Why doesn't MCPS seem to have a covid plan for the fall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is my issue. School starts in a few weeks. There is no publicly-posted plan.

At my workplace, which is much, much smaller than MCPS in terms of employees, and if we're going back to in-office in September, we'd have a plan in place by July. Planning in large organizations is key. Why is MCPS failing on this?

That's nice. MCPS has a plan too: 100% capacity, 5 days a week, with masks, plus the Virtual Academy. You just don't like that plan.

That's basically it. The "MCPS doesn't have a plan" is basically code for "I want DL-for-all or, worst case, concurrent."

NP. You are being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.
I don't want DL for all. I just want to know what happens when there are cases and if delta changes anything. If it doesn't MCPS should say why it does not.

My employer is very large and they have sent constant updates. Sometimes there are changes and sometimes there are not but they explain their reasoning. My employer is requiring vaccinations and they are proceeding with back to office plans. I'm okay with that.

Many kids are not vaccinated. MCPS owes parents an explanation of what they are changing, if anything.

You're being argumentative. The plan is 5-days in-person with masks and quarantines. I'm sure they'll let you know if anything changes.

If you don't have questions beyond that you're not very bright.

It’s a lose lose situation for them. If they communicate more, they have to listen to parents like you whine about what they did and didn’t say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is my issue. School starts in a few weeks. There is no publicly-posted plan.

At my workplace, which is much, much smaller than MCPS in terms of employees, and if we're going back to in-office in September, we'd have a plan in place by July. Planning in large organizations is key. Why is MCPS failing on this?

That's nice. MCPS has a plan too: 100% capacity, 5 days a week, with masks, plus the Virtual Academy. You just don't like that plan.

That's basically it. The "MCPS doesn't have a plan" is basically code for "I want DL-for-all or, worst case, concurrent."

NP. You are being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.
I don't want DL for all. I just want to know what happens when there are cases and if delta changes anything. If it doesn't MCPS should say why it does not.

My employer is very large and they have sent constant updates. Sometimes there are changes and sometimes there are not but they explain their reasoning. My employer is requiring vaccinations and they are proceeding with back to office plans. I'm okay with that.

Many kids are not vaccinated. MCPS owes parents an explanation of what they are changing, if anything.

You're being argumentative. The plan is 5-days in-person with masks and quarantines. I'm sure they'll let you know if anything changes.

If you don't have questions beyond that you're not very bright.

DP. I have lots of questions. That doesn't mean MCPS must answer them. Also, none of the answers would change my decision to send my kid to school.

This. I am just really afraid that MCPS will pull the rug out from under us after school starts and we're back to virtual without any advanced notice like March 2020. This time there is time to make a plan to give families advanced notice of what might trigger going 100% virtual again, but there is none.

I don't want to go virtual again. I want my kid in school with masks. If they have to go virtual I want to know how/why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the recent surge and how delta has changed everything, I think all bets are off for this fall but they aren't going to announce anything since the situation is still very fluid.

Exactly.

All the posters making fun of others for not having the "foresight" to apply for the VA are unreasonable. Most of us want to send our kids in-person.

We are asking for an update on the Covid-19 plans:
1. mitigation measures during lunch or other unmasked indoor activities,
2. new details on upgraded safety precautions given Delta,
3. and plan B if we're forced into a more prolonged closure.

1. Lunch is school specific.
2. There are very likely none. Any pre-Delta mitigation measures are what they could pull off. If they couldn’t do it then, they can’t do it now. Concurrent/hybrid isn’t happening.
3. Clearly temporary DL, but I’m sure they’ll try to avoid for as long as they can.

The answers are rather obvious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is my issue. School starts in a few weeks. There is no publicly-posted plan.

At my workplace, which is much, much smaller than MCPS in terms of employees, and if we're going back to in-office in September, we'd have a plan in place by July. Planning in large organizations is key. Why is MCPS failing on this?

That's nice. MCPS has a plan too: 100% capacity, 5 days a week, with masks, plus the Virtual Academy. You just don't like that plan.

That's basically it. The "MCPS doesn't have a plan" is basically code for "I want DL-for-all or, worst case, concurrent."

NP. You are being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.
I don't want DL for all. I just want to know what happens when there are cases and if delta changes anything. If it doesn't MCPS should say why it does not.

My employer is very large and they have sent constant updates. Sometimes there are changes and sometimes there are not but they explain their reasoning. My employer is requiring vaccinations and they are proceeding with back to office plans. I'm okay with that.

Many kids are not vaccinated. MCPS owes parents an explanation of what they are changing, if anything.

You're being argumentative. The plan is 5-days in-person with masks and quarantines. I'm sure they'll let you know if anything changes.

If you don't have questions beyond that you're not very bright.

DP. I have lots of questions. That doesn't mean MCPS must answer them. Also, none of the answers would change my decision to send my kid to school.

This. I am just really afraid that MCPS will pull the rug out from under us after school starts and we're back to virtual without any advanced notice like March 2020. This time there is time to make a plan to give families advanced notice of what might trigger going 100% virtual again, but there is none.

I don't want to go virtual again. I want my kid in school with masks. If they have to go virtual I want to know how/why.

I understand what you’re saying but ‘hard and fast’ metrics put them in a box. I think they’re going to try to stay open until they just can’t any more. Delta is going to wash over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is my issue. School starts in a few weeks. There is no publicly-posted plan.

At my workplace, which is much, much smaller than MCPS in terms of employees, and if we're going back to in-office in September, we'd have a plan in place by July. Planning in large organizations is key. Why is MCPS failing on this?

That's nice. MCPS has a plan too: 100% capacity, 5 days a week, with masks, plus the Virtual Academy. You just don't like that plan.

That's basically it. The "MCPS doesn't have a plan" is basically code for "I want DL-for-all or, worst case, concurrent."

NP. You are being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.
I don't want DL for all. I just want to know what happens when there are cases and if delta changes anything. If it doesn't MCPS should say why it does not.

My employer is very large and they have sent constant updates. Sometimes there are changes and sometimes there are not but they explain their reasoning. My employer is requiring vaccinations and they are proceeding with back to office plans. I'm okay with that.

Many kids are not vaccinated. MCPS owes parents an explanation of what they are changing, if anything.

You're being argumentative. The plan is 5-days in-person with masks and quarantines. I'm sure they'll let you know if anything changes.

If you don't have questions beyond that you're not very bright.

DP. I have lots of questions. That doesn't mean MCPS must answer them. Also, none of the answers would change my decision to send my kid to school.

This. I am just really afraid that MCPS will pull the rug out from under us after school starts and we're back to virtual without any advanced notice like March 2020. This time there is time to make a plan to give families advanced notice of what might trigger going 100% virtual again, but there is none.

I don't want to go virtual again. I want my kid in school with masks. If they have to go virtual I want to know how/why.

I understand what you’re saying but ‘hard and fast’ metrics put them in a box. I think they’re going to try to stay open until they just can’t any more. Delta is going to wash over.

They're also likely aware that DELTA is affecting more children than earlier variants. I just read one fifth of all hospitalizations are children now. As much as we may want in person school, it may not be realistic until the younger children are vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Washington County Public Schools has a reopening plan:
http://wcpsmd.com/news/school-reopening-plan-accelerate-learning-wcps

Allegany County Public Schools has a reopening plan:
https://www.acpsmd.org/domain/18

Both are more than 30 pages long and reasonably comprehensive. Where is the equivalent for MCPS? If these much worse-funded schools districts can pull it off, why can't MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Washington County Public Schools has a reopening plan:
http://wcpsmd.com/news/school-reopening-plan-accelerate-learning-wcps

Allegany County Public Schools has a reopening plan:
https://www.acpsmd.org/domain/18

Both are more than 30 pages long and reasonably comprehensive. Where is the equivalent for MCPS? If these much worse-funded schools districts can pull it off, why can't MCPS?

So I started looking at the Allegany one, and it's full of stuff like

-we're going to follow applicable laws and regulations
-this is how our school bus transportation works
-our teachers will teach

only using many, many more words.

I don't need that. Do you need it, and if so, for what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is my issue. School starts in a few weeks. There is no publicly-posted plan.

At my workplace, which is much, much smaller than MCPS in terms of employees, and if we're going back to in-office in September, we'd have a plan in place by July. Planning in large organizations is key. Why is MCPS failing on this?

That's nice. MCPS has a plan too: 100% capacity, 5 days a week, with masks, plus the Virtual Academy. You just don't like that plan.

That's basically it. The "MCPS doesn't have a plan" is basically code for "I want DL-for-all or, worst case, concurrent."

NP. You are being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.
I don't want DL for all. I just want to know what happens when there are cases and if delta changes anything. If it doesn't MCPS should say why it does not.

My employer is very large and they have sent constant updates. Sometimes there are changes and sometimes there are not but they explain their reasoning. My employer is requiring vaccinations and they are proceeding with back to office plans. I'm okay with that.

Many kids are not vaccinated. MCPS owes parents an explanation of what they are changing, if anything.

You're being argumentative. The plan is 5-days in-person with masks and quarantines. I'm sure they'll let you know if anything changes.

If you don't have questions beyond that you're not very bright.

DP. I have lots of questions. That doesn't mean MCPS must answer them. Also, none of the answers would change my decision to send my kid to school.

This. I am just really afraid that MCPS will pull the rug out from under us after school starts and we're back to virtual without any advanced notice like March 2020. This time there is time to make a plan to give families advanced notice of what might trigger going 100% virtual again, but there is none.

I don't want to go virtual again. I want my kid in school with masks. If they have to go virtual I want to know how/why.

I understand what you’re saying but ‘hard and fast’ metrics put them in a box. I think they’re going to try to stay open until they just can’t any more. Delta is going to wash over.

They're also likely aware that DELTA is affecting more children than earlier variants. I just read one fifth of all hospitalizations are children now. As much as we may want in person school, it may not be realistic until the younger children are vaccinated.

They are not going to wait until children are vaccinated because (1) approval is on an indeterminate timeline and (2) vaccine uptake for the pediatric population will likely be lower than the general population. It’s false hope to wait for it.

Kids will get sick. Most will be fine. That’s our world from here on out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the recent surge and how delta has changed everything, I think all bets are off for this fall but they aren't going to announce anything since the situation is still very fluid.

Exactly.

All the posters making fun of others for not having the "foresight" to apply for the VA are unreasonable. Most of us want to send our kids in-person.

We are asking for an update on the Covid-19 plans:
1. mitigation measures during lunch or other unmasked indoor activities,
2. new details on upgraded safety precautions given Delta,
3. and plan B if we're forced into a more prolonged closure.

1. Lunch is school specific.
2. There are very likely none. Any pre-Delta mitigation measures are what they could pull off. If they couldn’t do it then, they can’t do it now. Concurrent/hybrid isn’t happening.
3. Clearly temporary DL, but I’m sure they’ll try to avoid for as long as they can.

The answers are rather obvious.

I disagree. Lunch solutions SHOULD NOT be school-specific. There should be a system-wide plan for outdoor lunches and Central Office can use federal funds to invest in tents, tables and chairs.
There should be information how how exactly they've upgraded their air filtration systems. There should be confirmation of how they're going to deal with discipline issues regarding masks, sanitizing procedures, testing and contact tracing, etc. And regarding temporary distance learning, if that's option B, then they must organize something rapidly and tell us now because it's likely to happen after 2 weeks of school, when cases explode.

There is nothing obvious about it.

Posters who wave away all concerns are just being willfully contrarian. If your workplace was so full of people in close quarters all the time, with hundreds of unvaccinated people unmasked in the cafeteria during your lunch hour, and you hadn't heard a peep from management, you'd be livid!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington County Public Schools has a reopening plan:
http://wcpsmd.com/news/school-reopening-plan-accelerate-learning-wcps

Allegany County Public Schools has a reopening plan:
https://www.acpsmd.org/domain/18

Both are more than 30 pages long and reasonably comprehensive. Where is the equivalent for MCPS? If these much worse-funded schools districts can pull it off, why can't MCPS?

So I started looking at the Allegany one, and it's full of stuff like

-we're going to follow applicable laws and regulations
-this is how our school bus transportation works
-our teachers will teach

only using many, many more words.

I don't need that. Do you need it, and if so, for what?

As well useful stuff like how they plan to do lunches:

"The school system will continue with bagged lunches for the school year. Students who wear a mask at school
will eat their meals six feet of physical distance apart from other students. Modifications to the lunch schedule
and locations for meal services will be determined by the school principal based on the needs of the school.
The cafeteria and classrooms may be used, as necessary."

I'm not sure why there is so much opposition to having a plan. An imperfect plan is better than no plan to me. This is an organization with 160k students and 20k staff members. Should an organization that large really operate without a plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I disagree. Lunch solutions SHOULD NOT be school-specific. There should be a system-wide plan for outdoor lunches and Central Office can use federal funds to invest in tents, tables and chairs.
There should be information how how exactly they've upgraded their air filtration systems. There should be confirmation of how they're going to deal with discipline issues regarding masks, sanitizing procedures, testing and contact tracing, etc. And regarding temporary distance learning, if that's option B, then they must organize something rapidly and tell us now because it's likely to happen after 2 weeks of school, when cases explode.

There is nothing obvious about it.

Posters who wave away all concerns are just being willfully contrarian. If your workplace was so full of people in close quarters all the time, with hundreds of unvaccinated people unmasked in the cafeteria during your lunch hour, and you hadn't heard a peep from management, you'd be livid!

Maybe covid lunch procedures shouldn't be school-specific, but they're going to be school-specific, just like normal lunch procedures are school-specific.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

As well useful stuff like how they plan to do lunches:

"The school system will continue with bagged lunches for the school year. Students who wear a mask at school
will eat their meals six feet of physical distance apart from other students. Modifications to the lunch schedule
and locations for meal services will be determined by the school principal based on the needs of the school.
The cafeteria and classrooms may be used, as necessary."

I'm not sure why there is so much opposition to having a plan. An imperfect plan is better than no plan to me. This is an organization with 160k students and 20k staff members. Should an organization that large really operate without a plan?

There is a plan. The plan is: 100% capacity, five days a week, with masks, and the Virtual Academy. Does MCPS really need to produce a special document to tell you that school administrators will be involved in decisions about how to conduct lunch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is my issue. School starts in a few weeks. There is no publicly-posted plan.

At my workplace, which is much, much smaller than MCPS in terms of employees, and if we're going back to in-office in September, we'd have a plan in place by July. Planning in large organizations is key. Why is MCPS failing on this?

That's nice. MCPS has a plan too: 100% capacity, 5 days a week, with masks, plus the Virtual Academy. You just don't like that plan.

That's basically it. The "MCPS doesn't have a plan" is basically code for "I want DL-for-all or, worst case, concurrent."

NP. You are being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.
I don't want DL for all. I just want to know what happens when there are cases and if delta changes anything. If it doesn't MCPS should say why it does not.

My employer is very large and they have sent constant updates. Sometimes there are changes and sometimes there are not but they explain their reasoning. My employer is requiring vaccinations and they are proceeding with back to office plans. I'm okay with that.

Many kids are not vaccinated. MCPS owes parents an explanation of what they are changing, if anything.

You're being argumentative. The plan is 5-days in-person with masks and quarantines. I'm sure they'll let you know if anything changes.

If you don't have questions beyond that you're not very bright.

DP. I have lots of questions. That doesn't mean MCPS must answer them. Also, none of the answers would change my decision to send my kid to school.

This. I am just really afraid that MCPS will pull the rug out from under us after school starts and we're back to virtual without any advanced notice like March 2020. This time there is time to make a plan to give families advanced notice of what might trigger going 100% virtual again, but there is none.

I don't want to go virtual again. I want my kid in school with masks. If they have to go virtual I want to know how/why.

I understand what you’re saying but ‘hard and fast’ metrics put them in a box. I think they’re going to try to stay open until they just can’t any more. Delta is going to wash over.

It’s also hard for them to set firm metrics when they’re somewhat at the mercy of the county health officer and the state BOE, and even the governor. They can’t make their own decisions in a vacuum. I don’t think we fully tested the legality of orders from any of those entities last year, but I think Hogan, at least, made it clear he was going to fight tooth and nail to keep MCPS compliant this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the recent surge and how delta has changed everything, I think all bets are off for this fall but they aren't going to announce anything since the situation is still very fluid.

Exactly.

All the posters making fun of others for not having the "foresight" to apply for the VA are unreasonable. Most of us want to send our kids in-person.

We are asking for an update on the Covid-19 plans:
1. mitigation measures during lunch or other unmasked indoor activities,
2. new details on upgraded safety precautions given Delta,
3. and plan B if we're forced into a more prolonged closure.

1. Lunch is school specific.
2. There are very likely none. Any pre-Delta mitigation measures are what they could pull off. If they couldn’t do it then, they can’t do it now. Concurrent/hybrid isn’t happening.
3. Clearly temporary DL, but I’m sure they’ll try to avoid for as long as they can.

The answers are rather obvious.

I disagree. Lunch solutions SHOULD NOT be school-specific. There should be a system-wide plan for outdoor lunches and Central Office can use federal funds to invest in tents, tables and chairs.
There should be information how how exactly they've upgraded their air filtration systems. There should be confirmation of how they're going to deal with discipline issues regarding masks, sanitizing procedures, testing and contact tracing, etc. And regarding temporary distance learning, if that's option B, then they must organize something rapidly and tell us now because it's likely to happen after 2 weeks of school, when cases explode.

There is nothing obvious about it.

Posters who wave away all concerns are just being willfully contrarian. If your workplace was so full of people in close quarters all the time, with hundreds of unvaccinated people unmasked in the cafeteria during your lunch hour, and you hadn't heard a peep from management, you'd be livid!

Agree completely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Given the recent surge and how delta has changed everything, I think all bets are off for this fall but they aren't going to announce anything since the situation is still very fluid.

Exactly.

All the posters making fun of others for not having the "foresight" to apply for the VA are unreasonable. Most of us want to send our kids in-person.

We are asking for an update on the Covid-19 plans:
1. mitigation measures during lunch or other unmasked indoor activities,
2. new details on upgraded safety precautions given Delta,
3. and plan B if we're forced into a more prolonged closure.

1. Lunch is school specific.
2. There are very likely none. Any pre-Delta mitigation measures are what they could pull off. If they couldn’t do it then, they can’t do it now. Concurrent/hybrid isn’t happening.
3. Clearly temporary DL, but I’m sure they’ll try to avoid for as long as they can.

The answers are rather obvious.

I disagree. Lunch solutions SHOULD NOT be school-specific. There should be a system-wide plan for outdoor lunches and Central Office can use federal funds to invest in tents, tables and chairs.
There should be information how how exactly they've upgraded their air filtration systems. There should be confirmation of how they're going to deal with discipline issues regarding masks, sanitizing procedures, testing and contact tracing, etc. And regarding temporary distance learning, if that's option B, then they must organize something rapidly and tell us now because it's likely to happen after 2 weeks of school, when cases explode.

There is nothing obvious about it.

Posters who wave away all concerns are just being willfully contrarian. If your workplace was so full of people in close quarters all the time, with hundreds of unvaccinated people unmasked in the cafeteria during your lunch hour, and you hadn't heard a peep from management, you'd be livid!

I don’t know why posters harp on about outside lunches, tents, heaters, etc. It’s not happening. Do you need a plan to tell you that?