The prospect of kids not going back to school until 2021

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Neither option works. I prefer the option where the kids go to school 5 days a week for the normal-length school day.

+1. I’m voting for this option as well.

What precautions or modifications to the normal school experience (including transportation/bus needs) do you suggest in order to make this feasible and safe while coronavirus is still spreading through the community?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Neither option works. I prefer the option where the kids go to school 5 days a week for the normal-length school day.

+1. I’m voting for this option as well.

What precautions or modifications to the normal school experience (including transportation/bus needs) do you suggest in order to make this feasible and safe while coronavirus is still spreading through the community?

None. The goal was never to STOP Covid completely. It was to slow the spread and flatten the curve and not overwhelm hospitals. All of that has been accomplished. Will people still get it? Yup. Just like people still get the flu and other viruses. There is no reason to close schools for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Neither option works. I prefer the option where the kids go to school 5 days a week for the normal-length school day.

+1. I’m voting for this option as well.

What precautions or modifications to the normal school experience (including transportation/bus needs) do you suggest in order to make this feasible and safe while coronavirus is still spreading through the community?

None. The goal was never to STOP Covid completely. It was to slow the spread and flatten the curve and not overwhelm hospitals. All of that has been accomplished. Will people still get it? Yup. Just like people still get the flu and other viruses. There is no reason to close schools for it.

That is not true. The goal of the shutdown was to slow the spread and flatten the curve so as not to overwhelm hospitals and to give us time to learn more about the virus.

There is no basic mandate that schools operate without consideration of public health issues. When will you get it? It is not going to be business as usual when schools reopen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Neither option works. I prefer the option where the kids go to school 5 days a week for the normal-length school day.

+1. I’m voting for this option as well.

What precautions or modifications to the normal school experience (including transportation/bus needs) do you suggest in order to make this feasible and safe while coronavirus is still spreading through the community?

None. The goal was never to STOP Covid completely. It was to slow the spread and flatten the curve and not overwhelm hospitals. All of that has been accomplished. Will people still get it? Yup. Just like people still get the flu and other viruses. There is no reason to close schools for it.

That is not true. The goal of the shutdown was to slow the spread and flatten the curve so as not to overwhelm hospitals and to give us time to learn more about the virus.

There is no basic mandate that schools operate without consideration of public health issues. When will you get it? It is not going to be business as usual when schools reopen.

And what have we learned? That it sucks? Yes. That most people recover just fine? Yes. That it's probably going to be around for the long term so we have to keep living and stop keeping things closed? Yup. What exactly do you think is going to be accomplished/change if we keep schools closed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Neither option works. I prefer the option where the kids go to school 5 days a week for the normal-length school day.

+1. I’m voting for this option as well.

What precautions or modifications to the normal school experience (including transportation/bus needs) do you suggest in order to make this feasible and safe while coronavirus is still spreading through the community?

None. The goal was never to STOP Covid completely. It was to slow the spread and flatten the curve and not overwhelm hospitals. All of that has been accomplished. Will people still get it? Yup. Just like people still get the flu and other viruses. There is no reason to close schools for it.

That is not true. The goal of the shutdown was to slow the spread and flatten the curve so as not to overwhelm hospitals and to give us time to learn more about the virus.

There is no basic mandate that schools operate without consideration of public health issues. When will you get it? It is not going to be business as usual when schools reopen.

DP, but are there any modifications you would accept? From your tone, I get the sense that you don't think any assumption of risk is worth re-opening schools. I mean, plenty of people on this thread have offered suggestions. Why don't you look at those and identify the ones you think are most feasible for getting kids back to as much in-person learning as possible.

I don't think it will be business as usual AND I think kids need to go back in-person. There's room for both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Neither option works. I prefer the option where the kids go to school 5 days a week for the normal-length school day.

+1. I’m voting for this option as well.

What precautions or modifications to the normal school experience (including transportation/bus needs) do you suggest in order to make this feasible and safe while coronavirus is still spreading through the community?

None. The goal was never to STOP Covid completely. It was to slow the spread and flatten the curve and not overwhelm hospitals. All of that has been accomplished. Will people still get it? Yup. Just like people still get the flu and other viruses. There is no reason to close schools for it.

That is not true. The goal of the shutdown was to slow the spread and flatten the curve so as not to overwhelm hospitals and to give us time to learn more about the virus.

There is no basic mandate that schools operate without consideration of public health issues. When will you get it? It is not going to be business as usual when schools reopen.

DP, but are there any modifications you would accept? From your tone, I get the sense that you don't think any assumption of risk is worth re-opening schools. I mean, plenty of people on this thread have offered suggestions. Why don't you look at those and identify the ones you think are most feasible for getting kids back to as much in-person learning as possible.

I don't think it will be business as usual AND I think kids need to go back in-person. There's room for both.

I don't know if you are responding directly to me, but I have offered many suggestions for returning safely on this thread. It is the PP I was responding to who said that she would not accept any precautions or modifications to allow school to open. NONE. That was her answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Neither option works. I prefer the option where the kids go to school 5 days a week for the normal-length school day.

+1. I’m voting for this option as well.

What precautions or modifications to the normal school experience (including transportation/bus needs) do you suggest in order to make this feasible and safe while coronavirus is still spreading through the community?

None. The goal was never to STOP Covid completely. It was to slow the spread and flatten the curve and not overwhelm hospitals. All of that has been accomplished. Will people still get it? Yup. Just like people still get the flu and other viruses. There is no reason to close schools for it.

That is not true. The goal of the shutdown was to slow the spread and flatten the curve so as not to overwhelm hospitals and to give us time to learn more about the virus.

There is no basic mandate that schools operate without consideration of public health issues. When will you get it? It is not going to be business as usual when schools reopen.

DP, but are there any modifications you would accept? From your tone, I get the sense that you don't think any assumption of risk is worth re-opening schools. I mean, plenty of people on this thread have offered suggestions. Why don't you look at those and identify the ones you think are most feasible for getting kids back to as much in-person learning as possible.

I don't think it will be business as usual AND I think kids need to go back in-person. There's room for both.

+1. It doesn't matter what is suggested-it's never going to be adequate for those who want schools to remain closed. 0% risk is not realistic or attainable for this or anything else. Yes it's obvious that seems to be the only risk they will accept.

[Anonymous]

If schools have to go back entirely as usual — all the kids there all day, no masks — then I assume all other shops and businesses will be operating the same way. But if only 5 people can go into a Starbucks at one time and they have to all be wearing masks, it is totally not appropriate to have The usual school day happening at the 2000 person high school next door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Neither option works. I prefer the option where the kids go to school 5 days a week for the normal-length school day.

+1. I’m voting for this option as well.

What precautions or modifications to the normal school experience (including transportation/bus needs) do you suggest in order to make this feasible and safe while coronavirus is still spreading through the community?

None. The goal was never to STOP Covid completely. It was to slow the spread and flatten the curve and not overwhelm hospitals. All of that has been accomplished. Will people still get it? Yup. Just like people still get the flu and other viruses. There is no reason to close schools for it.

That is not true. The goal of the shutdown was to slow the spread and flatten the curve so as not to overwhelm hospitals and to give us time to learn more about the virus.

There is no basic mandate that schools operate without consideration of public health issues. When will you get it? It is not going to be business as usual when schools reopen.

DP, but are there any modifications you would accept? From your tone, I get the sense that you don't think any assumption of risk is worth re-opening schools. I mean, plenty of people on this thread have offered suggestions. Why don't you look at those and identify the ones you think are most feasible for getting kids back to as much in-person learning as possible.

I don't think it will be business as usual AND I think kids need to go back in-person. There's room for both.

I don't know if you are responding directly to me, but I have offered many suggestions for returning safely on this thread. It is the PP I was responding to who said that she would not accept any precautions or modifications to allow school to open. NONE. That was her answer.

Well, that's not tenable, of course. But there are also people saying that there is no existing modification that could ever make it safe enough to return, absent a vaccine. I find that position equally untenable.

Personally, I'm fine with some modifications. I'm not fine with full-time distance learning, nor with mostly distance learning. It puts way, way too much pressure on parents (and really, working mothers); moreover, many kids can't learn that way and/or don't have access to the things needed to help them learn remotely. Kids' education is a public health issue, too.

[Anonymous]

When does it become a personal issue versus a county issue?

For example when you say "I don't feel safe going back because I have an autoimmune disease" when does that become the individual's issue rather than the entire community's? I believe the county should make adequate accommodations for those people but I also believe that if they still don't feel safe with them in place that becomes a personal issue. And Since it doesn't apply to the county as a whole it shouldn't be the basis for continuing DL.

[Anonymous]

I just got an email from AMC Theatres which says that 90% of their theatres are open on July 14th and expect 100% by the end of July. To all those of you curled up in a ball in your closet, the world is opening up around you whether you like it or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just got an email from AMC Theatres which says that 90% of their theatres are open on July 14th and expect 100% by the end of July. To all those of you curled up in a ball in your closet, the world is opening up around you whether you like it or not.

AMC needs to change their expectations. It's going to be 99.999% of them opening up by the end of July because .001% of their theatres are in Montgomery County MD and Elrich will die on the hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Well, that's not tenable, of course. But there are also people saying that there is no existing modification that could ever make it safe enough to return, absent a vaccine. I find that position equally untenable.

Personally, I'm fine with some modifications. I'm not fine with full-time distance learning, nor with mostly distance learning. It puts way, way too much pressure on parents (and really, working mothers); moreover, many kids can't learn that way and/or don't have access to the things needed to help them learn remotely. Kids' education is a public health issue, too.

NP here, who hasn't read through all 54 pages, but I'm curious what modifications seem to you to be the right balance. Based on what we know so far about how to minimize spread of coronavirus, it seems that mask-wearing and social distancing and reducing time spent indoors in close proximity to others are effective public-health strategies. I struggle with how to implement that in public school, but I agree that distance learning isn't a great answer either. I want kids to be able to return to school, but I also don't want to ignore what we've learned about the disease and pretend everything can be like it was before. I don't agree with those who say that we've learned that it isn't that serious a disease and/or that we now have sufficient medical capacity to handle returning to normal. I think we've learned that it is potentially more contagious and has potentially serious health effects for many in our community, and that when there is uncontrolled community spread, there are problems with hospital capacity. So we need to reopen schools while also controlling community spread, and I don't see how returning to school as normal allows that. I'd love to hear what modifications would allow it, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Well, that's not tenable, of course. But there are also people saying that there is no existing modification that could ever make it safe enough to return, absent a vaccine. I find that position equally untenable.

Personally, I'm fine with some modifications. I'm not fine with full-time distance learning, nor with mostly distance learning. It puts way, way too much pressure on parents (and really, working mothers); moreover, many kids can't learn that way and/or don't have access to the things needed to help them learn remotely. Kids' education is a public health issue, too.

NP here, who hasn't read through all 54 pages, but I'm curious what modifications seem to you to be the right balance. Based on what we know so far about how to minimize spread of coronavirus, it seems that mask-wearing and social distancing and reducing time spent indoors in close proximity to others are effective public-health strategies. I struggle with how to implement that in public school, but I agree that distance learning isn't a great answer either. I want kids to be able to return to school, but I also don't want to ignore what we've learned about the disease and pretend everything can be like it was before. I don't agree with those who say that we've learned that it isn't that serious a disease and/or that we now have sufficient medical capacity to handle returning to normal. I think we've learned that it is potentially more contagious and has potentially serious health effects for many in our community, and that when there is uncontrolled community spread, there are problems with hospital capacity. So we need to reopen schools while also controlling community spread, and I don't see how returning to school as normal allows that. I'd love to hear what modifications would allow it, though.

Another reasonable, realistic person. That makes about three in 54 pages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just got an email from AMC Theatres which says that 90% of their theatres are open on July 14th and expect 100% by the end of July. To all those of you curled up in a ball in your closet, the world is opening up around you whether you like it or not.

Also, did you see how they are reopening. They don't want to get into a "political debate," so they are not requiring masks.