Call to Action: Help create a safe learning environment for medically fragile students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How will they be safe at school when medically fragile? How do they get to school and what would be in place to actually keep them from getting sick? Won't being around other people be a huge risk?

Not to mention, what kind of restrictions are you going to impose on the teachers and adults who have to service this cohort of medically fragile kids and how will you manage for that?

I will mask but any decent adult who knew a child was at risk would mask vs argue over it? Ever consider what kind of person y are if you cannot mask around a child with health issues and more importantly would argue and rationalize why they shouldn’t. Why would you want to make anyone sick let alone a child or person Ready struggling with their health. A cold, flu or Covid is no big deal to you but those of us with health issues can end up in the hospital or it takes weeks to get over a simple cold.

No, most people aren't going to masks all day for a school year. Particularly not with good enough practices to be of any use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of comments about costs and troubles making a cohort. A cohort that OP is talking about could very well be a cohort of kids in the same grade at the same school. They don’t have to be medically fragile themselves - maybe they have medically fragile family, or maybe they just prefer to take certain precautions. For example, if there are 100 kids divided into 4 classes for 5th grade at a school, perhaps the school, with parents’ permission, could send a communication to the parents of 5th graders to gauge interest in having their child assigned to a classroom that takes pre auctions to help protect a medically vulnerable classmate. If that works out, there would still be 100 students and four teachers. I believe TKPK Elementary had such a classroom cohort pertaining to allergies last year.

That seems like it will not provide the level of certainty that OP is looking for. What you are suggesting would be totally voluntary. What are the odds that exactly 25 families volunteer? What if only 10 do? Do you make the other classes larger? Or just say too bad we can't accommodate you this year? And that's assuming a teacher volunteers to teach masked all year.

All fair questions. Looks like they made it work in VA - maybe MCPS could use a similar strategy?
https://dcist.com/story/22/03/24/virginia-mask-mandate-ada-ruling/

The VA school wasn't even going to require masks in the student's classroom, much less in the other settings where students mix. I don't see how that even comes close to what the OP was looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of comments about costs and troubles making a cohort. A cohort that OP is talking about could very well be a cohort of kids in the same grade at the same school. They don’t have to be medically fragile themselves - maybe they have medically fragile family, or maybe they just prefer to take certain precautions. For example, if there are 100 kids divided into 4 classes for 5th grade at a school, perhaps the school, with parents’ permission, could send a communication to the parents of 5th graders to gauge interest in having their child assigned to a classroom that takes pre auctions to help protect a medically vulnerable classmate. If that works out, there would still be 100 students and four teachers. I believe TKPK Elementary had such a classroom cohort pertaining to allergies last year.

That seems like it will not provide the level of certainty that OP is looking for. What you are suggesting would be totally voluntary. What are the odds that exactly 25 families volunteer? What if only 10 do? Do you make the other classes larger? Or just say too bad we can't accommodate you this year? And that's assuming a teacher volunteers to teach masked all year.

All fair questions. Looks like they made it work in VA - maybe MCPS could use a similar strategy?
https://dcist.com/story/22/03/24/virginia-mask-mandate-ada-ruling/

The VA school wasn't even going to require masks in the student's classroom, much less in the other settings where students mix. I don't see how that even comes close to what the OP was looking for.

The article says the only thing holding them back from required masking in the student’s classroom was the VA law against mask mandates (not an issue in MD), which the judge ruled was superseded by a disabled students’ rights under the ADA. The school was also prepared to send a communication to classmates asking them to mask.

Nothing is ever perfect, but that’s not an excuse to do nothing. Maybe OP could reach out to the schools listed in that article to get tips for how an MCPS school / class might help implement classroom masking as an accommodation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of comments about costs and troubles making a cohort. A cohort that OP is talking about could very well be a cohort of kids in the same grade at the same school. They don’t have to be medically fragile themselves - maybe they have medically fragile family, or maybe they just prefer to take certain precautions. For example, if there are 100 kids divided into 4 classes for 5th grade at a school, perhaps the school, with parents’ permission, could send a communication to the parents of 5th graders to gauge interest in having their child assigned to a classroom that takes pre auctions to help protect a medically vulnerable classmate. If that works out, there would still be 100 students and four teachers. I believe TKPK Elementary had such a classroom cohort pertaining to allergies last year.

That seems like it will not provide the level of certainty that OP is looking for. What you are suggesting would be totally voluntary. What are the odds that exactly 25 families volunteer? What if only 10 do? Do you make the other classes larger? Or just say too bad we can't accommodate you this year? And that's assuming a teacher volunteers to teach masked all year.

All fair questions. Looks like they made it work in VA - maybe MCPS could use a similar strategy?
https://dcist.com/story/22/03/24/virginia-mask-mandate-ada-ruling/

This doesn't address OP's request for ventilation.

So they add improved ventilation to the conversation - easy peasy. Maybe the class could make a corsi-rosenthal box as a STEM activity. They could decorate it like a cute animal, give it a name and make it a class mascot.

https://www.slj.com/story/Corsi-Rosenthal-boxes-help-clear-the-air-at-schools-across-the-country

[Anonymous]

I know this sounds horrible but I would be devastated and not really onboard if I were asked to mask my kindergartener. 5 year olds don't mask very well, it would be super distracting for the teacher to enforce, and this age is such a critical time in kids' social development. We had a really bad experience with masking our child when she was 2. She is older now but has been through a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this sounds horrible but I would be devastated and not really onboard if I were asked to mask my kindergartener. 5 year olds don't mask very well, it would be super distracting for the teacher to enforce, and this age is such a critical time in kids' social development. We had a really bad experience with masking our child when she was 2. She is older now but has been through a lot.

It really is a critical time for their social development. Imagine if you were in OP’s shoes and had to hear so many people telling you that the best solution is to keep an “eager student” at home.

And at the same time - isn’t empathy and compassion an important part of social development? Kids want to help others, and they understand more than we give them credit for. If it’s approached as “here is this thing we can do to protect a friend in our community” and they make it part of the daily routine and make it fun with little songs, etc, like we do with hand washing and listening, it could work and not be traumatic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this sounds horrible but I would be devastated and not really onboard if I were asked to mask my kindergartener. 5 year olds don't mask very well, it would be super distracting for the teacher to enforce, and this age is such a critical time in kids' social development. We had a really bad experience with masking our child when she was 2. She is older now but has been through a lot.

Yup my kids spent a couple years masked at daycare and kindergarten and it was all cost and no benefit at that age. Asking that age group to mask was one of the stupidest decisions during the pandemic. My family in Europe was aghast, masking young kids was never a thing there.

Plus have any of you been in an elementary school classroom lately? My kids school is relatively new and supposedly has good ventilation but it’s still stuffy, particularly since the policy is to keep the classroom doors closed. Seems like OP would need a dedicated building for her cohort idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this sounds horrible but I would be devastated and not really onboard if I were asked to mask my kindergartener. 5 year olds don't mask very well, it would be super distracting for the teacher to enforce, and this age is such a critical time in kids' social development. We had a really bad experience with masking our child when she was 2. She is older now but has been through a lot.

It really is a critical time for their social development. Imagine if you were in OP’s shoes and had to hear so many people telling you that the best solution is to keep an “eager student” at home.

And at the same time - isn’t empathy and compassion an important part of social development? Kids want to help others, and they understand more than we give them credit for. If it’s approached as “here is this thing we can do to protect a friend in our community” and they make it part of the daily routine and make it fun with little songs, etc, like we do with hand washing and listening, it could work and not be traumatic.

That doesn't change the fact that masks obscure people's faces and studies have clearly shown that affects children's ability to interpret emotions.

I sympathize with OP and her child. I think it's a really tough situation. But other people's children matter too, so there needs to be a very clear, dramatic benefit to masking 5 year olds. Compassion and empathy extend to everyone. I am not convinced there is one.

[Anonymous]

I completely understand that this is a rather novel concept and requires a significant amount of creativity, work, and resourcing in order to work. And maybe as a whole it’s not the end solution that can be feasible and acceptable for all involved. But when you have a child that has such a drive to learn and be in school but can’t, because of a genetic condition that makes her particularly vulnerable to Covid, you have to try something. And hopefully, with help from other interested parents, this conversation can go some where and give her the access to a full education that she, and all kids, deserve.

For all the good faith discussion, even those critiquing the idea, I thank you. My end goal isn’t to achieve a particular idea but rather to give her access. So if this idea needs to just be a starting point then so be it.

For all those questioning my motivation and honest plea for help, especially with personal attacks, perhaps your time is better spent reflecting on how you treat the vulnerable among us and less on trying to anonymously tear others down on an Internet forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this sounds horrible but I would be devastated and not really onboard if I were asked to mask my kindergartener. 5 year olds don't mask very well, it would be super distracting for the teacher to enforce, and this age is such a critical time in kids' social development. We had a really bad experience with masking our child when she was 2. She is older now but has been through a lot.

Yup my kids spent a couple years masked at daycare and kindergarten and it was all cost and no benefit at that age. Asking that age group to mask was one of the stupidest decisions during the pandemic. My family in Europe was aghast, masking young kids was never a thing there.

Plus have any of you been in an elementary school classroom lately? My kids school is relatively new and supposedly has good ventilation but it’s still stuffy, particularly since the policy is to keep the classroom doors closed. Seems like OP would need a dedicated building for her cohort idea.

If your kiddo’s room is stuffy, it sounds like you might want to submit a complaint to the IAQ team. They are supposed to be achieving 4-6 air changes per hour.

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/default/674569/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I appreciate the constructive comments, both supportive and challenging to this notion. I fully understand that this is an unorthodox approach, but given the road my family, as well as others, have been on to get here, it's almost literally the only safe path forward.

Yes, it is difficulty for the school to figure this problem out.
Yes, there is a lot of leg work for us to do in order to build support within the community and with MCPS administration.

But it is demonstrable that schools are currently ill-equipped to mitigate the spread of COVID (and other airborne diseases). It is also the case that kids are affected by this disease and it's complications, including disability and death. Furthermore, there are an estimated 30% of households dealing with the complications of long-COVID which directly correlates with the rise in chronic absenteeism in MCPS.

My point is, it is actually imperative that the school begins to address this issue lest we as a county/society choose to accept the medical burden we are placing on our kids for literally their entire lives.

But more specifically to my daughter, she is guaranteed, by law, free and safe access to a full education in the least-restrictive manner possible. In-person schooling is currently NOT safe; at home IIS services currently are not a full education; virtual schooling is currently not an option (nor will it be next year). It is upon the school to ensure that access, that is what this cohort is trying to achieve.

30% of households are not dealing with long COVID.

https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/long-covid-19-symptoms-reported.html

10% according to this NIH study also based on the pulse survey data. I think that still sounds high based on people I know.

https://covid19.nih.gov/news-and-stories/large-study-allows-researchers-better-define-long-covid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this sounds horrible but I would be devastated and not really onboard if I were asked to mask my kindergartener. 5 year olds don't mask very well, it would be super distracting for the teacher to enforce, and this age is such a critical time in kids' social development. We had a really bad experience with masking our child when she was 2. She is older now but has been through a lot.

It really is a critical time for their social development. Imagine if you were in OP’s shoes and had to hear so many people telling you that the best solution is to keep an “eager student” at home.

And at the same time - isn’t empathy and compassion an important part of social development? Kids want to help others, and they understand more than we give them credit for. If it’s approached as “here is this thing we can do to protect a friend in our community” and they make it part of the daily routine and make it fun with little songs, etc, like we do with hand washing and listening, it could work and not be traumatic.

That doesn't change the fact that masks obscure people's faces and studies have clearly shown that affects children's ability to interpret emotions.

I sympathize with OP and her child. I think it's a really tough situation. But other people's children matter too, so there needs to be a very clear, dramatic benefit to masking 5 year olds. Compassion and empathy extend to everyone. I am not convinced there is one.

There are studies showing that kids learn fine with masks. Brains are plastic and plasticity is highest at younger ages. How do you suppose blind people learn to speak and socialize?

And kids are generally awesome. If you asked your kid if they would mind wearing a mask at school *to protect a vulnerable classmate* so that classmate could also be at school to learn and play with them, what do you think he might say?

I’m stuck by the comment that “compassion and empathy extend to everyone.” Does it? Or only to those who don’t need anything? Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” I imagine OP’s kiddo doesn’t t like masking either, but it sounds like it’s necessary for her safe access to society right now.

I would happily ask my kid to mask in a classroom with OP’s kid. I would enjoy the reduced illnesses and relish the opportunity to show my kid what love and compassion really look like.

If you don’t share that perspective, then ok, but why try to shut it down for them? Why not just ask for your kid to be in a different classroom?

I will send an email expressing support for better avenues to bring vulnerable kids in-person.

[Anonymous]

Op. Let us know how we can support you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this sounds horrible but I would be devastated and not really onboard if I were asked to mask my kindergartener. 5 year olds don't mask very well, it would be super distracting for the teacher to enforce, and this age is such a critical time in kids' social development. We had a really bad experience with masking our child when she was 2. She is older now but has been through a lot.

It really is a critical time for their social development. Imagine if you were in OP’s shoes and had to hear so many people telling you that the best solution is to keep an “eager student” at home.

And at the same time - isn’t empathy and compassion an important part of social development? Kids want to help others, and they understand more than we give them credit for. If it’s approached as “here is this thing we can do to protect a friend in our community” and they make it part of the daily routine and make it fun with little songs, etc, like we do with hand washing and listening, it could work and not be traumatic.

That doesn't change the fact that masks obscure people's faces and studies have clearly shown that affects children's ability to interpret emotions.

I sympathize with OP and her child. I think it's a really tough situation. But other people's children matter too, so there needs to be a very clear, dramatic benefit to masking 5 year olds. Compassion and empathy extend to everyone. I am not convinced there is one.

There are studies showing that kids learn fine with masks. Brains are plastic and plasticity is highest at younger ages. How do you suppose blind people learn to speak and socialize?

And kids are generally awesome. If you asked your kid if they would mind wearing a mask at school *to protect a vulnerable classmate* so that classmate could also be at school to learn and play with them, what do you think he might say?

I’m stuck by the comment that “compassion and empathy extend to everyone.” Does it? Or only to those who don’t need anything? Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” I imagine OP’s kiddo doesn’t t like masking either, but it sounds like it’s necessary for her safe access to society right now.

I would happily ask my kid to mask in a classroom with OP’s kid. I would enjoy the reduced illnesses and relish the opportunity to show my kid what love and compassion really look like.

If you don’t share that perspective, then ok, but why try to shut it down for them? Why not just ask for your kid to be in a different classroom?

I will send an email expressing support for better avenues to bring vulnerable kids in-person.

Who said I was trying to shut it down for them? I'm just saying what my response would be to being asked to mask my child.

As far as the science on this, your response is exactly the problem. You are so certain that my concerns are not justified, but my own experience as well as the research on masks as they relate to social development indicates that the concerns are justified. Referencing blind children is just... what? Blind children experience a ton of issues including speech delays at higher rates than other children (and we don't know if this is because they are blind). This attitude towards parents' concerns about masking young children amounts to bullying and gaslighting.

I understand why OP wants what she wants. Please understand why some people may have real, legitimate concerns about masking 5 year olds for their whole first year of school.

[Anonymous]

Oh and FU for suggesting other children "don't need anything". That's preposterous and offensive. I said my child has been through a lot. What you are suggesting is that empathy and compassion only extend to people concerned about COVID. F. U.