Chap Peterson's speech at the VA Senate about opening schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:agree that opening schools vs. DL forever is not a partisan issue. Just because the "fairfax democrats caucus" are cowed by the FEA doesn't mean his position isn't mainstream in Fairfax.

Fairfax Dems have been overtaken by an ultra progressive minority.

The only thing preventing them from blowing up if the fact that Fairfax GOP is a complete shit show.

I am 40 and have voted straight Dem in every election I have participated in. Honestly I did it without thinking twice about a lot of the votes.

After this shit show I will be much more inclined to support GOP candidates, especially in the school board and Board of Supervisors.

I always thought it was best to vote Democrat for National elections and GOP for local.

[Anonymous]

Get the kids back to school.

Elderly can keep social distancing until they get their vaccines (soonish).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That wasn’t me. This is me. I want schools to open too, but I don’t consider Grandpa collateral damage like the rest of you selfish jerks. If you don’t start worrying more about vaccination and less about schools opening RIGHT NOW this is what we have to look forward to:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/world/europe/uk-hospitals-covid-variant.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

There is zero connection between schools being open and increased community spread. The CDC has said so, the WHO has said so, Dr Fauci has said so.

Most of Europe opened up this summer. Mask compliance was 20% at best. They locked down hard in the spring and thought they had it beat in the summer. As the weather changed and people moved indoors the 2nd spike came.

Schools stayed open through out it all.

The elderly can isolate until they are vaccinated. Children cannot wait to learn, the school year ends in five months and it should be our goal to have as many of those months in person.

Zero connection? Not true, especially with the new strain. I do concede that children under 10 are less likely to spread it and I also believe schools CAN open if they adhere to strict safety and mitigation measures. I also believe you can do that without throwing grandpa under the bus, demonizing teachers’ unions, or threatening school boards and school budgets. People, however, clearly seem to enjoy doing all that stuff.

Grandpa needs to stay home until he's had that second vaccine dose. He shouldn't be taking the bus anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Can you imagine telling your March 2020 self that schools should stay closed until teachers had multiple doses of a covid vaccine? You would have laughed and laughed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That wasn’t me. This is me. I want schools to open too, but I don’t consider Grandpa collateral damage like the rest of you selfish jerks. If you don’t start worrying more about vaccination and less about schools opening RIGHT NOW this is what we have to look forward to:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/world/europe/uk-hospitals-covid-variant.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

There is zero connection between schools being open and increased community spread. The CDC has said so, the WHO has said so, Dr Fauci has said so.

Most of Europe opened up this summer. Mask compliance was 20% at best. They locked down hard in the spring and thought they had it beat in the summer. As the weather changed and people moved indoors the 2nd spike came.

Schools stayed open through out it all.

The elderly can isolate until they are vaccinated. Children cannot wait to learn, the school year ends in five months and it should be our goal to have as many of those months in person.

Zero connection? Not true, especially with the new strain. I do concede that children under 10 are less likely to spread it and I also believe schools CAN open if they adhere to strict safety and mitigation measures. I also believe you can do that without throwing grandpa under the bus, demonizing teachers’ unions, or threatening school boards and school budgets. People, however, clearly seem to enjoy doing all that stuff.

Show some evidence that schools drive community transmission, new strain or old.

Here are a few studies that show they don't.

From the Center for Education & data research - https://epicedpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/COVID-and-Schools-Dec2020.pdf

40,000 person peer reviewed study from Iceland - https://www.the74million.org/40000-person-iceland-study-finds-youth-under-15-half-as-likely-to-catch-and-spread-coronavirus/

NY Times quoting multiple CDC officials - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/health/coronavirus-schools-children.html

Study from Spain, where schools stayed open - https://biocomsc.upc.edu/en/shared/20201002_report_136.pdf

NPR story with quotes from the head of infectious dieses at Children's National Hospital - https://www.npr.org/2020/10/21/925794511/were-the-risks-of-reopening-schools-exaggeratedxxxxx

Grandpa can stay isolated until he is vaccinated. If you live with grandpa then your kid can stay DL for the rest of the year.

Despite all the evidence out there, school boards and teachers unions in Fairfax have continued to push to keep schools closed when the default should have been to fight to reopen. If they aren't able to understand what their job is (educating students) then having their funding pulled is the only way to bring them back on task.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine telling your March 2020 self that schools should stay closed until teachers had multiple doses of a covid vaccine? You would have laughed and laughed.

Or then once they get to cut the line for a vaccine that they still won't go back to teach in person?

[Anonymous]

SO happy to hear this speech. Thank you, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What distresses me most reading these posts is how evident it is that education failed so many of you. So many people here eager to identify a group of people they can point to and say “Those people. THEY are to blame. Punish them, excise them, and the problem will be solved.” I wish that is how most problems could be solved but most problems are tumors with roots that intersect vital and breathing tissue.

I see the beginnings of what must have happened back in Germany in the early 20th century. I don’t know how many people will have to suffer the wrath of the masses before it reaches a terrible conclusion.

You keep posting absolute nonsense.

Yeah, whoever is writing this is crazy.

Wanting schools to open is now similar to the start of the Nazi party?

Yeah, that’s pretty damn offensive and ignorant.

I don’t even know how you connected the dots that way... What I am saying is that we all get an endorphin rush from getting enraged and we all feel satisfied when we can pinpoint who exactly is to blame (e.g., “the unions!”) , but you can solve community problems more quickly and with a better outcome if you can avoid getting caught up in a mob eager to make threats and issue punishments. There is so much scapegoating on this board, it scares me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What distresses me most reading these posts is how evident it is that education failed so many of you. So many people here eager to identify a group of people they can point to and say “Those people. THEY are to blame. Punish them, excise them, and the problem will be solved.” I wish that is how most problems could be solved but most problems are tumors with roots that intersect vital and breathing tissue.

I see the beginnings of what must have happened back in Germany in the early 20th century. I don’t know how many people will have to suffer the wrath of the masses before it reaches a terrible conclusion.

You keep posting absolute nonsense.

Yeah, whoever is writing this is crazy.

Wanting schools to open is now similar to the start of the Nazi party?

Yeah, that’s pretty damn offensive and ignorant.

I don’t even know how you connected the dots that way... What I am saying is that we all get an endorphin rush from getting enraged and we all feel satisfied when we can pinpoint who exactly is to blame (e.g., “the unions!”) , but you can solve community problems more quickly and with a better outcome if you can avoid getting caught up in a mob eager to make threats and issue punishments. There is so much scapegoating on this board, it scares me.

The only way to solve this community problem is to get the school board to act. So far the board has been able to stand back and not make any hard decisions for almost a year, and yet have faced no consequences.

Senator Peterson's bill brings consequences to their actions (or in this case absence of action) by preventing full funding if they are not able to provide a education to the students they oversee.

There is no drum circle where we can stand around, hold hands and talk through our problems here. School board members who want to keep DL going will not even respond to calls or emails if you think schools should open.

The time for patience is long gone, it's time to act.

[Anonymous]

I went to Williams, have met Chap, am ambivalent about his political wizardry.... hadn’t heard about the Confederate support, that is lame and tone deaf.

He seems a bit affected imo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s time he get a primary challenged

Sure, go for it!

I would love to see a AOC like candidate walk into the progressive hotbeds of Fairfax Station, Mantua, and The City of Fairfax and tell them why they fought to keep schools closed as long as possible in the face of all available Public Health guidance.

I'm sure all the Federal Law Enforcement professionals who live in Oakton and Vienna will buy in on your defunding the police platform.

+1
We’ve already had those AOC-like candidates - and they were stupidly all elected to SB in the last election. Let’s hope those who voted for them learned their lesson and will vote for candidates with common sense next time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get the kids back to school.

Elderly can keep social distancing until they get their vaccines (soonish).

+1
My 82 yr. old mom completely agrees.

[Anonymous]

For those who think the budget amendment is pointless, FEA’s head just said at the FCPS school board meeting that they shouldn’t open until KIDS are vaccinated (which is 2022). FCFT’s head said even with teacher vaccinations they want their 11 pillars of a “safe” reopening. The budget amendment will draw the line. Sure, let the teachers get vaccinated. Then let’s get back to in-person school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who think the budget amendment is pointless, FEA’s head just said at the FCPS school board meeting that they shouldn’t open until KIDS are vaccinated (which is 2022). FCFT’s head said even with teacher vaccinations they want their 11 pillars of a “safe” reopening. The budget amendment will draw the line. Sure, let the teachers get vaccinated. Then let’s get back to in-person school.

What is the budget amendment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Williams, have met Chap, am ambivalent about his political wizardry.... hadn’t heard about the Confederate support, that is lame and tone deaf.

He seems a bit affected imo.

If he cared about the lives of 9-year olds, he wouldn't have been one of only four Democrats who caved to the NRA when we had a chance to enact sensible gun control legislation on assault weapons. Yeah sure, let's get the kids back in school so they can get shot there.

Hypocrite. He will never get my vote again and I look forward to him getting primaried.