My two cents why Code Purple was never going to fly . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My two cents why Code Purple was never going to fly, with just a day’s notice to staff and students:

One, there has been no significant investment in training or retraining how to use zoom or canvas to anyone, really, whether it's teachers or students in the district, even though it should have been built-in the first month of school and reiterated before the start of the winter season;

Two, the majority of elementary schools went to a cart system, which makes it incredibly time-consuming to remove not just the chromebooks but dismantle the cart just to get to their chargers, of which some might be broken or defective; (Never mind the idiocy of taking apart the carts, only to put them together the following Monday?) (And whom would pull this off, realistically? ITSSs are shared and stretched thin among three to four schools, already.);

Three, to build on the above, two months ago, MCPS indicated that they were effectively out of chargers, and that the financial responsibility would now fall onto the individual schools. (A budget freeze announced two Fridays ago was just an additional slap to the face.);

Four, when students came back from the pandemic, most of the laptop bags were thrown out and recycled, as they were downright disgusting and in no shape for further use. They were not replaced. So the chromebooks would have to go home into their backpacks;

Five, someone on DCUM commented that the schools could simply send the chromebooks home, without their charging cables, as their stated battery life was eight hours. Please note that that was when they were brand-new, not four years old, and this also assumes that they were being plugged in, constantly. (Ha.);

Six, the Dell teacher laptops that would be expected to pull off zoom are straight-up POSs. So many have failed for various reasons just over the last few months that a lot of people are frustrated. I can't imagine using them;

Seven, the total confusion and lack of communication or even miscommunication over what a Code Purple was, how it would be implemented, and more was simply monumentally screwed up. The expectations and conditions to trigger such a code should have been codified and publicized to the entire community way ahead of time;

This is just a few of the things that naturally occurred to me. (If there’s others, you’re welcome to chime in!) Bottom line: nothing was learned from the pandemic.

There were, however, some easy actions that could have been taken to offset some of this:

one, such as regular use or formal integration of zoom / canvas throughout the school year;
two, transitioning from closed carts to something a bit more flexible, like open-air charging stations;
three, updating the Acer 740s to Google Flex to keep them modern and useful, in case the school system decided to send home relatively-disposable laptops
four, set into motion exactly how and when a Code Purple comes into play; and so much more.

It’s not rocket science.

The state allows for 3 asynchronous inclement weather days. Other counties have been able to plan for those days, and some have even used both asynchronous and synchronous virtual days this year, without any major issues. It's not that complicated of a solution to use some virtual days, especially if 3 can be asynchronous.

No asynchronous days, please. It’s a disaster for elementary students who want to go out to play snow all day given the snow is so rare here.

Your kids can go play before and after school as well as lunch. If your kids cannot handle it, hold them back a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You honestly don't understand how students are in school buildings. No, they don't need 184 days. The last two weeks are useless as it is and it has nothing to do with teachers and everything to do with students being mentally checked out. Just stop talking about things you clearly don't understand. You want free babysitting, we all know that, but please stop pretending you have any idea about academics.

That's exactly why we need to build in 184 days from the start-- so we don't end up having to tack on extra days before summer break.

If we could actually make use of make up days spread throughout winter/spring, then we could avoid that. But we're hearing increasingly ridiculous reasons why we can't use make-up days.

184 built in days are fine, but it's ALSO fine to not use them at the end of the year like other counties do if they aren't used as make-up days. You were insisting 184 should be used no matter what. Not rocket science.

This is a good example of why parents have gotten increasingly frustrated with schools and teachers. As two income households have gotten more common, schools have instituted policies and practices that are increasingly hostile to working parents. And some are completely nonsensical- like the pp suggesting we should schedule school days but then not use them.

As a two income households, you could afford to hire help for the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You honestly don't understand how students are in school buildings. No, they don't need 184 days. The last two weeks are useless as it is and it has nothing to do with teachers and everything to do with students being mentally checked out. Just stop talking about things you clearly don't understand. You want free babysitting, we all know that, but please stop pretending you have any idea about academics.

That's exactly why we need to build in 184 days from the start-- so we don't end up having to tack on extra days before summer break.

If we could actually make use of make up days spread throughout winter/spring, then we could avoid that. But we're hearing increasingly ridiculous reasons why we can't use make-up days.

184 built in days are fine, but it's ALSO fine to not use them at the end of the year like other counties do if they aren't used as make-up days. You were insisting 184 should be used no matter what. Not rocket science.

Yes, they should. Why wouldn't we use them all? It's better for the kids, who would get more days of instruction. It's better for parents, who wouldn't be stuck figuring out logistics. And it's better for the district, who wouldn't have to worry about how many parents would try to play the odds and schedule summer vacations early.

It actually costs the district a lot of money to go for extra days over the state requirement. MCPS should be able to provide an exact dollar amount. It is not worth the many millions, IMO, as students are done.

Without a number, that's not much of an argument, particularly when *not* having school also costs residents a lot of money.

It's strange you think that student are "done" based on the cumulative number of days they've had, rather than the proximity to the last day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You honestly don't understand how students are in school buildings. No, they don't need 184 days. The last two weeks are useless as it is and it has nothing to do with teachers and everything to do with students being mentally checked out. Just stop talking about things you clearly don't understand. You want free babysitting, we all know that, but please stop pretending you have any idea about academics.

That's exactly why we need to build in 184 days from the start-- so we don't end up having to tack on extra days before summer break.

If we could actually make use of make up days spread throughout winter/spring, then we could avoid that. But we're hearing increasingly ridiculous reasons why we can't use make-up days.

184 built in days are fine, but it's ALSO fine to not use them at the end of the year like other counties do if they aren't used as make-up days. You were insisting 184 should be used no matter what. Not rocket science.

This is a good example of why parents have gotten increasingly frustrated with schools and teachers. As two income households have gotten more common, schools have instituted policies and practices that are increasingly hostile to working parents. And some are completely nonsensical- like the pp suggesting we should schedule school days but then not use them.

As a two income households, you could afford to hire help for the day.

Again, the blatant hostility to working parents is part of why there's so much animosity towards teachers and district officials. It's not going to be a winning strategy for you long-term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You honestly don't understand how students are in school buildings. No, they don't need 184 days. The last two weeks are useless as it is and it has nothing to do with teachers and everything to do with students being mentally checked out. Just stop talking about things you clearly don't understand. You want free babysitting, we all know that, but please stop pretending you have any idea about academics.

That's exactly why we need to build in 184 days from the start-- so we don't end up having to tack on extra days before summer break.

If we could actually make use of make up days spread throughout winter/spring, then we could avoid that. But we're hearing increasingly ridiculous reasons why we can't use make-up days.

184 built in days are fine, but it's ALSO fine to not use them at the end of the year like other counties do if they aren't used as make-up days. You were insisting 184 should be used no matter what. Not rocket science.

This is a good example of why parents have gotten increasingly frustrated with schools and teachers. As two income households have gotten more common, schools have instituted policies and practices that are increasingly hostile to working parents. And some are completely nonsensical- like the pp suggesting we should schedule school days but then not use them.

Most counties that have more than 180 schools do this. Educate yourself. You’d know by the week before the last week of school if you’d need to arrange childcare. If other places successfully do this (and have been for years), MCPS can too. You really want to be a victim and it’s sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You honestly don't understand how students are in school buildings. No, they don't need 184 days. The last two weeks are useless as it is and it has nothing to do with teachers and everything to do with students being mentally checked out. Just stop talking about things you clearly don't understand. You want free babysitting, we all know that, but please stop pretending you have any idea about academics.

That's exactly why we need to build in 184 days from the start-- so we don't end up having to tack on extra days before summer break.

If we could actually make use of make up days spread throughout winter/spring, then we could avoid that. But we're hearing increasingly ridiculous reasons why we can't use make-up days.

184 built in days are fine, but it's ALSO fine to not use them at the end of the year like other counties do if they aren't used as make-up days. You were insisting 184 should be used no matter what. Not rocket science.

This is a good example of why parents have gotten increasingly frustrated with schools and teachers. As two income households have gotten more common, schools have instituted policies and practices that are increasingly hostile to working parents. And some are completely nonsensical- like the pp suggesting we should schedule school days but then not use them.

As a two income households, you could afford to hire help for the day.

Again, the blatant hostility to working parents is part of why there's so much animosity towards teachers and district officials. It's not going to be a winning strategy for you long-term.

There is no hostility but your expectation others cater to your wants is the problem. Your kids are your responsibility. You manage weekends, holidays and summers, you can manage a few snow days. The majority of us figure it out, why can't you?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
You honestly don't understand how students are in school buildings. No, they don't need 184 days. The last two weeks are useless as it is and it has nothing to do with teachers and everything to do with students being mentally checked out. Just stop talking about things you clearly don't understand. You want free babysitting, we all know that, but please stop pretending you have any idea about academics. [/quote]

That's exactly why we need to build in 184 days from the start-- so we don't end up having to tack on extra days before summer break.

If we could actually make use of make up days spread throughout winter/spring, then we could avoid that. But we're hearing increasingly ridiculous reasons why we can't use make-up days.[/quote]

184 built in days are fine, but it's ALSO fine to not use them at the end of the year like other counties do if they aren't used as make-up days. You were insisting 184 should be used no matter what. Not rocket science.[/quote]

This is a good example of why parents have gotten increasingly frustrated with schools and teachers. As two income households have gotten more common, schools have instituted policies and practices that are increasingly hostile to working parents. And some are completely nonsensical- like the pp suggesting we should schedule school days but then not use them.[/quote]

Most counties that have more than 180 schools do this. Educate yourself. You’d know by the week before the last week of school if you’d need to arrange childcare. If other places successfully do this (and have been for years), MCPS can too. You really want to be a victim and it’s sad.[/quote]

No, that's a quirk of Maryland. Most school districts don't do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Most counties that have more than 180 schools do this. Educate yourself. You’d know by the week before the last week of school if you’d need to arrange childcare. If other places successfully do this (and have been for years), MCPS can too. You really want to be a victim and it’s sad.

No, that's a quirk of Maryland. Most school districts don't do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You honestly don't understand how students are in school buildings. No, they don't need 184 days. The last two weeks are useless as it is and it has nothing to do with teachers and everything to do with students being mentally checked out. Just stop talking about things you clearly don't understand. You want free babysitting, we all know that, but please stop pretending you have any idea about academics.

That's exactly why we need to build in 184 days from the start-- so we don't end up having to tack on extra days before summer break.

If we could actually make use of make up days spread throughout winter/spring, then we could avoid that. But we're hearing increasingly ridiculous reasons why we can't use make-up days.

184 built in days are fine, but it's ALSO fine to not use them at the end of the year like other counties do if they aren't used as make-up days. You were insisting 184 should be used no matter what. Not rocket science.

This is a good example of why parents have gotten increasingly frustrated with schools and teachers. As two income households have gotten more common, schools have instituted policies and practices that are increasingly hostile to working parents. And some are completely nonsensical- like the pp suggesting we should schedule school days but then not use them.

As a two income households, you could afford to hire help for the day.

Again, the blatant hostility to working parents is part of why there's so much animosity towards teachers and district officials. It's not going to be a winning strategy for you long-term.

There is no hostility but your expectation others cater to your wants is the problem. Your kids are your responsibility. You manage weekends, holidays and summers, you can manage a few snow days. The majority of us figure it out, why can't you?

This discussion shows the variety of problems. As you, or another poster, pointed out, days tacked on to the end of the year end up being useless. If teachers, students and parents go into the year thinking or hoping that school will end on June 13, then any day past that point is not likely to be productive. If you think you need to plan for a week of snow days, it is better for everyone to go into the year knowing that they'll be there until June 20th (as an example).

The strange policies in Maryland already create problems. Summer child care programs don't start until a week after school ends because of how districts handle make-up days. Everyone would be able to plan much better if they went into the year knowing when school would end.

I don't see how that isn't obvious to you. Have you ever lived outside of Maryland?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Most counties that have more than 180 schools do this. Educate yourself. You’d know by the week before the last week of school if you’d need to arrange childcare. If other places successfully do this (and have been for years), MCPS can too. You really want to be a victim and it’s sad.

No, that's a quirk of Maryland. Most school districts don't do that.

Actually they do. DP but I’m an education professor for an online program, which means I have to deal with students and coordinate w districts all over the country when arranging student teaching. Asynchronous days, virtual options, 4 day school weeks, 1 half day a week, etc are prevalent in districts all over the country. MCPS is so behind the times because of parents like you who insist on keeping us stuck in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My two cents why Code Purple was never going to fly, with just a day’s notice to staff and students:

One, there has been no significant investment in training or retraining how to use zoom or canvas to anyone, really, whether it's teachers or students in the district, even though it should have been built-in the first month of school and reiterated before the start of the winter season;

Two, the majority of elementary schools went to a cart system, which makes it incredibly time-consuming to remove not just the chromebooks but dismantle the cart just to get to their chargers, of which some might be broken or defective; (Never mind the idiocy of taking apart the carts, only to put them together the following Monday?) (And whom would pull this off, realistically? ITSSs are shared and stretched thin among three to four schools, already.);

Three, to build on the above, two months ago, MCPS indicated that they were effectively out of chargers, and that the financial responsibility would now fall onto the individual schools. (A budget freeze announced two Fridays ago was just an additional slap to the face.);

Four, when students came back from the pandemic, most of the laptop bags were thrown out and recycled, as they were downright disgusting and in no shape for further use. They were not replaced. So the chromebooks would have to go home into their backpacks;

Five, someone on DCUM commented that the schools could simply send the chromebooks home, without their charging cables, as their stated battery life was eight hours. Please note that that was when they were brand-new, not four years old, and this also assumes that they were being plugged in, constantly. (Ha.);

Six, the Dell teacher laptops that would be expected to pull off zoom are straight-up POSs. So many have failed for various reasons just over the last few months that a lot of people are frustrated. I can't imagine using them;

Seven, the total confusion and lack of communication or even miscommunication over what a Code Purple was, how it would be implemented, and more was simply monumentally screwed up. The expectations and conditions to trigger such a code should have been codified and publicized to the entire community way ahead of time;

This is just a few of the things that naturally occurred to me. (If there’s others, you’re welcome to chime in!) Bottom line: nothing was learned from the pandemic.

There were, however, some easy actions that could have been taken to offset some of this:

one, such as regular use or formal integration of zoom / canvas throughout the school year;
two, transitioning from closed carts to something a bit more flexible, like open-air charging stations;
three, updating the Acer 740s to Google Flex to keep them modern and useful, in case the school system decided to send home relatively-disposable laptops
four, set into motion exactly how and when a Code Purple comes into play; and so much more.

It’s not rocket science.

The state allows for 3 asynchronous inclement weather days. Other counties have been able to plan for those days, and some have even used both asynchronous and synchronous virtual days this year, without any major issues. It's not that complicated of a solution to use some virtual days, especially if 3 can be asynchronous.

No asynchronous days, please. It’s a disaster for elementary students who want to go out to play snow all day given the snow is so rare here.

Your kids can go play before and after school as well as lunch. If your kids cannot handle it, hold them back a few years.

My kids don’t need study packets administered by parents to be counted as a school day. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

It seems obvious to me that only high school should have remote learning days and middle school and below should have snow days when the allotment is used up. High school kids need the instructional time to prepare for AP/IB exams. My DD is upstairs self-learning calculus topics because the teacher can't afford to lose these days. She has a test that will include material never discussed in class. Older kids have their Chrome Books or a personal laptop all the time and should be expected to learn on poor weather days at least some of the time. Expecting a 5 year old to sit and learn in front of a screen is very different than expecting a 15 year old to,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems obvious to me that only high school should have remote learning days and middle school and below should have snow days when the allotment is used up. High school kids need the instructional time to prepare for AP/IB exams. My DD is upstairs self-learning calculus topics because the teacher can't afford to lose these days. She has a test that will include material never discussed in class. Older kids have their Chrome Books or a personal laptop all the time and should be expected to learn on poor weather days at least some of the time. Expecting a 5 year old to sit and learn in front of a screen is very different than expecting a 15 year old to,

Your student has to study outside of school? THE HORROR! Many students have to supplement for themselves because the AP tests cover more things than there is time to teach. This has been going on for decades. Nothing new. Also, MCPS can't have HS doing different days than MS and ES. You'd think you'd understand that by now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My two cents why Code Purple was never going to fly, with just a day’s notice to staff and students:

One, there has been no significant investment in training or retraining how to use zoom or canvas to anyone, really, whether it's teachers or students in the district, even though it should have been built-in the first month of school and reiterated before the start of the winter season;

Two, the majority of elementary schools went to a cart system, which makes it incredibly time-consuming to remove not just the chromebooks but dismantle the cart just to get to their chargers, of which some might be broken or defective; (Never mind the idiocy of taking apart the carts, only to put them together the following Monday?) (And whom would pull this off, realistically? ITSSs are shared and stretched thin among three to four schools, already.);

Three, to build on the above, two months ago, MCPS indicated that they were effectively out of chargers, and that the financial responsibility would now fall onto the individual schools. (A budget freeze announced two Fridays ago was just an additional slap to the face.);

Four, when students came back from the pandemic, most of the laptop bags were thrown out and recycled, as they were downright disgusting and in no shape for further use. They were not replaced. So the chromebooks would have to go home into their backpacks;

Five, someone on DCUM commented that the schools could simply send the chromebooks home, without their charging cables, as their stated battery life was eight hours. Please note that that was when they were brand-new, not four years old, and this also assumes that they were being plugged in, constantly. (Ha.);

Six, the Dell teacher laptops that would be expected to pull off zoom are straight-up POSs. So many have failed for various reasons just over the last few months that a lot of people are frustrated. I can't imagine using them;

Seven, the total confusion and lack of communication or even miscommunication over what a Code Purple was, how it would be implemented, and more was simply monumentally screwed up. The expectations and conditions to trigger such a code should have been codified and publicized to the entire community way ahead of time;

This is just a few of the things that naturally occurred to me. (If there’s others, you’re welcome to chime in!) Bottom line: nothing was learned from the pandemic.

There were, however, some easy actions that could have been taken to offset some of this:

one, such as regular use or formal integration of zoom / canvas throughout the school year;
two, transitioning from closed carts to something a bit more flexible, like open-air charging stations;
three, updating the Acer 740s to Google Flex to keep them modern and useful, in case the school system decided to send home relatively-disposable laptops
four, set into motion exactly how and when a Code Purple comes into play; and so much more.

It’s not rocket science.

The state allows for 3 asynchronous inclement weather days. Other counties have been able to plan for those days, and some have even used both asynchronous and synchronous virtual days this year, without any major issues. It's not that complicated of a solution to use some virtual days, especially if 3 can be asynchronous.

No asynchronous days, please. It’s a disaster for elementary students who want to go out to play snow all day given the snow is so rare here.

Your kids can go play before and after school as well as lunch. If your kids cannot handle it, hold them back a few years.

My kids don’t need study packets administered by parents to be counted as a school day. Thanks!

And what do you think they do in buildings all day? Packets..of...work...a review day wouldn't kill anyone, but again, you need babysitting and we get it. Just say it instead of pretending to care about academics. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems obvious to me that only high school should have remote learning days and middle school and below should have snow days when the allotment is used up. High school kids need the instructional time to prepare for AP/IB exams. My DD is upstairs self-learning calculus topics because the teacher can't afford to lose these days. She has a test that will include material never discussed in class. Older kids have their Chrome Books or a personal laptop all the time and should be expected to learn on poor weather days at least some of the time. Expecting a 5 year old to sit and learn in front of a screen is very different than expecting a 15 year old to,

I don't disagree on virtual being more suitable for high school, but if they're going to have to add days for elementary school, then there isn't a good reason to not do the same for high school.