APS Level 2 Return to school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree- I think Duran has handled this so well. I have friends that work for FCPS and Loudoun, and the back and forth has been horrible for instruction.

BWHAHAHAHAHA. What planet are you on?

I see AEM made their way in here.

I’m not on AEM, but I’m an Arlington taxpayer, parent, and educator. And I don’t agree with you- the other local superintendents most certainly have not handled it better, because they got bullied into making promises they never were going to be able to keep, and jerked families and teachers around with all of their pullback. How would you have handled it?

It’s kind of hard to treat bwhahaha with any dignity at all. I shouldn’t be.

Well I don't agree with you. Nor does science. But you do you and keep believing you're correct. I couldn't care less what you think about me. I'm good with my opinions and decisions. You're welcome to yours, but I'm good with mine.

I asked you a simple question: how would YOU have handled it? WHY do you feel the other local superintendents handled it better? You put yourself out there, bwhahha.. what would you have done? I guarantee you if you had tried to send my babies in a few months ago, you would not have been successful.

It’s NOT MY JOB. What I would do is completely irrelevant. You’re free to keep your babies (really are they toddlers??) virtual as long as you’d like. No one is forcing them back in.

My kids are hybrid, and my family has a right to a hybrid education that has been carefully planned- and, I’m sorry- considers health metrics. It’s not your job, but you’re pretty critical. My kids aren’t toddlers, but you present as one. People don’t agree with you. Quit your bitching.

Anyone calling their school aged kids my babies has issues. Call me whatever names you want and yes I'm critical as hell. This guy has failed our kids. I'm complaining for the kids still stuck in this system. My kids have escaped to private but I'm fighting for the ones who can't. And I'm not going to stop until they go back. Again, call me names all day. I'll take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw this announcement today and my heart dropped. We will *talk* about a date for only early elem in a few more weeks. What does that mean for kids in HS? Do they ever get to go back? I'm so frustrated. Once all teachers are vaccinated, they need to open all hybrid back at once. This is ridiculous.

There has been so much fear-mongering from the beginning about the dire consequences if school opened, and here we are in Feb., with schools open all around the country, and our kids are sitting at home. Meanwhile, the worse case scenarios have not happened anywhere.

This is why I think Duran is failing the entire APS community. It's pathetic we have to wait until 2/18 to even *Potentially* hear about the early learners returning, which will have a 2-3 week transition period, meaning they will not return until sometime in March. My best guess is Middle and High school are back mid-late April.

What enrages me is the coldness of his email. His tone is so direct and insensitive to families that are struggling, chose hybrid, and have lost their patience, students whose mental health is declining, and of course, loss of learning. None of this is addressed in his email. And he fails to acknowledge the recommendations from the specialists that have been saying for months it's safe to open. He's lazy, just following FCPS and siding with the teachers unions. We have the biggest *follower* as a leader to our school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree- I think Duran has handled this so well. I have friends that work for FCPS and Loudoun, and the back and forth has been horrible for instruction.

BWHAHAHAHAHA. What planet are you on?

I see AEM made their way in here.

I’m not on AEM, but I’m an Arlington taxpayer, parent, and educator. And I don’t agree with you- the other local superintendents most certainly have not handled it better, because they got bullied into making promises they never were going to be able to keep, and jerked families and teachers around with all of their pullback. How would you have handled it?

It’s kind of hard to treat bwhahaha with any dignity at all. I shouldn’t be.

Well I don't agree with you. Nor does science. But you do you and keep believing you're correct. I couldn't care less what you think about me. I'm good with my opinions and decisions. You're welcome to yours, but I'm good with mine.

I asked you a simple question: how would YOU have handled it? WHY do you feel the other local superintendents handled it better? You put yourself out there, bwhahha.. what would you have done? I guarantee you if you had tried to send my babies in a few months ago, you would not have been successful.

It’s NOT MY JOB. What I would do is completely irrelevant. You’re free to keep your babies (really are they toddlers??) virtual as long as you’d like. No one is forcing them back in.

My kids are hybrid, and my family has a right to a hybrid education that has been carefully planned- and, I’m sorry- considers health metrics. It’s not your job, but you’re pretty critical. My kids aren’t toddlers, but you present as one. People don’t agree with you. Quit your bitching.

Anyone calling their school aged kids my babies has issues. Call me whatever names you want and yes I'm critical as hell. This guy has failed our kids. I'm complaining for the kids still stuck in this system. My kids have escaped to private but I'm fighting for the ones who can't. And I'm not going to stop until they go back. Again, call me names all day. I'll take it.

I’ll just call you bwhahaha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the people who defend Duran fail to acknowledge that we are in the 38 percent in the country in which offer only DL. 62 percent of the country has offered at least some in person learning. Private schools have been in person since September. You don’t need to look too far away for the proof schools are safe even if you don’t want to read the medical literature. Duran has not even offered in person education to special needs kindergarten students!! He has been a pathetic leader just waiting on other school districts. There is absolute no health reason or data to suggest schools should be closed until every single teacher is vaccinated! Northam and Hogan both stated the same. As a healthcare worker, l have been in the office since March. I never once asked for a vaccine as a condition to do my job. Fairfax County knows that and is putting kids first. The APS teachers have had a free paycheck all year at our children’s expense. Its high time we call a spade a spade here. Duran should have brought K through 3 back in December and middle and high school this month.

Agreed. I also think the longer this DL goes on, the harder it's going to be to get everyone back to school (especially reluctant teachers). Everyone that feels this way should be writing to Duran and the SB weekly with their frustrations. I've written to Duran but never receive a response, a couple of other members at least acknowledged my frustrations. Duran is a coward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw this announcement today and my heart dropped. We will *talk* about a date for only early elem in a few more weeks. What does that mean for kids in HS? Do they ever get to go back? I'm so frustrated. Once all teachers are vaccinated, they need to open all hybrid back at once. This is ridiculous.

There has been so much fear-mongering from the beginning about the dire consequences if school opened, and here we are in Feb., with schools open all around the country, and our kids are sitting at home. Meanwhile, the worse case scenarios have not happened anywhere.

This is why I think Duran is failing the entire APS community. It's pathetic we have to wait until 2/18 to even *Potentially* hear about the early learners returning, which will have a 2-3 week transition period, meaning they will not return until sometime in March. My best guess is Middle and High school are back mid-late April.

What enrages me is the coldness of his email. His tone is so direct and insensitive to families that are struggling, chose hybrid, and have lost their patience, students whose mental health is declining, and of course, loss of learning. None of this is addressed in his email. And he fails to acknowledge the recommendations from the specialists that have been saying for months it's safe to open. He's lazy, just following FCPS and siding with the teachers unions. We have the biggest *follower* as a leader to our school system.

So strange. I have never found his tone to be anything but thoughtful and compassionate. And his email recognizes that he CAN send K-2 back even with rates sky night like they are now. He wants to wait til more data on mitigation from CTE opening this week is in. Seems thoughtful and reasonable. I think people are sometimes blinded by their anger.

[Anonymous]

That’s “sky high” not “sky night”

[Anonymous]

And (thankfully) he’s not just following Fairfax. They voted to open yesterday even though their teachers will not be fully vaccinated. APS and FCC are treating their teachers better than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And (thankfully) he’s not just following Fairfax. They voted to open yesterday even though their teachers will not be fully vaccinated. APS and FCC are treating their teachers better than that.

And FAILING their students..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw this announcement today and my heart dropped. We will *talk* about a date for only early elem in a few more weeks. What does that mean for kids in HS? Do they ever get to go back? I'm so frustrated. Once all teachers are vaccinated, they need to open all hybrid back at once. This is ridiculous.

There has been so much fear-mongering from the beginning about the dire consequences if school opened, and here we are in Feb., with schools open all around the country, and our kids are sitting at home. Meanwhile, the worse case scenarios have not happened anywhere.

This is why I think Duran is failing the entire APS community. It's pathetic we have to wait until 2/18 to even *Potentially* hear about the early learners returning, which will have a 2-3 week transition period, meaning they will not return until sometime in March. My best guess is Middle and High school are back mid-late April.

What enrages me is the coldness of his email. His tone is so direct and insensitive to families that are struggling, chose hybrid, and have lost their patience, students whose mental health is declining, and of course, loss of learning. None of this is addressed in his email. And he fails to acknowledge the recommendations from the specialists that have been saying for months it's safe to open. He's lazy, just following FCPS and siding with the teachers unions. We have the biggest *follower* as a leader to our school system.

So strange. I have never found his tone to be anything but thoughtful and compassionate. And his email recognizes that he CAN send K-2 back even with rates sky night like they are now. He wants to wait til more data on mitigation from CTE opening this week is in. Seems thoughtful and reasonable. I think people are sometimes blinded by their anger.

Wrong - cases are on the decline, and he's not announcing dates to send back K-2 until 2/18 with another 2-week transition. Who knows when the rest of the groups will actually step foot in a classroom. Fact is he is NOT following the professionals saying over and over that it's safe to open schools now with masks and social distancing. He's failing our whole student community and has been for almost a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the people who defend Duran fail to acknowledge that we are in the 38 percent in the country in which offer only DL. 62 percent of the country has offered at least some in person learning. Private schools have been in person since September. You don’t need to look too far away for the proof schools are safe even if you don’t want to read the medical literature. Duran has not even offered in person education to special needs kindergarten students!! He has been a pathetic leader just waiting on other school districts. There is absolute no health reason or data to suggest schools should be closed until every single teacher is vaccinated! Northam and Hogan both stated the same. As a healthcare worker, l have been in the office since March. I never once asked for a vaccine as a condition to do my job. Fairfax County knows that and is putting kids first. The APS teachers have had a free paycheck all year at our children’s expense. Its high time we call a spade a spade here. Duran should have brought K through 3 back in December and middle and high school this month.

Citation? Is it 38% of school districts? Or 38% of students?

Not sure how worthwhile it is comparing APS to gobs of tiny school districts with fewer constraints....

And if you want to compare to NYC they aren’t widely open and have testing in place. So....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious about the situations of the people on here who are adamant that teachers and kids of middle and high schoolers should immediately or near-immediately return to school? Are the people who are having a really rough time with this here:

* work from home parents who have high powered jobs and are having trouble either balancing everything or hiring additional people to come in and managing that exposure (or maybe pay their nannies more);
* same, except essential workers who have to report to work;
* parents who have lost their jobs and need everything to get back to normal so they can find work;
* stay at home parents who are good people but are just out of their depth assisting with virtual school;
* parents who are working relatively low wage jobs and cannot afford to go on like this much longer;
* parents who have seen their kids academic performance severely deteriorate and just really need help from teachers to get things back on track.
* parents of three or more kids who could manage this for a while but all the demands, all the meals at home, all the homework help, all the tech help, multiplied by however many kids there is just too much at this point.

Wow I fit multiple of your criteria:
— work from home but demanding job and having trouble balancing. Already took a step back at work and getting very close to quitting. Can’t afford to lose my salary though and still live here.
— one of my kids who used to be advanced in reading is now below grade level. Not sure how to help. His teacher is too overwhelmed to offer any concrete paths forward.
— having trouble managing my three kids distance learning (and my preschooler who at least is out of the house). Lunch, homework help, etc is just difficult to manage during the work day without blowing off work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious about the situations of the people on here who are adamant that teachers and kids of middle and high schoolers should immediately or near-immediately return to school? Are the people who are having a really rough time with this here:

* work from home parents who have high powered jobs and are having trouble either balancing everything or hiring additional people to come in and managing that exposure (or maybe pay their nannies more);
* same, except essential workers who have to report to work;
* parents who have lost their jobs and need everything to get back to normal so they can find work;
* stay at home parents who are good people but are just out of their depth assisting with virtual school;
* parents who are working relatively low wage jobs and cannot afford to go on like this much longer;
* parents who have seen their kids academic performance severely deteriorate and just really need help from teachers to get things back on track.
* parents of three or more kids who could manage this for a while but all the demands, all the meals at home, all the homework help, all the tech help, multiplied by however many kids there is just too much at this point.

Wow I fit multiple of your criteria:
— work from home but demanding job and having trouble balancing. Already took a step back at work and getting very close to quitting. Can’t afford to lose my salary though and still live here.
— one of my kids who used to be advanced in reading is now below grade level. Not sure how to help. His teacher is too overwhelmed to offer any concrete paths forward.
— having trouble managing my three kids distance learning (and my preschooler who at least is out of the house). Lunch, homework help, etc is just difficult to manage during the work day without blowing off work.

I fit none of your criteria. We can afford to pay for help and we have done so, and we have local family support too. I think kids need to go back to school immediately because I watch what is happening in my kids' virtual school and it is not school and not acceptable. It is isolating, weird, has a dumbed down curriculum, my children never participate (my K student occasionally cries at having to turn video on), and there is zero of the socialization and structure that elementary school also teaches in addition to the three R's. Then balance this reality against the fact that everyone, everywhere is saying it is safe to go back with mitigation, which we have.

That's it. That's the whole answer. This is bad for kids and it is time we stopped doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious about the situations of the people on here who are adamant that teachers and kids of middle and high schoolers should immediately or near-immediately return to school? Are the people who are having a really rough time with this here:

* work from home parents who have high powered jobs and are having trouble either balancing everything or hiring additional people to come in and managing that exposure (or maybe pay their nannies more);
* same, except essential workers who have to report to work;
* parents who have lost their jobs and need everything to get back to normal so they can find work;
* stay at home parents who are good people but are just out of their depth assisting with virtual school;
* parents who are working relatively low wage jobs and cannot afford to go on like this much longer;
* parents who have seen their kids academic performance severely deteriorate and just really need help from teachers to get things back on track.
* parents of three or more kids who could manage this for a while but all the demands, all the meals at home, all the homework help, all the tech help, multiplied by however many kids there is just too much at this point.

Wow I fit multiple of your criteria:
— work from home but demanding job and having trouble balancing. Already took a step back at work and getting very close to quitting. Can’t afford to lose my salary though and still live here.
— one of my kids who used to be advanced in reading is now below grade level. Not sure how to help. His teacher is too overwhelmed to offer any concrete paths forward.
— having trouble managing my three kids distance learning (and my preschooler who at least is out of the house). Lunch, homework help, etc is just difficult to manage during the work day without blowing off work.

I have a similar situation to the above. I'm about to hire someone to help with distance learning, which will not only be an added financial burden, but an added risk now that I have to allow someone outside our family to be in my house on a daily basis. When the kids *SHOULD* be in school with masks and social distancing, School would be such a safer option. Sadly that's not even possible.

[Anonymous]

To address the * list:

* Parent of kid who is not getting enough mental, emotional, or physical stimulation for long-term health
* Parent of kid who highly values in-person school
* Parent who highly values in-person school
* Parent of kid getting headaches from looking at a screen all day
* Parent of a kid who is frustrated that they turn in assignments online and teachers can't find them
* Parent of kid who has seen that there are schools here in Arlington and across the country making this work
* Parent of kid who thinks Arlington's extreme risk-averse position is damaging kids
* Parent who believes in science and works in health and thinks APS needs to get its act together

[Anonymous]

PP above and adding on a different topic: I have friends all around the country with kids attending in-person school. A lot of them live in communities with way higher transmission of COVID than we have here in Arlington. If you look at the metrics, we are doing better than huge parts of the nation.

The reality is, Trump politized re-opening schools. APS was going to do it until Trump said we should, then we pulled back. I get it. It happened all over the nation. It made me second guess what the right thing to do is.

Trump is and was a total a-hole. And he didn't give any good guidance on how to open schools safely. But the reality is, we know more now, we know it can be done safely. It's not zero risk, but if you think my kids spending their high school years alone in their bedrooms is zero-risk, then let's have a talk about that.

We need to open for those who are ready. Enough