Public Campaign

[Anonymous]

Expecting the news any day now that APS Level 2 hybrid will be postponed, and I am feeling it hard, despite the fact this is not surprising. I am watching people in my neighborhood - mostly younger adults without kids - continuing to visit bars and restaurants and having house parties, activities we know are driving the current spread. I don't think that many in these groups would even start to think about the impact their actions could be having on young kids.

I was wondering if there is a chance for a public grassroots campaign that shows the faces of school-aged children and demonstrates the impact of COVID spread on their emotional, social, and academic health? I think some of the people that I know pursuing social activities would actually think twice if the downstream impact registered.

I might be naive but if our governments are not going to prioritize school over socializing, then maybe there is a way to nudge our neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Level 2 has been delayed.

[Anonymous]

If you are on FB, join this group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/646989972826267

[Anonymous]

I'm expecting FCPS to make the announcement about their next two groups as well. The school districts made a big deal about meeting health metrics. Now VA has a 6.6% positivity rate for COVID and it is climbing by the day. Fairfax County numbers are the highest in months as well. These school districts will have to once again change their metrics if they want to send kids back to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm expecting FCPS to make the announcement about their next two groups as well. The school districts made a big deal about meeting health metrics. Now VA has a 6.6% positivity rate for COVID and it is climbing by the day. Fairfax County numbers are the highest in months as well. These school districts will have to once again change their metrics if they want to send kids back to school.

VA has a 5.8 positivity rate- not sure where 6.6 comes from. It has gone up this past week. https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/coro...in-virginia-testing/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm expecting FCPS to make the announcement about their next two groups as well. The school districts made a big deal about meeting health metrics. Now VA has a 6.6% positivity rate for COVID and it is climbing by the day. Fairfax County numbers are the highest in months as well. These school districts will have to once again change their metrics if they want to send kids back to school.

VA has a 5.8 positivity rate- not sure where 6.6 comes from. It has gone up this past week. https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/coro...in-virginia-testing/

I was referring to this for the 6.6
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-...y-rates-july-14.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm expecting FCPS to make the announcement about their next two groups as well. The school districts made a big deal about meeting health metrics. Now VA has a 6.6% positivity rate for COVID and it is climbing by the day. Fairfax County numbers are the highest in months as well. These school districts will have to once again change their metrics if they want to send kids back to school.

FCPS should do this, but they probably won't. They'll delay until there's either a student death in one of the cohorts who went back in person already, or a significant outbreak in one of those cohorts that will invite legal scrutiny because protocols weren't followed.

[Anonymous]

I’m seeing parents not following guidelines as well. I’m not sure they connect their own behavior to schools. I don’t think a public campaign is going do much. Short of massive outbreak I’m not sure how to bust through the shutdown fatigue.

[Anonymous]

The crux is that we did get the numbers down low enough to re-open schools back in Sept. We did the hard work and got no reward so to speak. So a lot of people are throwing their hands up---seeing the writing on the wall---and heading out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing parents not following guidelines as well. I’m not sure they connect their own behavior to schools. I don’t think a public campaign is going do much. Short of massive outbreak I’m not sure how to bust through the shutdown fatigue.

+1 I’m a teacher and a parent. I want to go back to be with my students and I want my own kids to go back, even though I know it won’t be “normal” by any stretch of the imagination. I was so upset by the number of party invitations our family received and photos I saw on social media this weekend. Have also read many anecdotes in teacher groups about kids sharing about out-of-town trips, dinners out, parties they were going to ... its this kind of “out of our control” behavior that has so many teachers freaking out and going to extremes about not going back.

I wish we could all agree to behaviors that will keep this disease controlled/contained so that school CAN work. Until we can have that kind of collectivist mentality, I just don’t see how it’s possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The crux is that we did get the numbers down low enough to re-open schools back in Sept. We did the hard work and got no reward so to speak. So a lot of people are throwing their hands up---seeing the writing on the wall---and heading out.

Cheap rationalizations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The crux is that we did get the numbers down low enough to re-open schools back in Sept. We did the hard work and got no reward so to speak. So a lot of people are throwing their hands up---seeing the writing on the wall---and heading out.

We did but are being held hostage by the school board and teachers. We've been low enough to go back since JULY but there is absolutely no political will to actually do it. So yeah, I'm going out and doing what I want. I have 2 kids that will never see the inside of a classroom this year regardless of what we do. I'm done. I could sit in my basement for the next year and we still wouldn't be back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm expecting FCPS to make the announcement about their next two groups as well. The school districts made a big deal about meeting health metrics. Now VA has a 6.6% positivity rate for COVID and it is climbing by the day. Fairfax County numbers are the highest in months as well. These school districts will have to once again change their metrics if they want to send kids back to school.

FCPS is committed to reopening and pleasing the #openfcpsers, they won't let numbers stop them. They're going to open no matter what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The crux is that we did get the numbers down low enough to re-open schools back in Sept. We did the hard work and got no reward so to speak. So a lot of people are throwing their hands up---seeing the writing on the wall---and heading out.

We did but are being held hostage by the school board and teachers. We've been low enough to go back since JULY but there is absolutely no political will to actually do it. So yeah, I'm going out and doing what I want. I have 2 kids that will never see the inside of a classroom this year regardless of what we do. I'm done. I could sit in my basement for the next year and we still wouldn't be back.

Are you working in person or remotely? I’m in person. And I appreciate everyone staying home. It’s really the only way it’s safe for me to be in the office right now. Also traffic is so much better. Lol. Things are really hard. We can’t just decide things are over. The virus has not changed. I know normal thought patterns are if we do something for long enough we’re going to get a specific result. But that’s just not how this works. We are in new territory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Expecting the news any day now that APS Level 2 hybrid will be postponed, and I am feeling it hard, despite the fact this is not surprising. I am watching people in my neighborhood - mostly younger adults without kids - continuing to visit bars and restaurants and having house parties, activities we know are driving the current spread. I don't think that many in these groups would even start to think about the impact their actions could be having on young kids.

I was wondering if there is a chance for a public grassroots campaign that shows the faces of school-aged children and demonstrates the impact of COVID spread on their emotional, social, and academic health? I think some of the people that I know pursuing social activities would actually think twice if the downstream impact registered.

I might be naive but if our governments are not going to prioritize school over socializing, then maybe there is a way to nudge our neighbors.

I agree with you! I can't believe how our society isn't prioritizing kids. So sad to see Halloween bar crawls, packed bars, and non mask wearers. I could see this coming. I will be crushed if school is still closed Fall 2021. It gets to be a significant part of my 6 year old's life.