aren’t the ones living on the edge. Those people are taking covid seriously.

I’m saying schools should be equipped to test rather than put the onus on the parents.

You are saying parents should figure it out or CPS should be called.

And, you think I’m showing my privilege? Okay.

If a child is sent in sick the onus is on the parents.

Except privacy law prevents the school from reporting which child

To the others sure but the parents are notified

[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.

Good to know!

[Anonymous]

It makes sense guys. If a kid has symptoms they’ve probably already passed it on to other kids in the class, so better to send those kids home too before they spread to other classes or kids on the bus. It’s inconvenient for some but we should have very low illness incidences of any kind because of it- nips it in the bud before spreading. Good leadership by MCPS and I expect other districts will follow their lead soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ this just happened to us

And did you force the rest of the class into quarantine or get your kid tested?

Ridiculous question. Nobody is forcing a class to quarantine. Tested and false alarm

At our school, multiple full classes are currently in quarantine based on one student exhibiting one symptom.

Which school?

Every single school. No principal, teacher, superintendent is making health decisions. The Department of Health and by extension the nurses and health techs in the school make all of these decisions.

[Anonymous]

Reopening groups wanted to open at any cost, no matter what, well, this is the price you have to pay for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No they can’t. They can only return once the child with the symptom provides a negative test. If your child tests negative it has no effect.

You can’t even make up such an absurd policy. But MCPS somehow implemented it. Classrooms held hostage.

+1000. Poor kids. This school system failed them last year and wants to continue the insanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ this just happened to us

And did you force the rest of the class into quarantine or get your kid tested?

Ridiculous question. Nobody is forcing a class to quarantine. Tested and false alarm

At our school, multiple full classes are currently in quarantine based on one student exhibiting one symptom.

Which school?

Every single school. No principal, teacher, superintendent is making health decisions. The Department of Health and by extension the nurses and health techs in the school make all of these decisions.

Every single school does NOT have entire classes quarantining.