Will DCPS really choose hybrid when all surrounding districts are virtual only?

[Anonymous]

Not to mention that 14 Marlins baseball team members and coaches have tested positive DESPITE the high levels of precautions that MLB has mandated and despite their workplace being out of doors. The health screening theater DCPS proposes will not be anything like as rigorous as the screenings they gave these highly paid athletes. And yet ... it’s almost as though this were a HIGHLY contagious virus with unknown after effects or something.

[Anonymous]

Would people feel differently if this were going to last 5 years? I certainly hope we get a vaccine, but there is every chance that it will take awhile, take longer still to distribute, be imperfect, last only for a year, etc. I get that there is a safety risk to teachers, but I just don’t think shutting down ES indefinitely can be the answer. The 2-9 age bracket is at almost no risk and seems to spread very little; they are also the bracket where the lack of childcare is going to end some moms’ careers forever and DL is basically a joke. Open schools for PK-2/5 (drawing the exact line based on science and educational research). I just don’t think we can ignore that this may go on for awhile and there are going to be decades’ long ripple effects to all the K-2ers who don’t learn to read or add and forget how to interact with peers. I’m entirely serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would people feel differently if this were going to last 5 years? I certainly hope we get a vaccine, but there is every chance that it will take awhile, take longer still to distribute, be imperfect, last only for a year, etc. I get that there is a safety risk to teachers, but I just don’t think shutting down ES indefinitely can be the answer. The 2-9 age bracket is at almost no risk and seems to spread very little; they are also the bracket where the lack of childcare is going to end some moms’ careers forever and DL is basically a joke. Open schools for PK-2/5 (drawing the exact line based on science and educational research). I just don’t think we can ignore that this may go on for awhile and there are going to be decades’ long ripple effects to all the K-2ers who don’t learn to read or add and forget how to interact with peers. I’m entirely serious.

Well infections in children in Florida have increased. The rate of hospitalization of children has gone up 23%. The schools haven’t even opened yet. I guess this is all fine and dandy until it’s your kid who is sick and hospitalized. Then people will start calling for schools to close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would people feel differently if this were going to last 5 years? I certainly hope we get a vaccine, but there is every chance that it will take awhile, take longer still to distribute, be imperfect, last only for a year, etc. I get that there is a safety risk to teachers, but I just don’t think shutting down ES indefinitely can be the answer. The 2-9 age bracket is at almost no risk and seems to spread very little; they are also the bracket where the lack of childcare is going to end some moms’ careers forever and DL is basically a joke. Open schools for PK-2/5 (drawing the exact line based on science and educational research). I just don’t think we can ignore that this may go on for awhile and there are going to be decades’ long ripple effects to all the K-2ers who don’t learn to read or add and forget how to interact with peers. I’m entirely serious.

Well infections in children in Florida have increased. The rate of hospitalization of children has gone up 23%. The schools haven’t even opened yet. I guess this is all fine and dandy until it’s your kid who is sick and hospitalized. Then people will start calling for schools to close.

I agree, it’s ok until it’s your child, your SO, parent, etc.

Would I be ok with this for another 5 years no. Will I be ok for another year no.

I take each day at a time and now I feel more than ever to hold our government responsible!! Literally a bunch of incompetent pigs.

[Anonymous]

There are so many people in the DMV region on vacation this summer in areas with cases and they will bring COVID back to DC in August and we will be virtual. Everyone claims they are not leaving their beach house and brought supplies, etc. is just not true. We don’t want to give up summer activities, we won’t have in person school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would people feel differently if this were going to last 5 years? I certainly hope we get a vaccine, but there is every chance that it will take awhile, take longer still to distribute, be imperfect, last only for a year, etc. I get that there is a safety risk to teachers, but I just don’t think shutting down ES indefinitely can be the answer. The 2-9 age bracket is at almost no risk and seems to spread very little; they are also the bracket where the lack of childcare is going to end some moms’ careers forever and DL is basically a joke. Open schools for PK-2/5 (drawing the exact line based on science and educational research). I just don’t think we can ignore that this may go on for awhile and there are going to be decades’ long ripple effects to all the K-2ers who don’t learn to read or add and forget how to interact with peers. I’m entirely serious.

Completely agree with you, PP. Pandemics end when society says so more often than when the disease in question is vanquished. There may never be an effective vaccine for Covid19. We can't sacrifice the education of a generation of little middle-class and poor kids, handing upward mobility to private school students and immigrants from countries where covid didn't derail student learning.

The learning needs to go forward this fall, vs. simply pretending that kids in the early elementary grades can stay on top of academics via virtual instruction, particularly with minimal supervision while parents work on-line.

I don't care if my kid has to sport full PPE to attend school, standing in a sports field wearing ski clothes, listening to a teacher shouting instructions on a megaphone while a math lesson is taught on a jumbotron to attend school again. Just figure it out, ed leaders. Innovate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would people feel differently if this were going to last 5 years? I certainly hope we get a vaccine, but there is every chance that it will take awhile, take longer still to distribute, be imperfect, last only for a year, etc. I get that there is a safety risk to teachers, but I just don’t think shutting down ES indefinitely can be the answer. The 2-9 age bracket is at almost no risk and seems to spread very little; they are also the bracket where the lack of childcare is going to end some moms’ careers forever and DL is basically a joke. Open schools for PK-2/5 (drawing the exact line based on science and educational research). I just don’t think we can ignore that this may go on for awhile and there are going to be decades’ long ripple effects to all the K-2ers who don’t learn to read or add and forget how to interact with peers. I’m entirely serious.

Completely agree with you, PP. Pandemics end when society says so more often than when the disease in question is vanquished. There may never be an effective vaccine for Covid19. We can't sacrifice the education of a generation of little middle-class and poor kids, handing upward mobility to private school students and immigrants from countries where covid didn't derail student learning.

The learning needs to go forward this fall, vs. simply pretending that kids in the early elementary grades can stay on top of academics via virtual instruction, particularly with minimal supervision while parents work on-line.

I don't care if my kid has to sport full PPE to attend school, standing in a sports field wearing ski clothes, listening to a teacher shouting instructions on a megaphone while a math lesson is taught on a jumbotron to attend school again. Just figure it out, ed leaders. Innovate.

Mmm doesn’t work that way. The hiv/aids pandemic is actually ongoing but it is contained to a acceptable degree. COVID-19 however is not. No one is asking for a cure but as it stands now there’s not enough information.

Just a few months ago people were like ‘kids can’t get it,’ now we know that to be absolutely false. I do believe that for this whole year we will have DL and by the 2021-22 school year we will have some level of normalcy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, we WANT to go back in person, however, the protocols determined will lead to outbreaks and eventual death of both teachers and students of all ages. Too bad we can't invest in things like the NBA and MLB are doing with constant screening, testing, and contact tracing...but that would require more investment (and thus more taxes). Would all of you in favor of in person learning be in favor of this? I certainly would be.

Would I prefer to pay more taxes or 10,000-20,000 for crappy piecemeal childcare this next year, childcare in which the provider and my child might get sick because NO protocols are in place. what pods are going to be wearing masks inside? Also my child isn't learning or getting very much social interaction. Easy call. Schools could raise money like gangbusters right now if they would open hybrid. Parents would literally throw money at them.

But would I rather my child go to school with protocols in place even if they aren't as great as they could/should be? Yes. Because the alternative is childcare workers who don't have healthcare and are working with no protocols inside people's houses or their own houses getting sick. We are just pushing the risk down the economic chain. And kids are still gong to get sick but without school to catch it early through temp checks etc, they will infect more. What happened in the spring - everybody staying home - is not going to happen this year. Children will be in makeshift childcare settings WAY more dangerous than DCPS's plan for school.

I actually think come cold/flu season this city is going to shut back down again.

Australia is reporting very little flu activity - the COVID-19 mitigating measures - masks, social distancing - are wiping out the flu.

[Anonymous]

I don't think DCPS will go ahead with hybrid. All indicators and common sense point to 100% DL. I hope that they give some sort of hope/declaration that if the numbers are good in October, students will slowly start coming back. If the trends are positive, maybe over the next 4-6 weeks we will have all kids back full-time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so many people in the DMV region on vacation this summer in areas with cases and they will bring COVID back to DC in August and we will be virtual. Everyone claims they are not leaving their beach house and brought supplies, etc. is just not true. We don’t want to give up summer activities, we won’t have in person school.

+1. I know of 5 families (acquaintances) who have gotten on airplanes to visit hotspots (Texas, Georgia, Washington State, etc) who live in DC. When they come home they’re not likely to strictly quarantine and will be at the grocery stores replenishing their pantry’s. Just hope you’re not breathing their trails. I figured we’d have a dip in our numbers in DC in the summer (see late May/June) but we’re picking back up and folks will continue to travel irresponsibly as long as airplanes will board them. Waiting for September to be a real shitshow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, we WANT to go back in person, however, the protocols determined will lead to outbreaks and eventual death of both teachers and students of all ages. Too bad we can't invest in things like the NBA and MLB are doing with constant screening, testing, and contact tracing...but that would require more investment (and thus more taxes). Would all of you in favor of in person learning be in favor of this? I certainly would be.

Would I prefer to pay more taxes or 10,000-20,000 for crappy piecemeal childcare this next year, childcare in which the provider and my child might get sick because NO protocols are in place. what pods are going to be wearing masks inside? Also my child isn't learning or getting very much social interaction. Easy call. Schools could raise money like gangbusters right now if they would open hybrid. Parents would literally throw money at them.

But would I rather my child go to school with protocols in place even if they aren't as great as they could/should be? Yes. Because the alternative is childcare workers who don't have healthcare and are working with no protocols inside people's houses or their own houses getting sick. We are just pushing the risk down the economic chain. And kids are still gong to get sick but without school to catch it early through temp checks etc, they will infect more. What happened in the spring - everybody staying home - is not going to happen this year. Children will be in makeshift childcare settings WAY more dangerous than DCPS's plan for school.

I actually think come cold/flu season this city is going to shut back down again.

Australia is reporting very little flu activity - the COVID-19 mitigating measures - masks, social distancing - are wiping out the flu.

Well they just reported an increase in Covid. Sooo...

But yes if this country would wear masks and wash’s they hands all the time we probably could have relatively good flu season. I’ll believe it when I see it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would people feel differently if this were going to last 5 years? I certainly hope we get a vaccine, but there is every chance that it will take awhile, take longer still to distribute, be imperfect, last only for a year, etc. I get that there is a safety risk to teachers, but I just don’t think shutting down ES indefinitely can be the answer. The 2-9 age bracket is at almost no risk and seems to spread very little; they are also the bracket where the lack of childcare is going to end some moms’ careers forever and DL is basically a joke. Open schools for PK-2/5 (drawing the exact line based on science and educational research). I just don’t think we can ignore that this may go on for awhile and there are going to be decades’ long ripple effects to all the K-2ers who don’t learn to read or add and forget how to interact with peers. I’m entirely serious.

If we knew it was going to last 5 years, we would have approached things differently than believing that it is under control and going to go away with the heat and can be cured by drinking bleach. The solution is not to further ignore the problem and watch it get worse. We need more funding for schools, more teachers and more space. We need better social services so that people can afford to put food on the table without having to risk their lives and contribute to the spread while the economy reorganizes/adapts to the new normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would people feel differently if this were going to last 5 years? I certainly hope we get a vaccine, but there is every chance that it will take awhile, take longer still to distribute, be imperfect, last only for a year, etc. I get that there is a safety risk to teachers, but I just don’t think shutting down ES indefinitely can be the answer. The 2-9 age bracket is at almost no risk and seems to spread very little; they are also the bracket where the lack of childcare is going to end some moms’ careers forever and DL is basically a joke. Open schools for PK-2/5 (drawing the exact line based on science and educational research). I just don’t think we can ignore that this may go on for awhile and there are going to be decades’ long ripple effects to all the K-2ers who don’t learn to read or add and forget how to interact with peers. I’m entirely serious.

Completely agree with you, PP. Pandemics end when society says so more often than when the disease in question is vanquished. There may never be an effective vaccine for Covid19. We can't sacrifice the education of a generation of little middle-class and poor kids, handing upward mobility to private school students and immigrants from countries where covid didn't derail student learning.

The learning needs to go forward this fall, vs. simply pretending that kids in the early elementary grades can stay on top of academics via virtual instruction, particularly with minimal supervision while parents work on-line.

I don't care if my kid has to sport full PPE to attend school, standing in a sports field wearing ski clothes, listening to a teacher shouting instructions on a megaphone while a math lesson is taught on a jumbotron to attend school again. Just figure it out, ed leaders. Innovate.

Mmm doesn’t work that way. The hiv/aids pandemic is actually ongoing but it is contained to a acceptable degree. COVID-19 however is not. No one is asking for a cure but as it stands now there’s not enough information.

Just a few months ago people were like ‘kids can’t get it,’ now we know that to be absolutely false. I do believe that for this whole year we will have DL and by the 2021-22 school year we will have some level of normalcy.

Exactly. We don't solve this by just declaring it's over or telling educators to "innovate". It's easy for us to sit here and summarily say it should happen or make up some lazy joke about bullhorns and jumbotrons like it's somehow that easy. But that's just ignoring the facts. Our national political leadership failed us and now it's beyond a solution that's safe enough to execute. So we now pay the price and have to figure our solutions on a family by family basis. With us it means being stuck at home with our kids learning on computers. I don't like it, and I know there are others who have it worse, but at least I don't blame the teachers for it or expect them to just "figure it out."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would people feel differently if this were going to last 5 years? I certainly hope we get a vaccine, but there is every chance that it will take awhile, take longer still to distribute, be imperfect, last only for a year, etc. I get that there is a safety risk to teachers, but I just don’t think shutting down ES indefinitely can be the answer. The 2-9 age bracket is at almost no risk and seems to spread very little; they are also the bracket where the lack of childcare is going to end some moms’ careers forever and DL is basically a joke. Open schools for PK-2/5 (drawing the exact line based on science and educational research). I just don’t think we can ignore that this may go on for awhile and there are going to be decades’ long ripple effects to all the K-2ers who don’t learn to read or add and forget how to interact with peers. I’m entirely serious.

Completely agree with you, PP. Pandemics end when society says so more often than when the disease in question is vanquished. There may never be an effective vaccine for Covid19. We can't sacrifice the education of a generation of little middle-class and poor kids, handing upward mobility to private school students and immigrants from countries where covid didn't derail student learning.

The learning needs to go forward this fall, vs. simply pretending that kids in the early elementary grades can stay on top of academics via virtual instruction, particularly with minimal supervision while parents work on-line.

I don't care if my kid has to sport full PPE to attend school, standing in a sports field wearing ski clothes, listening to a teacher shouting instructions on a megaphone while a math lesson is taught on a jumbotron to attend school again. Just figure it out, ed leaders. Innovate.

Mmm doesn’t work that way. The hiv/aids pandemic is actually ongoing but it is contained to a acceptable degree. COVID-19 however is not. No one is asking for a cure but as it stands now there’s not enough information.

Just a few months ago people were like ‘kids can’t get it,’ now we know that to be absolutely false. I do believe that for this whole year we will have DL and by the 2021-22 school year we will have some level of normalcy.

Exactly. We don't solve this by just declaring it's over or telling educators to "innovate". It's easy for us to sit here and summarily say it should happen or make up some lazy joke about bullhorns and jumbotrons like it's somehow that easy. But that's just ignoring the facts. Our national political leadership failed us and now it's beyond a solution that's safe enough to execute. So we now pay the price and have to figure our solutions on a family by family basis. With us it means being stuck at home with our kids learning on computers. I don't like it, and I know there are others who have it worse, but at least I don't blame the teachers for it or expect them to just "figure it out."

This. I love how we leap from “maybe six months into a pandemic when there is a high level of community spread and we don’t know a lot about how children transmit this disease or its long-term effects and so perhaps we should be cautious until we gave a better understanding of these things” somehow becomes “OUR SCHOOLS WILL NEVER REOPEN AND GENERATIONS WILL BE ILLITERATE.” 🙄 There’s no vaccine in Germany either but their kids went back to school because their government acted according to what was scientifically advisable, had an actual lockdown (not the half-assed measures we took) and managed to stop the spread and bring down the R0. They didn’t just say YOLO!

[Anonymous]

At least I don't blame the teachers for it or expect them to just figure it out.

Go on, pat yourself on the back again with your holier-than-thou screed. Fact is our national politicians and ed leaders are letting parents and kids down. Nobody on this thread has criticized public school teachers doing their best to educate the children.

When I was a kid I attended a Ham radio-based "school of the air" for a few months while staying with relatives in a rural area of Australia. One of my parents is Australian. I learned much more during those months than my kids did with DL in their DCPS program in the spring? Why, because the school of the air was structured in a way that engaged me and pushed me academically. For example, I had to answer a teacher's question every few minutes during air time, roughly two hours each morning. I had to study hard and to complete assignments that were mailed in, graded and returned by mail. Same with tests.

The way DCPS ran its DL programming in the spring was a big part of the problem. I don't expect any different in the fall.