This bodes well with ACPS and return

[Anonymous]

What’s good for the goose.

[Anonymous]

Beginning Nov. 5: Phased-in return of high priority/most vulnerable Students With Disabilities (Citywide self-contained students with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, Multiple Disabilities or Emotional Disabilities) to be served at Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School

Nov. 5: Begin with Students with Disabilities in grades K-2 who are enrolled in the Citywide Special Education program who opt into in-person learning.
Nov. 17: Expand to include Students with Disabilities in grades 3-5 who are enrolled in the Citywide Special Education program who opt into in-person learning
Nov. 30: Expand to include Early Childhood Special Education students who opt into in-person learning (to be housed at the Early Childhood Center).
Nov. 30: Expand to include Students with Disabilities in grades K-5 who receive self-contained Language Arts and Math instruction who opt into in-person learning.
Dec. 2020: Expand to include Students with Disabilities in grades 6-8 who are enrolled in the Citywide Special Education program who opt into in-person learning.
Jan. 2021: Expand to include all remaining students in grades PreK-5 who opt into in-person learning.
Feb. 2021: Expand to include all remaining students in grades 6-8 who opt into in-person learning.
Draft plans for secondary students are under development.

This seems pretty different than the previous proposal--there's no mention of ELL or Teaching and Learning Centers, and I *think* the January/February means all students (not just special needs/ELL)? This also talks about grades 6-8, which weren't really mentioned in the previous proposal.

Anyone else have any insights? Am I understanding this correctly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beginning Nov. 5: Phased-in return of high priority/most vulnerable Students With Disabilities (Citywide self-contained students with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, Multiple Disabilities or Emotional Disabilities) to be served at Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School

Nov. 5: Begin with Students with Disabilities in grades K-2 who are enrolled in the Citywide Special Education program who opt into in-person learning.
Nov. 17: Expand to include Students with Disabilities in grades 3-5 who are enrolled in the Citywide Special Education program who opt into in-person learning
Nov. 30: Expand to include Early Childhood Special Education students who opt into in-person learning (to be housed at the Early Childhood Center).
Nov. 30: Expand to include Students with Disabilities in grades K-5 who receive self-contained Language Arts and Math instruction who opt into in-person learning.
Dec. 2020: Expand to include Students with Disabilities in grades 6-8 who are enrolled in the Citywide Special Education program who opt into in-person learning.
Jan. 2021: Expand to include all remaining students in grades PreK-5 who opt into in-person learning.
Feb. 2021: Expand to include all remaining students in grades 6-8 who opt into in-person learning.
Draft plans for secondary students are under development.

This seems pretty different than the previous proposal--there's no mention of ELL or Teaching and Learning Centers, and I *think* the January/February means all students (not just special needs/ELL)? This also talks about grades 6-8, which weren't really mentioned in the previous proposal.


Anyone else have any insights? Am I understanding this correctly?

Sorry--I deleted my first sentence--this is from the ACPS Express email that went out today.

[Anonymous]

Surprising Results in Initial Virus Testing in N.Y.C. Schools

The absence of outbreaks, if it holds, suggests that the city’s efforts to return children to classrooms could serve as an influential model for the nation.

Students line up to have their temperatures checked before entering P.S. 179 in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn on Sept. 29.
Students line up to have their temperatures checked before entering P.S. 179 in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn on Sept. 29.Credit...Mark Lennihan/Associated Press
By Dana Rubinstein and J. David Goodman
Oct. 19, 2020
Updated 10:13 a.m. ET

227
For months, as New York City struggled to start part-time, in-person classes, fear grew that its 1,800 public schools would become vectors of coronavirus infection, a citywide archipelago of super-spreader sites.

But nearly three weeks into the in-person school year, early data from the city’s first effort at targeted testing has shown the opposite: a surprisingly small number of positive cases.

Out of 15,111 staff members and students tested randomly by the school system in the first week of its testing regimen, the city has gotten back results for 10,676. There were only 18 positives: 13 staff members and five students.

And when officials put mobile testing units at schools near Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods that have had new outbreaks, only four positive cases turned up — out of more than 3,300 tests conducted since the last week of September.
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Continue reading the main story

New York City is facing fears of a second wave of the virus brought on by localized spikes in Brooklyn and Queens, which have required new shutdown restrictions that included the closure of more than 120 public schools as a precaution, even though few people in them have tested positive.

But for now, at least, the sprawling system of public schools, the nation’s largest, is an unexpected bright spot as the city tries to recover from a pandemic that has killed more than 20,000 people and severely weakened its economy.

If students can continue to return to class, and parents have more confidence that they can go back to work, that could provide a boost to New York City’s halting recovery.

The absence of early outbreaks, if it holds, suggests that the city’s efforts for its 1.1 million public school students could serve as an influential model for school districts across the nation.

.....

If NYC can do it, why not ACPS?

[Anonymous]

Because New York has a stronger governor who is doing a good job and has instilled confidence in his leadership that he can keep his citizens safe, and that type of leadership rolls down. Down here in Alexandria we have a lackluster, behind-the-game governor with an incompetent mayor, city council and school board. We don't have a chance in he!! of keeping the kids safe let alone their teachers.

[Anonymous]

My worry is that places that have reopened, like Israel and Sweden, are now seeing exponential jumps in cases through community spread. I would not like to see that in Alexandria because we opened prematurely. Our children's lives are too important and there is too little that we know about the long-term implications of catching the disease or even using the vaccine when it becomes available. DL seems like the better solution for almost everyone except truly vulnerable groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My worry is that places that have reopened, like Israel and Sweden, are now seeing exponential jumps in cases through community spread. I would not like to see that in Alexandria because we opened prematurely. Our children's lives are too important and there is too little that we know about the long-term implications of catching the disease or even using the vaccine when it becomes available. DL seems like the better solution for almost everyone except truly vulnerable groups.

Here is a related link that was posted on another thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My worry is that places that have reopened, like Israel and Sweden, are now seeing exponential jumps in cases through community spread. I would not like to see that in Alexandria because we opened prematurely. Our children's lives are too important and there is too little that we know about the long-term implications of catching the disease or even using the vaccine when it becomes available. DL seems like the better solution for almost everyone except truly vulnerable groups.

Here is a related link that was posted on another thread.

Yikes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My worry is that places that have reopened, like Israel and Sweden, are now seeing exponential jumps in cases through community spread. I would not like to see that in Alexandria because we opened prematurely. Our children's lives are too important and there is too little that we know about the long-term implications of catching the disease or even using the vaccine when it becomes available. DL seems like the better solution for almost everyone except truly vulnerable groups.

Here is a related link that was posted on another thread.

I don’t understand this chart as it appears to shows schools fully reopening in mid-May. Where did that happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My worry is that places that have reopened, like Israel and Sweden, are now seeing exponential jumps in cases through community spread. I would not like to see that in Alexandria because we opened prematurely. Our children's lives are too important and there is too little that we know about the long-term implications of catching the disease or even using the vaccine when it becomes available. DL seems like the better solution for almost everyone except truly vulnerable groups.

Here is a related link that was posted on another thread.

I don’t understand this chart as it appears to shows schools fully reopening in mid-May. Where did that happen?

This was in Israel. Israel's problem was two-fold: they opened up schools, and in particular high schools, with very little precautions in place. And they also just pretty much re-opened everything including having crowded weddings at the same time. In fact, experts there have said most of the blame was on large wedding and funeral gatherings. There was a very large outbreak at a high school which had serious repercussions. None of the plans in the DMV even suggest bringing the older students back in any real way anytime soon.

[Anonymous]

School Board meeting on zoom now. Not sounding good for reopening. The "school capacity" excuse is in full flower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:School Board meeting on zoom now. Not sounding good for reopening. The "school capacity" excuse is in full flower.

This is unbelievable (yet not). There is definitely capacity to at least bring back k-2 (maybe even elementary grades if they use middle school facilities). Instead, they’re claiming there isn’t capacity to bring everyone back so now almost no students will return. What a huge disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Hutchings “ as I said earlier today on CNN ...”

What a guy. He and Alexandria is not a relationship that will end well.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry, you are out of your mind. Cuomo sent all the patients to nursing homes to start and NY as a state has had the highest mortality rate because of these facts.

Anonymous wrote:Because New York has a stronger governor who is doing a good job and has instilled confidence in his leadership that he can keep his citizens safe, and that type of leadership rolls down. Down here in Alexandria we have a lackluster, behind-the-game governor with an incompetent mayor, city council and school board. We don't have a chance in he!! of keeping the kids safe let alone their teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School Board meeting on zoom now. Not sounding good for reopening. The "school capacity" excuse is in full flower.

This is unbelievable (yet not). There is definitely capacity to at least bring back k-2 (maybe even elementary grades if they use middle school facilities). Instead, they’re claiming there isn’t capacity to bring everyone back so now almost no students will return. What a huge disappointed.

Hutchings is now talking about hybrid meaning one day a week. What’s the point of that?